Priceline 5億美元投資入股攜程

Priceline Group is taking a $500m stake in Ctrip, the Shanghai-based travel booking website, increasing the biggest US online travel agent’s footprint in China’s fast-growing tourism market.

Priceline集團已斥資5億美元投資於總部位於上海的旅遊訂票網站攜程(Ctrip)。Priceline是美國最大的網上旅行社，正在打入快速增長的中國旅遊市場。

The Connecticut-based company will invest $500m via a convertible bond. It will also gain the right to acquire Ctrip shares on the open market over the next year to build a stake which, combined with the shares convertible under the bond, could be worth up to 10 per cent.

總部位於康涅狄格州的Priceline將通過可轉債向攜程投資5億美元。該公司還將獲得明年在公開市場上買入攜程股票的權力，與可轉債所含股份一起，總計能獲得攜程10%的股份。

Ctrip, which listed on Nasdaq in 2003, has a market capitalisation of $8.2bn.

攜程於2003年在納斯達克(Nasdaq)上市，目前市值82億美元。

The two companies are also expanding a commercial agreement first struck in 2012 to offer more hotel room inventory to each other’s customers, give Ctrip users access to Priceline’s rental cars and restaurant booking offerings and give Priceline access to Ctrip’s airline and attraction ticket services.

兩家公司還延展了在2012年時首次達成的一份商業協議，從而能爲彼此的客戶提供更多酒店選擇，讓攜程用戶能享受Priceline的租車及餐館預訂服務，同時Priceline客戶也能夠訪問攜程的航空公司和景點門票服務。

A flood of middle class Chinese tourists armed with higher disposable incomes is fanning out across the world and reshaping the global travel market.

隨着可支配收入的提升，大量中國中產階級人羣開始走出國門，到世界各地旅行，全球旅遊市場格局因此改變。

“So many Chinese tourists are making their way to Europe. They’re the most noticeable change in global travel,” said Darren Huston, Priceline chief executive. “In five to 10 years they could become the world’s largest travelling population.”

Priceline首席執行官達倫•休斯頓(Darren Huston)表示：“去歐洲旅遊的中國遊客非常多。他們給全球旅遊市場帶來了最引人注目的變化。在5到10年內，中國人會成爲全球最大規模的旅遊人口。”

CLSA estimates that by the end of this decade, 200m Chinese tourists will travel outside the country each year and spending on tourism will double.

里昂證券(CLSA)估計，到2019年，中國每年將有2億遊客赴境外旅遊，旅遊開支也將翻倍。

While in most western countries, 40 to 50 per cent of travel bookings are made online, only 10 to 15 per cent are done so in China, Mr Huston said, offering providers like Priceline a big opportunity.

休斯頓表示，儘管在多數西方國家，40%到50%的旅遊訂票是在網上完成的，中國這一比例卻只有10%到15%。這爲Priceline這樣的服務提供商帶來了巨大機遇。

The US group preferred to partner with Ctrip – a well-known brand with an established business – rather than tackle the market alone, he said.

他表示，Priceline更願意與攜程這樣業務成熟的知名品牌合作，而不是獨自開發市場。

The deal will allow Priceline to offer travellers outside of China access to Ctrip’s inventory of 100,000 accommodations in the country. “It rounds out the key premise of our success: the broadest selection of booking options,” Mr Huston said.

根據最新協議，在中國以外的Priceline客戶將能夠訪問攜程的中國國內酒店目錄，這些酒店共有10萬套房間。休斯頓表示：“這顯示了我們獲得成功的關鍵因素：我們能給顧客提供最廣泛的酒店選擇。”

Ctrip’s revenues jumped 38 per cent to RMB1.8bn in the second quarter but net income fell 36 per cent to RMB134.9m as expenses rose.

今年第二季度，攜程營收躍升38%，至18億元人民幣。不過，由於開支增加，攜程的淨收入下跌了36%，至1.349億元人民幣。

Priceline started in 1997 as a “name your own price” service for hotel, airline, car rental and vacation bookings and became known for quirky television ads featuring Star Trek’s William Shatner.

Priceline股票今年上漲了近12%。自1月份以來攜程股價已上漲逾24%。