TOKYO -- Ctrip, the largest online travel agency in China, faced questioning Tuesday by Japan's tourism agency and industry groups after its Japan website allegedly let customers book rooms that turned out to be taken, in a major hiccup going into the year-end travel season.
Ctrip's Trip.com site for Japanese customers apparently had at least 37 cases, involving 10 partner businesses, in which travelers were shown vacancies at hotels or traditional ryokan inns that were already fully booked. Customers who tried to reserve such rooms were even sent confirmation that their booking was complete.
