Alipay, a pioneer platform under the aegis of China’s Ant Group, noted a 24% upsurge in overseas spending by Chinese tourists during the first half of 2023, surpassing the spending during the same period in 2019. This escalation signals an emergent growth trend in China’s outbound tourism.
Enhanced Travel Experience Through Expanding Partnerships
Dr Cherry Huang, General Manager of Alipay+ Offline Merchant Services of Ant Group, expressed during a campaign launch with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), “As tourists revisit their favorite destinations, Ant Group continues to innovate our offerings to enhance their travel experience.” Alipay users can now utilize their app to conduct tasks beyond payments, such as searching for hotels and hailing taxis.
Favourite Destinations Among Chinese Tourists
Asian destinations like Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Japan and Thailand continue to be favoured by Chinese tourists. South Korea and Singapore secured the sixth and tenth positions, respectively, in terms of total transaction volume on Alipay in 1H 2023.
Alipay’s Expansive Global Reach
In its bid to boost the travel resurgence, Alipay, a dominant force in China’s mobile payment arena, has plans to launch several campaigns in the summer of 2023. This move includes regional partners and features attractive promotions on travel-related services. Now, Alipay links Chinese consumers with more than 5 million vendors across 70 international markets.
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Ant Group & TAT’s Joint Campaign to Enhance Thailand Tourism
With a focus on enhancing the Thai travel experience, Ant Group, in collaboration with TAT, has plans to promote the ‘Amazing Thailand’ campaign. This initiative includes the facilitation of seamless payments via Alipay+ for tourists from China, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia and South Korea. Ant Group also plans to assist local Thai businesses to better engage with tourists through its digital marketing solutions.
