Over 90 million global merchants are utilizing Alipay+ payment and digitalisation solutions to attract and engage travelers this Chinese New Year

“Tourism is playing an increasingly significant role to local economies, accelerating growth for merchants across sectors, but businesses need to adapt to new digital habits and preferences. Starting with mobile payments, Alipay+ offers merchants solutions to connect, engage and retain customers who want to leverage technology to enhance their travel experiences. We will continue to offer more innovative ways for businesses to transform and benefit from the continued growth in tourism.” ~Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International

As global tourism transitions from a year of recovery to a year of growth in 2025, global merchants tap on Alipay+, Ant International’s cross-border mobile payment and digitalisation solutions, to enhance payments, in-app marketing and digital services development, to attract and welcome tourists for Chinese New Year, the first travel peak of the year. 

 

Alipay+ supports over 35 international wallet and bank payment partners, connecting their 1.6 billion user accounts to more than 90 million merchants in 66 markets. Alipay+ recently enabled acceptance for new partners, including Kaspi.kz (Kazakhstan) and BigPay (Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand), connecting even more users to its global merchants.

Alipay+ partners with global merchants to launch exclusive Chinese New Year campaigns to excite travellers

In preparation for the seasonal spike in travel, Alipay+ and its merchant partners are launching promotions for Alipay+ payment partner users globally. Along with Alipay+, top retailers like Airport Duty Free Stores, Marina Bay Sands, Resorts World Sentosa, Central Retail, King Power, Pavilion KL, Lotte World, Olive Young, Daimaru, Printemps, Galleries Lafayette, and Marina Bay Sands are boosting in-store and in-app engagement with generous rewards.

• China: Travelers can make easy, convenient payments using Alipay and 13 international payment apps. With merchant spotlights and exclusive discounts, users of AlipayHK, Mpay, Touch 'n Go eWallet, TrueMoney, and GCash can access promotional packs in more than 100 Consumer Friendly Zones in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and more. To give travelers a more welcoming experience, the International Consumer Friendly Zones program increases merchant training, provides user guides, and expands bilingual support.
• South Korea: More than 2 million retailers accept Alipay+, including all retailers that take ZeroPay. Users can take advantage of tiers of discounts at specific retailers, and in Seoul, they can anticipate extra perks at Lotte World and a few stores in the districts of Myeongdong, Dongdaemun, and Seongsu. The NAMANE x Alipay+ Transit Pass Card was just introduced for use on buses and subways across the country to make travel easier.
• Japan: Alipay+ makes it possible to pay at more than 3 million establishments nationwide, including major retailers, health and beauty shops, izakayas, wagashi shops, snack shops, guesthouses, and popular tourist destinations like Tokyo SKYTREE, Tokyo Solamachi, and Tokyo Mizumachi.
• Southeast Asia: Alipay+ is widely accepted, including through SGQR in Singapore and DuitNow in Malaysia. Local transit options include taxis in Singapore and trains in Malaysia and Thailand. Alipay+ welcomes Hennan Group of Resorts, a leading hospitality brand with ten resorts in Boracay and Bohol, and SM Supermalls, the country's biggest retail chain and a pillar of Filipino lifestyle culture. Along with nationwide coupons that can be used at any local business that accepts Alipay+, users can anticipate exclusive deals at well-known retailers like Pavilion KL, Central Retail in Thailand, and Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore.
• Europe: In popular European destinations like the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, Alipay+ payment partner users can enjoy discounts at retailers, restaurants and attractions.
• Middle East: Alipay+ payment partner users will enjoy discounts at all Alipay+ merchants across the region and upsized rewards at duty-free stores in major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul.

The travel industry is predicted to grow in 2025, with more people traveling to all regions than there were before the pandemic in 2019. According to a joint report by Ant International and IDC, tourism spending in Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea is expected to rise by over 330% by 2027. Further integration of payment methods across online and offline commerce will enable even more growth.

 

Unified solution for merchants to engage travellers from payments to digital services

Travelers only need to use their favorite home payment app, such as BNPL, e-wallets, or bank apps.  OTAs, airlines, hotels, street vendors, restaurants, shopping centers, attractions, transportation, and more allow these travelers to "travel like a local" and pay with ease at both online and offline retailers. Over 90% of Alipay+ merchants are MSMEs, allowing these small companies to expand by taking a variety of international payment methods.  

For a variety of travel situations, Alipay+ is accepted at physical retailers in major locations throughout Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Users of Alipay+'s partner payment apps can conveniently make payments practically anywhere in these Asian hotspots thanks to its partnerships with standardized QR operators such as PayPay in Japan, ZeroPay in South Korea, DuitNow in Malaysia, SGQR in Singapore, and the Alipay merchant network in the Chinese mainland. With over 400,000 merchants and support for interoperable payments through Bluecode, Alipay+ is still gaining traction in Europe.

Alipay+ streamlines the entire payment process for Asian travelers seeking a vacation this Chinese New Year and beyond by connecting popular Asian e-wallets to online travel platforms, most recently with AirAsia MOVE and Booking.com, through Antom, Ant International's merchant payment and digitization services provider.

By showcasing the greatest cuisine, sights, and shopping in each location and providing special promotions to draw in more new clients, merchants and tourism boards can interact directly with travelers through A+Rewards, an in-app destination marketing platform. For instance, in Singapore, tourists can buy a discounted voucher pack that can be used at shopping malls, taxis, convenience stores, and popular tourist destinations like Sentosa and Mandai Wildlife Reserve thanks to a partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board.

Alipay+ provides mini program development solutions to further improve and streamline the travel experience. This allows users of its payment partners to access a variety of services, such as booking attractions, hailing rides, and receiving tax refunds, all within the app, eliminating the need to download additional apps or spend time on manual procedures. In order to help travelers with navigation, attraction booking, and improving their trip to Switzerland, the Geneva Tourism Bureau is utilizing Alipay+'s mini program solution to introduce an in-app hub on a few e-wallets and banking apps ahead of Chinese New Year.