Hong Kong, April 29, 2024: Huangshan Tourism Group, which operates “China’s Most Beautiful Mountain”, has partnered with Alipay, a leading digital payment and lifestyle services platform, to launch the “International Tourist Friendly Scenic Spot” initiative. announced that it would start.
The initiative aims to improve the travel experience for travelers from around the world visiting China ahead of the May Day holiday.
The “International Tourist Friendly Scenic Spot” initiative allows travelers from all over the world visiting China’s Huangshan to take advantage of convenient payment options such as cards, mobile payments, and cash, as well as customize their shopping experience. This is China’s first initiative to allow users to claim digital red packets. Receive discounts and access travel guides and tips in 16 languages.
Huangshan Tourism Group also plans to cooperate with Alipay to launch local Hui culture experience tours and activities for foreign tourists.
“The beautiful scenery of Huangshan and the wonderful Hui culture are essential experiences when traveling to Huangshan. Through digital solutions on the Alipay platform, we hope to improve the experience of travelers around the world. ” said Jiajia Li, Vice President of Alipay Business Group at Ant Group.
The number of overseas travelers visiting China is increasing as China expands its visa-free policy and international flights continue to recover. According to official data, the number of foreigners visiting China in the first quarter of 2024 more than tripled compared to the same period last year.
Huangshan is a top tourist attraction for foreign tourists visiting Anhui. After China and Singapore enact reciprocal visa-free policy in February 2024, visa-free travel between the two countries increases transaction volume via Alipay by Singaporeans visiting Huangshan by more than 400% year-on-year in the first week did.
China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, is directing banks and mobile payment companies to take steps to optimize the payment experience for foreign visitors to Japan.
Recent data from Alipay shows that in March 2024, the number of transactions made using Alipay by foreign tourists in mainland China increased nearly 10 times compared to the previous year, and the number of transactions increased eight times compared to the previous year.
Alipay allows international visitors to download the app, link their international Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover®, and Diners Club International® credit or debit cards, then pay at merchants across China. I can.
Alipay not only provides secure mobile payment services, but also works with industry partners to provide tourists around the world with a variety of travel services that enhance their travel experience in China. These easily accessible services include online translation, ride-hailing, public transportation, hotel reservations, train ticket reservations, and more, all available from the Alipay homepage.
In addition to using Alipay to pay like a local in China, international travelers can also use their home e-wallet while traveling in China. These home e-wallets include AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), MPay (Macau 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), TrueMoney (Thailand), and NayaPay (Pakistan).
About Alipay
Alipay has evolved from a trusted payment tool to an open platform that connects consumers with businesses, institutions, service providers, and other partners. Alipay enables partners across industries to offer secure and convenient payment options. Partners can also communicate with Chinese customers and offer a variety of digital services through Alipay mini-programs, lifestyle accounts, and other tools. The Alipay platform has connected over 80 million businesses with his over 1 billion consumers.
