Rail Europe has signed a memorandum of understanding with Taiwan-based travel experiences platform KKday to work together on inspiring more travel to Europe among Asian travelers while promoting sustainable railway travel.
KKday said it has seen a 60% increase in sales of European travel products this year over the same period in 2019. The collaboration with Rail Europe will produce an all-in-one platform for travelers using KKday to access products spanning 33 European countries and 150 rail brands and routes.
The two companies also intend to work together on joint marketing campaigns, and they said they will "tap into the extensive supplier resources" both brands have across Europe.
Björn Bender, president and CEO of Rail Europe said the partnership serves his company’s commitment to the Asian market and vision to offer a more convenient and sustainable travel experience. The company has noted that traveling by train from Paris to Rome, for example, means emitting more than 20 times less CO2 than flying between the two capital cities.
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“In the post-pandemic era, individuals will have a heightened desire to travel,” Bender said. “Many will opt for train travel over unnecessary flights due to the growing focus on sustainable tourism and environmental considerations, such as reducing carbon emissions.”
A report released this summer by SilverRail, an information technology company that specializes in rail ticketing and operations, showed that European markets with high-speed lines and more competition to lower costs saw spikes in passenger demand for rail over short-haul flights.
To cite one example from the report, the addition of high-speed rail services on the Madrid-to-Barcelona route in Spain led to a quadrupling of passengers choosing trains over planes. Later, when new carriers were permitted to use the line, rail’s share of travelers increased to 73%.
Increases were also seen on high-speed routes with competition in Italy and the United Kingdom.
Founded in 2014, KKday offers more than 300,000 experiences in 92 countries. The company raised $95 million last year in Series C+ funding.