TaiShang
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2014
- Messages
- 27,848
- Reaction score
- 70
- Country
- Location
Baidu partners with Nokia’s HERE to power Baidu Maps outside of China
Josh Horwitz
Don't think Baidu will let China's overseas tourists use Google Maps.
Earlier today Here, the maps service owned by Nokia, announced a partnership with Baidu that will see it power the Chinese search giant’s mapping technology outside of China.
According to a release from the Finnish company, Baidu Maps’ first Here-powered market will be Taiwan, with other countries expected to roll out soon.
The news marks a minor but noteworthy development as China’s internet giants seek to expand their footprints abroad.
According to the China National Tourism Association, 98.19 million Chinese nationals traveled overseas in 2013, up 18 percent from the year prior. Each of those tourists, when lost on the streets of Paris or Santiago, will likely look to their smartphones for directions. A Baidu partnership with Google would be out of the question (not to mention, many of those tourists probably don’t have Google Maps installed on their phones), and mapping the rest of the world would be time consuming and expensive. Partnering with Here ensures that Baidu’s loyal users keep their eyes glued to Baidu Maps even when outside of China. Here, meanwhile, can gain access to a massive new market – Chinese tourists.
In addition to Baidu, China’s Yongche has also expressed interest in going abroad while retaining its core domestic userbase. The Uber analog told Bloomberg back in June that it hopes to launch in New York and San Francisco, specifically to serve native Chinese speakers.
Josh Horwitz
Don't think Baidu will let China's overseas tourists use Google Maps.
Earlier today Here, the maps service owned by Nokia, announced a partnership with Baidu that will see it power the Chinese search giant’s mapping technology outside of China.
According to a release from the Finnish company, Baidu Maps’ first Here-powered market will be Taiwan, with other countries expected to roll out soon.
The news marks a minor but noteworthy development as China’s internet giants seek to expand their footprints abroad.
According to the China National Tourism Association, 98.19 million Chinese nationals traveled overseas in 2013, up 18 percent from the year prior. Each of those tourists, when lost on the streets of Paris or Santiago, will likely look to their smartphones for directions. A Baidu partnership with Google would be out of the question (not to mention, many of those tourists probably don’t have Google Maps installed on their phones), and mapping the rest of the world would be time consuming and expensive. Partnering with Here ensures that Baidu’s loyal users keep their eyes glued to Baidu Maps even when outside of China. Here, meanwhile, can gain access to a massive new market – Chinese tourists.
In addition to Baidu, China’s Yongche has also expressed interest in going abroad while retaining its core domestic userbase. The Uber analog told Bloomberg back in June that it hopes to launch in New York and San Francisco, specifically to serve native Chinese speakers.
