Huangshan Tourism Group, which oversees Huangshan, ‘the loveliest mountain of China,’ has teamed up with Alipay, the top digital payment and lifestyle platform, to introduce the ‘International Visitor Friendly Scenic Spot’ initiative. This initiative is designed to improve the travel experiences for international visitors in China, particularly before the major May Day holiday.
As the first program of its kind in China, this initiative enables international tourists at Huangshan to utilize a variety of convenient payment methods such as cards, mobile payments, and cash. Additionally, it offers them tailored digital red packets for shopping discounts and provides travel guides and tips in 16 languages. In collaboration with Alipay, Huangshan Tourism Group will also offer local Hui culture experience tours and activities to international visitors.
The expansion of the visa-free policy and the rebound in international flights have led to a surge in overseas tourists visiting China. According to official data, the number of foreign nationals visiting China in the first quarter of 2024 tripled year-on-year. Huangshan has become the premier destination for international tourists in Anhui Province. Following the implementation of a mutual visa-free policy between China and Singapore in February 2024, transaction volumes from Singaporeans visiting Huangshan via Alipay spiked by more than 400% in the first week.
The People’s Bank of China has directed banks and mobile payment providers to enhance the payment experience for international tourists. Recent statistics from Alipay reveal that in March 2024, the transaction volume from international tourists using Alipay on the Chinese mainland increased nearly tenfold compared to the previous year, with transaction counts growing eightfold year-on-year.
Alipay allows international visitors to make payments across tens of millions of merchants in China by downloading the app and linking an international credit or debit card from Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover®, and Diners Club International®. Alipay not only facilitates convenient and secure mobile payments but also partners with various industry stakeholders to offer a range of travel services that include online translation, car-hailing, public transport, hotel bookings, and train ticket reservations directly through its homepage. Furthermore, international tourists in China can use their home country’s e-wallets such as AlipayHK, MPay, Touch ‘n Go eWallet, Kakao Pay, Hipay, Changi Pay, OCBC, Naver Pay, Toss Pay, TrueMoney, and NayaPay.
