Chinese online travel giant
Trip.com Group
considers itself more of a startup in Europe - but it has lofty ambitions to be the leader in the market.
The company wants to be number one, said Andy Washington, who was appointed general manager for Europe at Trip.com Group last year, though admittedly it will take a few years.
Speaking during Phocuswright Europe 2022, Washington said he believes the industry first needs to reflect on the greed in travel and refocus its efforts on putting the customer front and center.
Washington, who has held senior roles at a number of online travel players including Culture Trip and Expedia, said he took the job at Trip.com Group not only because of its technology and data foundation, but also because of its “very driven but very humble” culture.
He sees huge opportunity as a mass-market online travel agency, building on the company’s strength in flights, growing its accommodation offering and using data to understand what customers want and deliver it to them.
In a wide-ranging interview with Phocuswright Research founder and analyst Lorraine Sileo, Washington also discussed the desire to grow organically and the importance of the right technology investment.
Watch the full Center Stage session below:
Executive Interview: Staying the Course - Trip.com - Phocuswright Europe 2022