By MLex Staff ( February 27, 2026, 07:16 GMT | Insight) -- China’s leading online travel agency Trip.com used the release of its full-year results to highlight three investment priorities — inbound tourism, social responsibility initiatives and AI innovation — while reiterating that it is fully cooperating with China’s antitrust investigation. The company said the probe is ongoing, its operations remain normal and it cannot predict the outcome, adding that it “will continue to actively communicate with SAMR on compliance with regulatory requirements.”China’s leading online travel agency Trip.com used the release of its full-year results to highlight three investment priorities — inbound tourism, social responsibility initiatives and AI innovation — while reiterating that it is fully cooperating with China’s antitrust investigation. On Jan. 14, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, or SAMR, announced it had initiated a formal abuse-of-dominance investigation against the company following preliminary reviews. Earlier this week, Trip.com said in its earnings filing that it received notice in January that SAMR had commenced the investigation. The company said the probe is ongoing, its operations remain normal and it cannot predict the outcome, adding that it “will continue to actively communicate with SAMR on compliance with regulatory requirements.” Management pointed to the three investment priorities when asked about the probe’s potential impact on its 2026 outlook — themes that also echo Beijing’s policy focus on boosting consumption, supporting employment, fostering a healthier platform ecosystem and accelerating AI development. In the conference call, executive chair James Liang said travel remains “a vital pillar of the global economy, supporting consumption, employment and cross border connectivity.” Chief Executive Officer Jane Sun said that “Inbound travel remains a key growth driver, contributing to economic growth and creating job opportunities for young talents and industry partners.” On social responsibility, Trip.com highlighted initiatives aimed at supporting communities and the broader travel ecosystem, including a $100 million tourism innovation fund. On AI, Trip.com said it plans to scale investment in travel-focused large models, presenting AI as a lever to improve efficiency and service quality across the platform. “We are building a scalable AI infrastructure to enhance partner efficiency, improve visibility and break down barriers, enabling the industry to deliver better content and reach more customers, and we believe that a collaborative and fair ecosystem is critical to the long term development of the travel industry,” Sun said. Separately, Trip.com also disclosed board and management changes effective Feb. 25, including the resignation of two of its four co-founders — Min Fan as a director and president and Qi Ji as a director — and the appointment of Yihong Wu and Yang Xiao as new independent directors. The company said the appointments reflect the board’s commitment to maintaining diverse expertise and fresh perspectives, positioning it to guide the company’s evolving strategy and oversee future opportunities and risks.— Analysis by Yang Yue ...
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