Tujia teams up with Rakuten to lure more Chinese travellers to Japan

The Chinese equivalent of Airbnb, Tujia is teaming up with Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten Inc.

Following the rollout of official rules in Japan for home sharing, Rakuten will give Tujia access to its properties on a new vacation rental platform operated by a separate joint venture called Rakuten Lifull Stay.

Beijing-based Tujia says it aims to capture half the Chinese market renting short-term accommodation in Japan over the next few years.

"We are confident that we can provide better service to Chinese travellers than anyone else," said Yang Changle, Tujia’s chief operating officer.

"Our immediate focus will be on catering to Chinese overseas travellers, because that’s where we have an edge over the competitors. This year saw the passage of the new home-sharing law, and Tokyo will be hosting the Olympics. I believe the timing is ripe for further growth."

Established in 2011, Tujia is China’s largest vacation rental service and opened a local office in Japan last year.

Tujia says it now has more than half a million listings across 70 countries.

It hopes to significantly increase its Japan listings to about 200,000 by 2025.

Rakuten also has partnership agreements with Expedia-owned HomeAway and Taiwan’s largest vacation rental provider AsiaYo.