Trip.com Group has introduced a new global policy offering employees at least 20 days of paid paternity leave, underscoring the company's commitment to creating a supportive environment for working families across its international workforce. The company has also published its 2025 Sustainability Report, outlining its efforts in climate action, community empowerment, workplace inclusion, and innovation within the global tourism sector.

A major achievement highlighted in the report is Trip.com Group's validation by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) of both its near-term and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. This milestone makes the company the first online travel business in the Asia-Pacific region to have both types of targets validated by SBTi.

These initiatives form part of Trip.com Group's "Friendly Four" framework, which focuses on being family-friendly, community-friendly, environmentally friendly, and stakeholder-friendly. Through this approach, the company seeks to support employees and families, contribute to local communities, reduce environmental impact, and strengthen relationships with industry partners while delivering lasting value to travellers worldwide.

"Travel connects people, cultures and communities, and we believe the future of travel must also create positive outcomes for the planet and society," said Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group.

"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."

Supporting Families
Trip.com Group continued to strengthen its family-friendly workplace initiatives through its Childcare Subsidy programme, which has benefited more than 2,038 families since it was introduced. In 2025 alone, 1,114 employees received support through the programme, benefiting more than 1,132 children. The company spent approximately US$1.6 million on the initiative during the year.

The Group also recorded a 100% return-to-work rate for female employees following maternity leave during the reporting period, reflecting its continued focus on supporting employees throughout different stages of their family lives.

Further strengthening these measures, Trip.com Group is rolling out a global paid paternity leave policy that goes beyond local statutory requirements. Eligible employees will receive a minimum of 20 days of paid paternity leave. The first stage of implementation begins on 1 August, covering selected Asian markets, with further regions expected to be included later in 2026.

The expanded parental benefits are intended to provide greater support for working parents while encouraging a more inclusive workplace and helping employees maintain a healthier balance between professional responsibilities and family life.

The company also continued its efforts to improve diversity and inclusion. Women accounted for 33.1% of senior management positions and 52.3% of management roles in key revenue-generating functions. In STEM-related roles, women represented 33.0% of the workforce, highlighting the Group's continued efforts to increase female representation in technology and science-oriented positions.

Empowering Communities
Trip.com Group continued developing programmes designed to make travel more accessible and inclusive while generating economic and social benefits for communities.

The company's "Trip for Everyone" initiative focused on improving accessibility throughout the travel planning and booking experience. The programme brought together enhancements such as improved colour contrast, adjustable text sizes, screen-reader support, and keyboard navigation. Its work was recognised with an iF Design Award, acknowledging the initiative's contribution to enabling travellers with different physical and situational requirements to navigate and explore destinations with greater independence.

The Group also expanded its Country Retreat programme, which supported approximately 11,000 indirect employment opportunities during the reporting year. Over the past five years, the programme has contributed to around 51,000 employment opportunities while maintaining a strong focus on local hiring. Across its 12 properties, at least 80% of employees were recruited locally, helping tourism spending generate broader economic benefits for host communities.

Trip.com Group also enhanced its Global SOS Platform, designed to provide travellers with assistance during emergencies. The upgraded platform can operate in 24 languages and address 20 different travel emergency scenarios. By the end of 2025, it had responded to more than 23,000 assistance requests across over 100 destinations.

Protecting the Future of Travel
Environmental sustainability remained a central focus for Trip.com Group as the company worked to lower its environmental impact and encourage travellers and businesses to choose more sustainable forms of transportation and accommodation.

During the reporting period, the Group achieved an important climate milestone when its greenhouse gas reduction targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. The validation covers both its near-term and net-zero targets, making Trip.com Group the first online travel company in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve SBTi validation for both categories.
The company also broadened its selection of lower-carbon travel options across hotels and other accommodation, flights, car rentals, and rail travel. In 2025, approximately 2.74 million users selected lower-carbon options for business travel, resulting in 23.44 million lower-carbon travel bookings during the year.

Growing Tourism Together
Trip.com Group continued to focus on strengthening the tourism ecosystem through technological innovation, destination development, and collaboration with industry partners.

At its 2025 Global Partner Conference, the company announced a US$100 million Tourism Innovation Fund. The fund is intended to support innovative tourism initiatives and collaborations across industries, with the aim of developing new approaches to destination growth and creating more distinctive experiences for visitors.

The Group also continued expanding opportunities for local tourism businesses to reach travellers. By the end of 2025, Trip.com Group's platform featured more than 350,000 in-destination experiences worldwide, spanning restaurants and shopping, day excursions, attraction and entertainment tickets, and customised guided tours.

