Skyscanner owner Ctrip to open Edinburgh call centre

Move will create up to 200 jobs over next few years Continue reading →

The Chinese owner of travel search site Skyscanner plans to open a call centre in Edinburgh, creating up to 200 jobs over the next few years.

Ctrip, which is one of China’s largest online travel agencies, is set to open a base in the Scottish capital in early 2018.

Recruitment will get under way towards the end of this year.

The call centre will operate separately from Skyscanner, which Ctrip acquired in December last year for £1.4 billion.

However, Ctrip plans to tap into Skyscanner’s experience in providing online customer service across multiple time zones and 26 languages.

Ctrip has been expanding its travel services for both outbound Chinese travellers and international passengers for several years.

Ctrip director Coley Dale told the BBC: “Ctrip’s leadership team has visited Edinburgh several times since the acquisition of Skyscanner at the end of last year.

“It is clear to us that there is considerable talent in Scotland and the city makes an ideal base for Ctrip to open a dedicated call centre.”

He added: “While Chinese travellers continue to be the focus for Ctrip, we’re step-by-step investing in our services across the world.

“We’re excited to be building roots here in Edinburgh and will be recruiting at scale for our new office.”