Ocean Link, the First Private Equity Firm Focused on China's Travel and Tourism Sector, Announces Strategic Partnership with Ctrip and General Atlantic - Seite 2

"As increased consumption and changing consumer habits continue to shift China's economic landscape, there is an immense opportunity for the travel and tourism sector to evolve. We are excited to welcome our strategic partners, Ctrip and General Atlantic, which bring strong investment, sector, and operational expertise to our business and, most importantly, to our portfolio companies," said Mr. Tony Jiang, Partner of Ocean Link, who has over a decade of investment experience in the travel and tourism sector. In addition to leading investments in Ocean Link's current portfolio, he has been previously involved in investments in New Century Kaiyuan Hotels, Crystal Orange, and Plateno Hotels Group. Prior to Ocean Link, Mr. Jiang served as a director at The Carlyle Group in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

"As Chinese entrepreneurs seek capital from investors who truly understand their businesses, Ocean Link is uniquely positioned to be a partner of choice. Our focus on the travel and tourism sector enables us to provide differentiated industry and operational capabilities to help create value for high quality companies across the sector ecosystem," said Mr. Zheng, Partner of Ocean Link, who brings over 20 years of travel and tourism experience, serving in leadership positions within the hotel, online travel agency, and IT solution sub-sectors. In addition to his role at Ocean Link, Mr. Zheng concurrently serves as Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Brand Architect of Plateno Hotels Group, one of China's leading hospitality groups, which he co-founded in 2005.

China's tourism sector has grown steadily over the past decade as Chinese nationals increase their travel both in and out of the country. According to data released by the China National Tourism Administration earlier this year, from 2014 to 2015, the total number of Chinese residents travelling domestically rose 10.5% to 4 billion, while the total number of Chinese residents travelling internationally rose 12% to 120 million. In addition, the total number of Chinese residents travelling internationally is expected to double from 120 million in 2015 to 220 million in 2025, according to Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research from November 2015.