29 January 2024
Under the Radar: Alibaba’s travel business Fliggy on travel demand before CNY, maximising GMV through partnership with Agoda, Booking.com, and odds of an IPO
Today we’re going to speak to a wholly owned subsidiary of Alibaba Group that focuses specifically on travel arrangements.
Launched in 2016, Fliggy is an online marketplace that helps users in and out of China to book for flights, accommodation, train tickets, group travel essentials and attraction tickets.
The firm said it leverages Alibaba Group’s product and technical development abilities to enhance its user experience and service capabilities to better meet consumer’s needs.
So far, the platform has a user base of over 320 million registered users. But what is the significance of Fliggy to the wider Alibaba Group?
And where does the company fit in Alibaba’s portfolio, after the parent company announced a restructuring effort in March 2023?
Meanwhile, Alibaba said Fliggy’s gross merchandise value sales increased rapidly year-over-year during the quarter ended September 2023, driven by a strong recovery in both domestic and international travel demands.
But what is the magnitude we are looking at and how is Fliggy positioning itself for future growth? Are there any plans to also list Fliggy on regional stock exchanges soon?
On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Simeon Shi, Chief Strategy Officer, Fliggy.

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