Egencia hopes to spur online growth in China

The opening of a Shanghai office by Egencia follows a trend of international expansion among US–based Internet travel management providers.

But what is unusual about Egencia’s move is its entrance into a market with such a low adoption rate for corporate travel management technology.

Chinese companies still have a strong preference for paper-based travel management, according to a recent PhoCusWright report, “Corporate Travel management and Travel Practices in China,” which cites the limited use of IT systems management as the top current corporate travel trend in China. More than three in four companies interviewed for the study still use paper forms and a manual process for travel expense reporting.

China expects domestic air travel to grow 10% in 2009

China's aviation industry is expected to post at least 10 percent growth in its domestic passenger traffic this year thanks to government efforts to boost the economy, while international traffic is likely to fall sharply, the country's top aviation industry official said on Wednesday.

China's domestic passenger traffic increased 13.47 percent in February from a year earlier, after registering 20 percent growth in January, said Li Jiaxiang, director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

However, international cargo traffic plunged 28 percent from a year earlier, while international passenger traffic dropped 16 percent, Li said on the sidelines of the annual sessions of the Chinese People's Political Consultative