Alibaba-Backed Fliggy Trains More Female Talents for China’s Rural Tourism

Over the past year, Fliggy, a leading online travel service platform under Alibaba Group, has launched a program to train talents for rural tourism with the Alibaba Foundation. This initiative has successfully trained approximately 1,000 female talents to date. The aim of this program is to promote rural development in China by supporting women and providing them with the necessary skills to succeed in the tourism industry.

According to a report from the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the tourism industry is at the forefront of promoting gender equality. The proportion of women among tourism workers is higher than overall job market and the income gap between female and male workers there is narrower than in other industries. The report also highlights that technology has played a crucial role in facilitating women’s access to training opportunities and making it easier for them to participate in the tourism market. This finding underscores the importance of leveraging technology to support and empower women in the tourism industry.

Fliggy has been training rural tourism talents in 11 counties across 8 provinces in China since 2022, with over 60% of the participants being female. Dongchao He, the program manager, stated that the initiative aims to attract a diverse group of participants, including women and workers of different ages.

The training program covers a wide range of topics, including short video production and promotion, livestreaming, and online operation of rural inns. In addition to traditional study, participants have the opportunity to simulate real work through shops and livestreaming channels on Fliggy, which enables them to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned into practice, and make success.

A Tibetan woman from Sichuan Province recently leveraged Fliggy’s livestreaming channel to sell nearly 10,000 yuan ($1,434) worth of her hometown’s specialties and other tourism products, attracting almost 120,000 viewers. She found the training provided by Fliggy instrumental in her success and is now considering becoming a full-time livestreamer to further contribute to the development of her hometown.

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Dongchao He expressed a desire for each training session to be practical and effective for the participants. This would include providing tips on using a selfie stick for livestreaming and how to present the highlights of a homestay on the move. By focusing on these skills, the training program aims to equip talents with the necessary tools to thrive in the tourism industry.