Collinson has announced a new joint venture with China’s Joyful Journey Group, which will see the addition of airport lounges and a Mandarin-speaking customer service.
The Joyful Journey Priority Pass venture will see Collinson expand its inventory in mainland China, with the addition of nearly 90 airport lounges for domestic travellers.
Collinson said that “a sub-set of which will be made available to international travellers”, although no further details have been provided at this point.
The joint venture will also provide customers with 24/7 Mandarin-speaking customer service, and what Collinson referred to as “market-specific, agile technology”, including “seamless API integration to client apps”.
Collinson has had a presence in mainland China since 2004, while Beijing-based Joyful Journey Group was established in 2012 and is described as “a leading air and rail digital travel experiences provider”.
In 2021 Priority Pass announced a new strategic partnership with China Southern Airlines, giving members access to over 40 new lounges across China.
Commenting on the news Todd Handcock, global chief commercial officer and Asia Pacific president at Collinson, said:
“It’s great to be able to share the news of this strategic joint venture with our partners at Joyful Journey Group, a collaboration designed to enable our clients to drive increased customer engagement and value, through our joint expertise and expanded breadth of solutions.
“As the travel market in mainland China is forecasted to recover at pace this year, it presents an incredible opportunity for growth and innovation; and as such, this alliance is forged at an opportune time for all parties.
“Innovation has always been part of our DNA and we continue to evolve our solutions to empower our clients and partners to remain market-leading in this agile and competitive market.
“We strongly believe this partnership brings multiple benefits and we’re looking forward to working hand-in-hand with Joyful Journey Group to help elevate every journey into something special.”
