8Trip

8Trip, legally known as 八爪鱼在线旅游发展有限公司 (Bazhuayu Online Tourism Development Co., Ltd.), is a Chinese business-to-business (B2B) travel industry platform. Founded in December 2011 by Yuan Dong, the company operates a comprehensive online distribution system for travel agencies and suppliers. Yuan, who entered the tourism sector in 2001, gained experience as both a product supplier and a distributor before recognizing the need for an integrated platform to serve industry peers.

The company's core business is a B2B transaction platform that connects thousands of upstream travel product suppliers with a vast network of downstream travel agencies. The platform consolidates a wide array of tourism products, including domestic short-haul and long-haul tours, outbound travel, independent tours, flights, car rentals, and attraction tickets. This model enables travel agencies (the B-side) to efficiently source, manage, and sell a diverse range of products, while suppliers gain access to a broad distribution network. The business model is described as an S2B (Supply chain Platform to Business) system, aiming to empower businesses within the travel ecosystem.

Headquartered in the Suzhou Industrial Park, 8Trip has established a significant presence in China's tourism market. The company has received substantial financial backing from prominent investors. In 2013, it secured a 150 million RMB Series A funding round from SoftBank China Capital and Capital Today. This was followed by a Series B round in 2016 and a 600 million RMB Series C round in 2018, co-led by Ant Group (formerly Ant Financial), CCB International, and Tempus Global.

Keywords: B2B travel platform, tourism supply chain, online travel agency, travel distribution, S2B platform, China travel market, Yuan Dong, travel technology, tour operator, flight booking, hotel booking, travel services, tourism distribution, travel industry platform, B2B e-commerce, Ant Group, SoftBank China Capital, travel wholesale