Climate Milestone
Trip.com Group has become the first online travel company in the Asia Pacific region to earn Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validation for both its near-term and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets — a benchmark that is increasingly relevant to hotel, restaurant, and hospitality operators who depend on travel platforms to drive bookings and visibility.
The validation, detailed in the company's 2025 Sustainability Report, coincides with measurable traction in sustainable travel demand. During 2025, 2.74 million users opted into lower-carbon business travel products across the platform, generating 23.44 million lower-carbon bookings across flights, accommodation, car rentals, and rail — a signal that sustainability features are moving from niche to mainstream among corporate travel buyers.
The $100M Fund
At its 2025 Global Partner Conference, Trip.com Group launched a USD 100 million Tourism Innovation Fund designed to back innovative tourism projects and cross-sector collaborations. The fund targets new destination growth models and differentiated visitor experiences — areas where independent restaurants, boutique hotels, and hospitality operators stand to benefit directly if local tourism suppliers can more effectively connect with the platform's global user base.
By the end of 2025, the Group offered more than 350,000 in-destination experiences worldwide, encompassing dining and shopping experiences, day tours, attraction and performance tickets, and customized guided tours. That breadth underscores Trip.com's positioning as an end-to-end travel commerce ecosystem, not merely a flight-and-hotel aggregator — a shift that holds implications for restaurant and foodservice operators exploring third-party discovery and booking channels.
CEO Jane Sun framed the strategy in stakeholder terms: "Travel connects people, cultures and communities, and we believe the future of travel must also create positive outcomes for the planet and society. Through our sustainability strategy, we are investing in our people, accelerating climate action and working with partners worldwide to build a more resilient tourism ecosystem."
Workforce & Community Commitments
On the labor front, Trip.com Group is introducing a global minimum of 20 days of paid paternity leave, supplementing local statutory entitlements. The first phase covers selected markets across Asia effective August 2026, with additional regions following later in the year. The company also reported a 100% return-to-work rate for female employees following maternity leave and noted that women hold 52.3% of management roles within key revenue-generating functions.
The Group's Childcare Subsidy program supported 1,114 employees and more than 1,132 children in 2025, with annual expenditure of approximately USD 1.6 million. These workforce policies matter to hospitality industry observers as the sector continues to grapple with talent retention across operations at scale.
The Group's Country Retreat programme, which operates 12 properties with at least 80% local staffing, supported approximately 11,000 indirect employment opportunities during the reporting year and has generated around 51,000 employment opportunities over the past five years — a concrete illustration of how large travel platforms can act as economic multipliers for rural and emerging destinations.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
