The Dida Engage China Roadshow 2026 has concluded with record participation, setting a new benchmark for international hotel distribution in China across two sessions in Shanghai (31 March) and Beijing (2 April).
It brought together over 80 international hotel partners and more than 700 travel agents, doubling the scale of last year’s inaugural edition, in a dynamic environment combining market intelligence, industry dialogue, and AI-driven insights.
In just one year, Dida Engage has evolved from its debut into a defining industry event. What began as an industry introduction in 2025 is now the platform where international hoteliers come to understand China: its buyers, its demand patterns, and the AI-driven ecosystem reshaping how travel is discovered and distributed.
From inaugural to industry standard
The 2026 edition welcomed over 80 hotel representatives spanning nearly 60 brands, alongside 700+ of Dida’s top travel agency clients. The participating lineup included hotels from across Southeast Asia and beyond, with internationally recognised names such as Marina Bay Sands, Disneyland Paris, Marriott’s W and The Westin, and Banyan Tree. All these alongside a strong contingent of regional chains including Onyx Hospitality Group, Centara Hotels & Resorts, and Dusit Hotels & Resorts. This reflects the growing importance of China distribution for the global hospitality sector.
At its core, Dida Engage is a platform for market insight. It brings together hotel partners and China’s leading travel buyers to surface demand signals, align on market needs, and build the shared knowledge that makes distribution through Dida more effective for both sides.
“Dida doesn’t just give us access to the China market – it gives us the understanding to make that access count,” Ascott Thonglor Bangkok senior director of sales Sukanya Sakulsrisajja (Pai) said. “Every engagement through Dida has deepened our ability to reach the right travellers, at the right time, through the right channels.”
The AI agenda
Knowledge partners Tencent, Whale and Kiwi brought data-driven perspectives on how AI is reshaping hotel distribution in China, from platform-level demand aggregation to real-time intent signals that most international hotels cannot yet access directly.
The message was clear: in China’s market, demand is shaped long before the point of booking, across content platforms and digital ecosystems that require a fundamentally different kind of infrastructure to navigate.
Live demonstrations during the sessions showed how AI-driven content and real-time demand signals can directly influence hotel visibility and booking conversion across China’s fragmented digital landscape. The conclusion was consistent: distribution intelligence – not just distribution reach – is what drives results.
“The winners will not be those with the most channels, but those who understand demand best – distribution is the system that connects intention and conversion,” Dida Holdings group CEO Daryl Lee said.
Dida’s China marketing playbook
Dida’s marketing director for MEAPAC, Kevin Khor, presented the three trends reshaping how hotels are found and booked in China: the mainstreaming of AI-powered booking, the rise of Rednote (Xiaohongshu) as the dominant platform for travel discovery, and the scalability of AIGC – using generative AI to produce localised content at speed.
Alongside these insights, Dida introduced its full suite of China marketing solutions: a B2B social network of over 65,000 followers, agent-led content distribution across Rednote and WeChat, influencer partnerships reaching 100M+ followers, and Dida Insight, an AI-powered tool for market analysis, competitive benchmarking and social content creation.
“The hotels that win in China will be those that show up where Chinese travellers already spend their time – and optimise for AI recommendation, not just search,” Khor said.
Gala dinner at Hanlin Academy
The roadshow concluded on the evening of 2 April with a Gala Dinner at Hanlin Academy, a traditional Siheyuan courtyard in Beijing with a history stretching back to 1288.
“Events like this remind us why the relationship with Dida goes beyond distribution,” Iconic Hotels (Iconic Marjorie Penang A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Iconic Regency Service Residences and Iconic Hotel) group EAM of sales & marketing Catherine Ooi said. “Being here, in this setting, with this community reinforces that we are building something long-term together.”
“It was a truly impressive event. Dida provided a highly professional platform that allowed us to connect with many outstanding partners in a relaxed setting. These interactions were incredibly valuable and have given us greater confidence in future collaboration.”
