Skyscanner owner rings up 200 new jobs for Edinburgh

Ctrip's new Edinburgh call centre will operate separately to Skyscanner. Picture: Contributed

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Skyscanner parent group Ctrip is to open a customer service call centre in Edinburgh, creating up to 200 jobs in the process.

The firm, China’s largest and the world’s second-largest online travel agency, bought the travel search engine in December 2016 in a deal worth £1.4 billion.

• READ MORE: Chinese tech giant swoops on Skyscanner

The Edinburgh call centre will provide customer service across a range of time zones and languages.

The facility, which will be separate to Skyscanner, will be located in the centre of the city and is set to open in the first two months of 2018.

Scottish Development International managing director Paul Lewis said: “We are delighted Ctrip has chosen Edinburgh for its first call centre outside China.

“The company joins many international investors which recognise the strength of our skills base, competitive business environment and effective support network. We look forward to working with Ctrip to help deliver this significant investment and new jobs for Scotland.”

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Ctrip director Coley Dale said the group’s leadership team has visited the capital “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.”

A number of successful candidates will also visit Ctrip’s Shanghai headquarters to learn from peers there.

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