Dida Holdings, the global AI-first travel distribution platform, today announced a foundational seven-year preferred strategic partnership with HBX Group, a leading global B2B TravelTech marketplace, marking a decisive step in the evolution of travel distribution infrastructure ahead of the next phase of Dida’s global growth.
The partnership formalises long-term strategic alignment between two category leaders and establishes HBX as a core, preferred pillar within Dida’s global distribution architecture, underpinning how international travel demand from China, Asia, and beyond will be sourced, optimised and scaled over the coming decade.
As travel commerce rapidly transitions toward AI-led, machine-to-machine distribution, this agreement reflects a shared conviction that future distribution advantages will be built through deep infrastructure alignment, not merely transactional breadth.
A Partnership Designed for the AI Era
The collaboration is purpose-built for a world where travel discovery, pricing, and fulfilment are increasingly driven by AI agents, automation and real-time optimisation.
By combining Dida’s leadership in China, AI-native demand capabilities and multi-channel global reach with HBX Group’s world-class sourcing depth, supply performance, and fintech innovation, the partnership creates a next-generation distribution foundation engineered for scale, relevance and resilience.
Dida continues to operate a diversified global supply ecosystem, with preferred partnerships forming part of a broader multi-supplier strategy designed to enhance resilience and execution predictability. This partnership exemplifies that approach representing a step beyond traditional buy-sell models toward deeper long-term platform alignment.
HBX Group’s role as Dida’s preferred strategic partner is driven by several defining strengths:
Gateway to China and AI-native demand - Dida is the No.1 B2B travel platform in China, operating at the centre of one of the world’s most digitally advanced, AI-driven travel markets. The partnership ensures HBX Group's supply is natively positioned within this demand flow.
AI-ready, machine-readable distribution - Dida’s platform is engineered for high-performance, automated consumption by AI agents, enabling HBX Group content to perform effectively as booking behaviour shifts from human-led search to machine-led execution.
Multi-channel demand orchestration - Beyond conventional B2B channels, Dida connects supply into social, content-led, and programmatic demand models, expanding the ways in which HBX Group inventory is discovered, evaluated, and converted globally.
Long-term infrastructure alignment - The preferred partnership framework enables sustained prioritisation across technology integration, product development, and go-to-market execution, supporting consistent performance over multiple industry cycles.
What HBX Group Delivers for Dida:
HBX Group will play a central role in strengthening Dida’s global supply proposition as traveller expectations evolve toward higher relevance and personalisation.
Access to difficult-to-source, high-performance inventory, including premium, experiential, and high-demand properties across both branded and independent supply.
Richer content and attributes, enabling AI-driven traveller queries around key characteristics such as wellness, quiet environments, room facilities and personalised amenities.
Support for experience-led travel demand particularly as travellers in China and Asia increasingly rely on AI tools to plan highly specific, preference-based journeys.
Joint Innovation Beyond Traditional Distribution
The agreement also establishes a framework for collaboration beyond accommodation distribution, including:
Fintech and payments innovation, reflecting the unique requirements of China’s payment ecosystem.
Cross-market technology collaboration, with HBX supporting localisation for China while Dida enables the internationalisation of AI and automation capabilities.
Future-ready distribution models, aligned with the rise of agentic booking, automation, and real-time decisioning in travel commerce.
Daryl Lee, CEO of Dida Holdings, said: “As travel distribution enters an AI-led, machine-to-machine era, long-term alignment matters more than breadth. This partnership reflects deliberate choices about how we build at an infrastructure level - not just the products we transact with. Together with HBX, we are laying down a foundation designed for the next decade of global travel.”
David Amsellem, Chief Distribution Officer of HBX Group, added: “Dida represents a unique convergence of China leadership, AI-ready distribution, and global reach. By formalising this long-term partnership, we are positioning our supply to perform where travel demand is heading, not where it has been.”
