Chinese tech tycoon is finally reaching out to locations outside China. Recently it was announced that Baidu, the largest Chinese search engine is expanding its mapping service outside China to address the needs of the Chinese tourists and global inhabitants.
A spokesperson of Baidu said that the desktop and the mobile version of the map has been launched in several countries including Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, to help Chinese travelers with the maps, and also to lure them away from Google maps.
"Those four countries are receiving more Chinese tourists every year, so it makes a lot of sense for us to expand our service there," the spokesperson said.
Baidu has decided to launch the service in the Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, which attracts the Chinese tourists from various locations, to help gauge the user reactions and usefulness.
The information will be analyzed to help improve the service and will be implemented quickly, mentioned the spokesperson of Baidu, according to China Daily.
Notably, approximately 6 million Chinese are expected to travel to and from China during the Spring Festival, with the four Asian countries being the top destination, according to reports from Ctrip International Ltd., the country's largest online travel agency.
The Baidu service will allow tourists to plan the most appropriate routes and additional services like booking and navigation are to be added later on.
According to several experts, Baidu, with its constant improvements and expertise will be able to bring back Chinese users around the globe from Google.
"Most mainland tourists have been using Baidu Map for a while when they are at home," said Zhang Xu, Beijing based internet consultant analyst of Analysys International.
"Once the service becomes available in foreign countries, it will become their top choice, as the Chinese-language version will hold great appeal to those who can't speak English."
Statistically, Baidu holds a share of 70 percent of Chinese mapping service market, with 300 million active users per month.
However, they still need to uplift their service if they are planning to compete with the US tech tycoon Google.
