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.
Source: CCD