By connecting travellers with a wider range of local experiences, the company aims to create additional opportunities for tourism providers while helping visitors enjoy richer and more personalised journeys.

Trip.com Group's 2025 Sustainability Report provides a broader overview of the company's achievements, priorities, and ongoing initiatives. Together, its programmes demonstrate the Group's continued efforts to create a tourism industry that is more inclusive, environmentally responsible, community-oriented, and resilient for the future.

At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, delivered a strong call to action for global leaders: tourism must be recognised and managed as core economic infrastructure to unlock sustainable growth, resilience, and human connection in a rapidly fragmenting world.

During his engagements at the Forum, the Minister underscored that tourism can no longer be viewed as an optional or secondary industry. Instead, when strategically planned and effectively governed, it functions as a critical system that supports economic diversification, attracts long-term capital, and generates inclusive employment across regions.

“With global travel expected to reach nearly two billion international arrivals by 2030, the real issue is not growth itself, but how responsibly that growth is managed,” said His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb. “When tourism is designed as economic, social, and cultural infrastructure, it delivers lasting value—strengthening resilience and diversification rather than simply enabling cross-border movement.”

Drawing on Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 transformation, the Minister highlighted tourism’s central role in reshaping the Kingdom’s economy. In 2025 alone, Saudi Arabia welcomed 30 million inbound visitors, with ambitions to reach 150 million annually by 2030. The Kingdom is now the world’s largest single investor in tourism, with extensive investments spanning destination development, aviation, digital ecosystems, and workforce development. Tourism currently contributes close to 5% of direct GDP and supports more than one million jobs nationwide.

He pointed to flagship destinations such as AlUla, Diriyah, and the Red Sea as examples of a master-planned development model focused on sustainability, safety, governance, and community wellbeing. This integrated approach, he explained, has boosted investor confidence, encouraged long-term capital inflows, and ensured that tourism growth aligns with cultural preservation and local benefit.

At Davos, the Minister also spotlighted Beyond Tourism, a multi-sector initiative developed in partnership with the World Economic Forum. The initiative seeks to reposition tourism from an industry-level conversation to a system-wide leadership priority by aligning policy, investment, and innovation across sustainability, inclusion, resilience, and economic impact.

“Despite being a USD 10 trillion global industry, tourism remains undervalued in economic policymaking,” His Excellency noted. “It is still too often excluded from infrastructure, trade, and industrial strategies. Elevating tourism means recognising it as a driver of productivity, resilience, and connectivity—supported by coherent policies and data-led frameworks.”

Saudi Arabia further highlighted TOURISE, a global platform designed to translate ambition into action by bringing together governments, investors, and industry leaders to accelerate collaboration and implementation. Since its inception, TOURISE has convened nearly 10,000 leaders from over 100 countries and helped catalyse more than USD 113 billion in tourism-related investment. The next global TOURISE convening is scheduled for March 2027.

Globally, travel and tourism account for around 10% of world GDP and support more than 357 million jobs, making it one of the most inclusive sectors worldwide. Beyond its economic contribution, the Minister emphasised tourism’s role in strengthening people-to-people connections at a time of heightened geopolitical tension.

Speaking at the Forum, His Excellency highlighted Saudi Arabia’s commitment to using tourism as a tool for global benefit—not solely national growth. He urged governments and international institutions to elevate tourism within economic and infrastructure strategies, stressing its ability to foster growth, resilience, and international cooperation.

“One of our greatest responsibilities is to look beyond ourselves,” he said. “Nearly 80% of countries—particularly across Africa and Latin America—remain underrepresented in global tourism flows. We want to work with these regions to help them develop their tourism sectors and strengthen their economies for shared global benefit.

“In many cases, tourism helps sustain dialogue when formal diplomatic channels are strained. It builds trust, understanding, and human connection. When managed responsibly, it can serve as a stabilising force and a multiplier for peace.”

Throughout the week in Davos, Saudi Arabia’s delegation engaged in open and constructive discussions with leaders from government, business, civil society, and academia to advance global stability and prosperity. Reflecting the Kingdom’s role as an active and responsible member of the international community, the delegation showcased Saudi Vision 2030 as a model for transformative, growth-driven development.

Saudi House also returned to Davos following its establishment by the Ministry of Economy and Planning in 2025. Over the course of the week, it hosted more than 20 sessions—including over 10 World Economic Forum–accredited discussions—across six themes: Bold Vision, Insights for Impact, People and Human Capability, Quality of Life, Investment and Collaboration, and Welcoming the World. The platform also launched NextOn, a new series of thought-provoking and educational talks featuring global leaders and innovators.