Alipay, the leading digital payment and lifestyle service platform, today announced that it is working with Xi'an, the world-renowned ancient capital city located in Shaanxi province famous for the Terracotta Warriors, to launch the "International Consumer Friendly Tourist Destination" initiative. With the resurgence of inbound tourism to China, the initiative aims to enhance the travel and shopping experiences of international visitors to Xi'an and boost the city's tourism industry.
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Launch ceremony of "International Consumer Friendly Tourist Destination" Xi'an (Photo: Business Wire)
Alipay with the support and guidance of local authorities is working with its partners in Xi'an, including tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants, and public transit agencies, to upgrade their payment and digital services for international travelers.
International visitors can now link their international Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover®, or Diners Club International® credit or debit card in the Alipay app to easily pay at a wide range of Chinese mainland merchants in the Alipay merchant network.
In addition to paying like a local with Alipay, international tourists can also use their home e-wallet while exploring China. These e-wallets include AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), MPay (Macao SAR, China), Touch 'n Go eWallet (Malaysia) and Kakao Pay (South Korea), Hipay (Mongolia), Changi Pay (Singapore), OCBC (Singapore), Naver Pay (South Korea), Toss Pay (South Korea), TrueMoney (Thailand), NayaPay (Pakistan), and Kaspi.kz (Kazakhstan).
Following the successful introduction of digital red packets, which international tourists could claim by scanning a QR code at Mount Huangshan before the May Day holiday in 2024, Alipay is expanding the service. Effective immediately through June 30, international travelers in Xi'an can claim digital red packets for discounts on offline purchases throughout China. Participating merchants include tourist attractions such as Tang Paradise and the Longest Day in Chang'an Theme Block, Lanxiangzi and other chain restaurants, Chahuanong and other tea brands, and food streets like Yongxing Fang, as well as metro and bus stations.
According to Alipay statistics, the transaction volume of international visitors using Alipay in Xi'an has increased by nearly seven times in the first four months of 2024, compared to the same period last year. The data showed that the top ten tourist attractions that international visitors pay through Alipay are: the Great Tang All Day Mall, Tang Paradise, Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, Mount Huashan, Bell and Drum Tower, Daming Palace National Heritage Park, Huaqing Palace, Tang West Market Museum, Yongxing Fang, and the Hancheng Lake Scenic Area.
Alipay provides global tourists with a convenient and secure mobile payment service and various travel services to enhance their travel experience in China through collaboration with industry partners. Accessible directly from Alipay's homepage, these easy-to-access services include online translation, ride-hailing services, public transport, hotel reservations, and train ticket bookings.
"Alipay looks forward to working with even more partners to enhance the payment and travel experience for both domestic and international tourists. We aim to support an increasing amount of local tourist attractions and commercial districts to create a travel and shopping experience that is welcoming to visitors from all around the world," said Jiajia Li, vice president of Alipay business group at Ant Group.
About Alipay
In the digital era, Alipay has evolved from a trusted payment tool to an open platform that connects businesses, institutions, service providers, and other partners with consumers. Alipay enables partners from various industries to offer safe and convenient payment options. It also enables partners to communicate and deliver different digital services to their customers in China through Alipay mini programs, lifestyle accounts and other tools. The Alipay platform has connected over 80 million businesses with more than one billion consumers.
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Bell Wang
yixing.wl@antgroup.com
