- Flight, hotel and attraction operators plug into AI booking layer
- Integration deepens as platforms race to reshape travel distribution
Alibaba is expanding its AI push into travel services, as peak outbound booking demand around China’s May holiday drives a wave of partnerships across airlines, hotels and tourism operators.
On April 23, Alibaba’s Qwen app and travel platform Fliggy said they have signed cooperation agreements with more than 10 additional travel brands.
They included major destinations and airlines such as Shanghai Legoland Resort, Gubei Water Town, Anji Yunshang Grassland, Haichang Ocean Park, as well as carriers including Urumqi Airlines, 9 Air, Macau Airlines and Singapore Airlines.
The partners will integrate into Fliggy and Qwen’s “AI tasking” system, enabling users to plan and book travel through natural-language requests, with some offering platform-specific subsidies and benefits.
So far, more than 100 travel brands have joined Qwen’s AI ecosystem. Earlier participants include China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hyatt Hotels, Wanda Hotels & Resorts, Shanghai Disney Resort and Hengdian World Studios.
These partners are offering bundled incentives such as discounts, instant rebates, hotel breakfast packages and late checkout, with per-item savings of up to 300 yuan ($43).
With the integration of Fliggy’s AI agent, Qwen’s travel functions are moving beyond search and booking into post-purchase management. Users can select hotel room types via chat, modify orders, request cancellations and track refunds directly inside the app.
On April 23, Qwen also opened up its AI tasking capabilities more broadly, introducing full end-to-end flight booking services.
Li Bin, a professor at Beijing International Studies University’s School of Tourism Sciences, said AI could reshape distribution channels in the travel industry, traditionally dominated by online travel agencies like Ctrip and Booking.com.
“AI-driven tools may reconstruct the existing structure of product and channel distribution, offering travel companies more options and operational flexibility,” he said.
