Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Alipay, the leading digital payment and lifestyle platform, has joined forces with prominent online travel agencies such as Trip.com, a global one-stop travel service provider, and Tuniu, an integrated leisure travel service provider in China. Their collaborative effort aims to introduce curated tour packages and travel guides within the Alipay app for international tourists planning trips to China. The initial release comprises a total of 20 packages designed to facilitate international tourists in navigating their journeys across China.
These packages encompass guided tours at renowned tourist destinations, including the Palace Museum and the Badaling Great Wall in Beijing, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Jiuzhaigou National Park (Jiuzhai Valley) in Sichuan Province, the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, and the Shanghai Disney Resort and the Bund in Shanghai. Several of these attractions offer discounts of up to 20%.
Furthermore, Alipay and Trip.com have introduced a comprehensive China Travel Guide within the app, offering detailed advice on various aspects of travel in the country, including pre-travel checklists, visa applications, attractions, hotels, mobile payment, communication, transportation, booking services, and more.
With the continuous rise in cross-border travel, including inbound travel to China, driven by increased flight options and favorable policies, Trip.com data indicates a remarkable 125% year-on-year growth in inbound tour orders from January to October this year compared to 2022.
Starting from December 1, 2023, until November 30, 2024, travelers holding ordinary passports from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia can enjoy visa-free entry to China and stay for up to 15 days for purposes such as business, tourism, family visits, and transit.
Jiqiang Wang, vice general manager of digital marketing at Trip.com, stated, “With its leading global travel services, Trip.com seeks to collaborate with industry partners like Alipay to continue enhancing the experience of inbound tourists and draw more international travelers to China. Trip.com aims to increase the number of inbound tourists served in 2024 by more than 150% compared with 2019.”
Yaoyao Jin, in charge of international travelers’ usage of Alipay, commented, “We are delighted to work with partners across the industry to enhance the payment and travel experience for international tourists in China. As the leading digital wallet in China, Alipay will continue to optimize products and services to better serve international visitors. We also encourage more merchants and service providers operating digitally on the Alipay platform to enhance their services for international travelers.”
In collaboration with Trip.com, Alipay has also launched the “New Year, New Exploration” campaign on social media, inviting international tourists interested in exploring China to experience travel like a local using their mobile phones.
Alipay has consistently enhanced its products and services for international travelers. Overseas tourists can now sign up and link their international credit or debit cards from Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover®, and Diners Club International® after downloading the Alipay app. This allows them to make payments at tens of millions of Alipay partner merchants throughout China, including restaurants, cafes, tourist attractions, shopping malls, street stalls, and public transport. The app also integrates frequently used travel services such as hotel booking, air ticket booking, car-hailing, exchange rate checking, and translation.
Moreover, international tourists from seven countries and regions, including Malaysia and Singapore, can utilize their home e-wallets while traveling in China. These home e-wallets include AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), mPay (Macao SAR, China), Touch ’n Go eWallet (Malaysia), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Hipay (Mongolia), Changi Pay (Singapore), OCBC (Singapore), Naver Pay (South Korea), Toss Pay (South Korea), and TrueMoney (Thailand).
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
