Alibaba Group, a Hong Kong-based e-commerce group, has made an undisclosed investment in Qyer.com, a China-based online travel agency which provides travel-related content and services for overseas travel.
Alibaba is reported to have stated that Qyer.com will complement its Chinese language e-commerce site Taobao Travel: “The synergy between the two platforms will serve to create a one-stop shop for users to not only conduct research and socialize with other travel aficionados, but also to purchase travel packages and deals.”
Qyer.com was founded in 2004, while Taobao Travel was launched in 2010. A leading competitor is China-based Ctrip, which claims to be the biggest online travel agency in China, focussed on domestic travel and hotels within China.
In April 2013, Alibaba also invested an undisclosed amount in online travelogue service 117go.com.
