Companies forming partnership and working together to ride through the current coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak is one of the key factors in helping revive the travel market, and to reassure people that travel is safe. Etihad Airways is one such company.
The national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed a memorandum of understanding with leading Chinese Internet platform Tencent Holding Ltd (Tencent) to promote the growth and development of innovation and digitalisation for the tourism industry.
“As we are all aware, the world continues to grapple with the Covid-19 outbreak in China. Forging a partnership with Tencent right now shows our strong support for China, which is a very important market for Etihad,” said Robin Kamark, chief commercial officer of Etihad Aviation Group
He added that the continuation of Etihad’s daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Beijing reinforces the airline’s commitment. “We want to express our solidarity with the citizens and our staff in China and the UAE who have come together during these trying times. Jiāyóu — stay strong.”
As part of the collaboration, Etihad Airways will leverage Tencent’s cloud computing capabilities and social media platforms such as WeChat, to better support its customer engagement strategy in China and other potential regions globally via Tencent’s network and ecosystem partners.
The airline has launched its own WeChat Mini Program, making it one of the pilot international airlines to offer this service on the WeChat platform that has over one billion monthly active users..
Mini programs allow brands to interact with WeChat users via advanced features within the WeChat environment, without the need for separate App downloads or interfaces. Etihad Airways launched its WeChat public account in 2016, and the Mini Program is expected to boost its outreach to Chinese audiences.
Kamark said Tencent’s “established technological capabilities” would help the airline “supercharge” its innovation drive.
He added that through the partnership the airline aims to enhance guest experience, broaden customer choice and elevate its engagement with Chinese visitors.
“The collaboration with Tencent presents a huge opportunity for Etihad, allowing us to engage with our guests on the biggest digital platform in China, speaking to them in their language and on their preferred platform. This is in line with our strategy of providing choice and customisation for our guests based on their preference.”
Poshu Yeung, vice president of Tencent International Business Group believes that partnership is “a very pragmatic cooperation roadmap that rapidly formulates innovative strategies, supports the development of China’s outbound tourism and further enhances our footprint in the Middle East market.”
Etihad has also introduced flexible booking conditions to make it easier for customers to cancel trips affected by the virus. It allows one complimentary date or destination change for all flights booked between 8 March and 7 April 2020.
• Featured image credit: Etihad Airways
