File photo/Zhang Xiaoqing (NBD)

Mar. 9 (NBD) – In light of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, Sun Jie, CEO of Chinese online travel agency (OTA) Trip.com Group (NASDAQ: TCOM), announced in an internal letter on Monday that both she and the company's Chairman Liang Jianzhang would take zero salary starting this month.

Sun said that the company's top executives also offered a voluntary pay cut by at least a half until the industry recovers. Moreover, pay raises for staff members would be suspended, except for those working at the frontline in the services department. These moves are aimed to prepare the company for the fight against the epidemic.

National Business Daily noticed that last week the travel platform, with the support of industry partners, unveiled a 1-billion-yuan project aimed at reviving tourism amid the epidemic. At the time, Liang Jianzhang lamented that the travel industry, which contributed over 10 percent to global GDP last year, was unfortunately taking a heavy blow from the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

"We believe that with concerted efforts we will soon usher in a booming travel industry once again," Sun encouraged in the internal letter, underscoring that Trip.com has strong capital reserves.

Email: lansuying@nbd.com.cn