Skyscanner owner to bring 200 call centre jobs to Edinburgh

Ctrip is planning to open a new call centre in Edinburgh

The firm, China’s largest and the world’s 2nd largest online travel agency, bought the Edinburgh travel site in December 2016 for £1.4 billion.

The Edinburgh call centre aims to provide a high-level customer service experience across time zones and languages.

While the call centre will be separate to Skyscanner, Ctrip will also learn best practice from Skyscanner’s experience in providing online customer service across multiple time zones and 26 languages.

“Ctrip’s leadership team has visited Edinburgh several times since the acquisition of Skyscanner at the end of last year,” said Ctrip Director Coley Dale.

“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.

“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.”

The Ctrip customer service office will be located in central Edinburgh and is set to open in the first two months of 2018.

Managing Director of Scottish Development International, 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.”