China's popular payment platform, Alipay, has reported a doubling of
Chinese tourists' spending abroad compared to pre-pandemic levels in the
same period in 2019, suggesting a steady recovery in cross-border
tourism worldwide.
Alipay also revealed that Chinese tourists made 20% more transactions
while travelling abroad in Q1 2023 than they did during the same period
in 2019. The China Tourism Academy expects inbound and outbound tourist
visits to surpass 90 million times, equivalent to 31.5% of pre-pandemic
levels, suggesting that there is still potential for growth in the
tourism industry.
The top five shopping destinations for Chinese Alipay users
travelling cross-border are Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, and
France. The top five tourist destinations by the number of transactions
are Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia. Over 90% of
merchants in Hong Kong have adopted Alipay to serve Chinese mainland
tourists, and transportation QR code is the most popular search term on
Alipay for these tourists in Q1 2023.
The top five shopping destinations for Chinese Alipay users travelling cross-border are Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, and France. The top five tourist destinations by the number of transactions are Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Foreign exchange rates and local merchant benefits are the most
searched services by Chinese tourists on Alipay when traveling abroad,
followed by air tickets and hotels. Alipay offers preferential exchange
rates and digital coupons with various merchant benefits to its users,
based on their membership level. Additionally, mobile data searches
increased by 600% compared to 2022.
Popular tourist destinations are partnering with platforms like
Alipay to welcome the return of Chinese tourists. The Tourism Authority
of Thailand has formed a partnership with Alipay, offering exclusive
benefits to Chinese travellers paying via the platform in Thailand,
which has over 550,000 partnered merchants. Currently, merchants and
brands in over 70 countries and regions support Chinese tourists to pay
via Alipay.
Merchants and brands in Europe and Asia are preparing to welcome
Chinese tourists by hiring Chinese-speaking staff, launching dedicated
benefit programs and campaigns for Chinese consumers, and offering
convenient mobile payments and tax refund services through Alipay.
Efforts by popular shopping destinations such as Printemps in France, El
Corte Inglés in Spain, and La Rinascente in Italy, and leading travel
retail operators like Dubai Duty-Free are underway.