MEDIA-I: Hongkong.com sets up Travio in travel venture

<p>TAIPEI: Chinadotcom's portal hongkong.com has formed a </p><p>joint-venture with Taiwan's South East Travel Service (SET). </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The new company, Travio Global, a business to business travel services </p><p>company, will tap the 3.5 million travellers who currently venture </p><p>between Taiwan and China each year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Peter Yip, chief executive officer of chinadotcom, the majority </p><p>shareholder of hongkong.com, said travel is a "selected vertical market" </p><p>that his corporation is commited to. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"In a tough economic climate, we need to choose certain key growth areas </p><p>where we can truly excel," explained Yip. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Travio Global will seek to become a market leader in online travel </p><p>services by leveraging hongkong.com's technology and internet </p><p>capabilities against SET's network of 600 travel agents. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>SET is Taiwan's largest travel wholesaler. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We are excited about the potential of this joint-venture to achieve a </p><p>healthy market share of the fast-growing travel market in Greater </p><p>China," added Rudy Chan, chief executive officer of hongkong.com. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>