Brijesh Desai 
Alibaba’s AI-powered mapping app Amap hit a new record with 360 million daily active users on the first day of China’s National Day holiday, driven by advanced features like Xiaogao and Street Stars.
Alibaba’s navigation app, Amap, has smashed records with over 360 million daily active users on October 1, marking its highest single-day traffic during China’s “Golden Week” National Day holiday. This milestone reflects Alibaba’s intensified push into AI-powered services and the fiercely competitive local services market, particularly against rivals like Meituan.
Riding the Wave of Holiday Travel
The surge in users coincided with China’s extended eight-day National Day holiday combined with the Mid-Autumn Festival, when travel and outdoor activities peak dramatically. On that single day, Amap facilitated navigation for trips exceeding 9 billion kilometers, underscoring its central role in millions of travel plans.
Innovations Powering Growth
Alibaba enhanced Amap by deploying new AI-driven features—most notably an intelligent assistant named Xiaogao, which processed more than 2.6 billion user requests on the record day. Xiaogao uses Alibaba’s proprietary AI to interpret natural language commands, optimizing route planning and suggesting destinations tailored to users’ preferences.
Additionally, Amap rolled out “Street Stars,” a feature that leverages AI to rank restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions by analyzing navigation patterns and customer reviews.This directly competes with Meituan’s Dianping platform, challenging a major player in local lifestyle services.
Strategic Vision and Market Impact
Alibaba’s CEO Eddie Wu Yongming outlined a vision to create a “comprehensive consumption platform” catering to a huge market valued at roughly $4.2 trillion. The goal is to deliver seamless consumer experiences spanning shopping, dining, travel, and daily services—all woven together through intelligent digital infrastructure.
Amap’s rise not only signifies Alibaba’s expansion beyond e-commerce and cloud computing but also highlights China’s growing AI-powered super app ecosystem. Analysts see Amap Street Stars and other AI-driven features as pivotal to securing Alibaba’s leading position in lifestyle and travel sectors amid intense competition.