Etihad Airways has announced a major new deal with Chinese multinational and internet big beast Tencent Tencent, owners of China’s ubiquitous mobile app WeChat.

The new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaboration has been designed to enable both parties to identify potential opportunities in promoting the growth and development of innovation and digitalisation for the tourism industry. Through the collaboration, Etihad Airways aims to enhance the guest experience, broaden customer choice and elevate its engagement with Chinese visitors.

Robin Kamark, chief commercial officer at Etihad Aviation Group, said, “The collaboration with Tencent presents a huge opportunity for Etihad, allowing us to engage with our guests on the biggest digital platform in China, speaking to them in their language and on their preferred platform. This is in line with our strategy of providing choice and customisation for our guests based on their preferences. Tencent’s established technological capabilities will undoubtedly supercharge our innovation drive, and I am very excited about the unlocked possibilities.”

“As we are all aware, the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Forging a partnership with Tencent right now shows our strong support for China, which is a very important market for Etihad. The continuation of our daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Beijing at such a challenging time reinforces our commitment. We want to express our solidarity with the citizens and our staff in China and the UAE, who have come together during these trying times. Jiāyóu — stay strong,” Kamark added. 

Poshu Yeung, vice president,of Tencent International Business Group said, “We are delighted to sign the MoU for the collaboration between Tencent and Etihad Airways, with a very pragmatic cooperation roadmap that rapidly formulates innovative strategies, supports the development of China’s outbound tourism and further enhances our footprint in the Middle East market.”