M’sia recorded highest increment globally in Alipay spending
HANGZHOU: Thailand emerged as the top destination in the region in terms of Alipay spending, while Malaysia showed the most impressive 171 per cent increase, making it the highest globally, Alipay said.
Alipay’s data indicates a significant uptick in both outbound and inbound tourism spending in China during the 2024 Labour Day holiday.
Transactions by Alipay users in overseas markets during the initial two days of the holiday saw a substantial 77 per cent increase from the corresponding period in 2023, with total spending rising by 10 per cent year-on-year.
For the 2024 Labour Day holiday, Alipay, an Alipay+ partner wallet, has joined hands with global merchants to launch extensive campaigns aimed at enticing Chinese tourists.
Enabled by Alipay+, a suite of cross-border digital payment and digitalisation technology solutions connecting global brands with mobile-savvy consumers worldwide, Chinese travellers can seamlessly pay for a wide array of services, including shopping, dining, and entertainment at more than eight million merchants across over 70 countries and regions.
Short-haul destinations across Asia continued to attract huge interest. Southeast Asia saw a 52 per cent increase in spending by Alipay users year on year.
Notably, Thailand emerged as the top destination in the region in terms of Alipay spending, while Malaysia showed the most impressive 171 per cent increase, making it the highest globally.
In addition to these popular short-haul trips, Chinese travellers are increasingly using the extended five-day holiday to venture further afield. Longhaul destinations have gained traction, with North America, Europe, and Australia becoming the preferred choices for more exploratory and extended travels among Alipay users.
Over the Labour Day holiday, international travellers spent 700 per cent more year-on-year using their international card-enabled Alipay accounts at merchants across the Chinese mainland.
The number of visitors using Alipay for payment from the 15 countries benefiting from China’s visa-free policy updates since mid-2023 increased by over four-imes compared to last year.
In April, Huangshan Tourism Group partnered with Alipay to launch ‘International Visitor Friendly Scenic Spot’ ahead of the Labour Day holiday.
The initiative helps global travellers visiting Huangshan enjoy convenient payment options, including card, mobile payment and cash, as well as claiming tailored digital red packets for shopping discounts and check travel guides and tips in 16 languages.
In addition to using Alipay, overseas consumers can also pay with their home e-wallets across China, enabled by Alipay+. Since September 2023, the Alipay+ solutions have supported 12 leading e-wallets and payment apps in Asia to serve their roaming users across Alipay’s 80-million-strong merchant network in China, including AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), Kaspi.kz (Kazakhstan), MPay (Macao SAR, China), Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia), Hipay (Mongolia), NayaPay (Pakistan), Changi Pay (Singapore), OCBC Digital (Singapore), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Naver Pay (South Korea), Toss Pay (South Korea), TrueMoney (Thailand).