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Tag: Ant Group

  • Boost in Tourism Spending: Ant Group’s Alipay+ Fuels Cross-Border Travel During Chinese New Year

    Boost in Tourism Spending: Ant Group’s Alipay+ Fuels Cross-Border Travel During Chinese New Year

    Ant Group’s Alipay+ has played a pivotal role in driving a resurgence in outbound and inbound tourism spending, particularly during the recent Chinese New Year (CNY) travel season post-Covid-19. The utilization of Alipay+ cross-border mobile payment solutions has revolutionized the way travelers engage in transactions, offering seamless payment experiences at over 8 million merchants across 70 countries and regions directly from their Alipay app.

    The convenience of Alipay+ extends beyond payment processing, providing travelers with in-app instant tax refunds, competitive exchange rates, and an expanding merchant network in key destinations like Manila and Cebu in the Philippines. A global campaign launched on the Alipay+ platform has successfully attracted outbound travel for Chinese tourists, resulting in a significant uptick in transactions and consumer spending during the CNY holiday week.

    Chinese tourists have shown a strong inclination towards spending via Alipay in various destinations, with notable increases observed in the Philippines. The socio-economic ties between Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and the Chinese Mainland, coupled with visa-free policies in Southeast Asia and improved flight capacities, have catalyzed the surge in cross-border travel. Top destinations for Chinese travelers using Alipay include Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, France, Australia, and Canada.

    The evolving preferences of Chinese travelers have shifted towards immersive local experiences, leading to increased spending on food and beverage as well as transportation options within destinations. The adoption of mobile payments like Alipay has not only enhanced convenience for travelers but also benefited local businesses by reducing transaction costs and promoting sustainable tourism practices.

    Douglas Feagin, Senior Vice President of Ant Group and Head of Alipay+, emphasized the growing significance of mobile payments in driving local and cross-border commerce. Anticipating further growth opportunities in 2024 through strategic partnerships with industry leaders and national tourist agencies, Alipay aims to continue facilitating seamless transactions for travelers while supporting local merchants’ growth.

    The integration of various e-wallets like AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), Kakao Pay (South Korea), and Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia) has further enriched the payment landscape for tourists visiting the Philippines. These advancements not only enhance the payment experience for travelers but also unlock new avenues for growth for local businesses ahead of an anticipated influx of inbound tourists.

    Ant Group’s Alipay+ has emerged as a catalyst for revitalizing tourism spending during festive seasons like Chinese New Year, underscoring its pivotal role in shaping the future of cross-border travel experiences through seamless mobile payment solutions.

  • Alipay+ brings 4 mobile wallets to PH

    Alipay+ brings 4 mobile wallets to PH

    Ant Group, the operator of Alipay+, has announced that four mobile wallets are now accepted in the Philippines, including AlipayHK, Kakao Pay, Touch ‘n Go eWallet, and Alipay.

    These mobile wallets have been accepted by Filipino merchants since 2017, enabling travellers from these regions to enjoy a cashless experience using their home mobile wallets to make payments.

    This move is expected to improve the travel experience as digital payment options like mobile wallets become the norm for day-to-day transactions.

    The acceptance of three new mobile wallets, via Alipay+, comes as travellers return to the Philippines. According to the Department of Tourism (DOT), more than 3 million tourists have visited the Philippines from January 1 to July 19, 2023, reflecting continued robust recovery.

    The DOT also shared that inbound tourism receipts from January 1 to June 30, 2023, are more than 500% higher than the same period last year. South Koreans top the list of international visitors to the Philippines, while Malaysia ranks in the top 10.

    Alipay+ is currently accepted by merchants in Manila and Cebu, the top two most visited cities in the Philippines pre-pandemic in 2019.

    In the first half of 2023, Mactan-Cebu International Airport saw a 219% increase in passengers compared to the same period last year.

    In order to cater to the new expectations of digital-first travellers, the airport has integrated Alipay+ across 90% of its merchants, ensuring that tourists can enjoy a digitally-enhanced cashless experience from the moment they arrive in Cebu.

    Athanasios Titonis, Aboitiz InfraCapital Chief Executive Officer assigned to MCIA, said: “At MCIA, we have always placed utmost importance on providing convenience and ease of travel through seamless processes and world-class services and amenities. The integration of Alipay+ gives our passengers that exceptional convenience and more payment options when they travel through MCIA.”

    Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is the second largest airport in the Philippines with over 11 million passengers annually, making it the second busiest airport in the country.

    With its strategic location and world-class facilities, MCIA aims to establish itself as the main tourism gateway of the country with exceptional travel experience, connecting the world to the Philippines.

    To date, MCIA is the first and only airport in the Philippines to receive the Airport Customer Experience (ACX) accreditation from the Airports Council International.

    Dr. Cherry Huang, General Manager of Alipay+ Offline Merchant Services at Ant Group, said: “Philippines and its many islands, such as Cebu, have long been a favourite destination for Asian travellers and we look forward to working with our local partners to enhance their travel experience. We believe that digital adoption and solutions will shape travellers’ expectations, particularly in the way they engage travel-related businesses, from airports and hospitality to F&B and retail stores. Our focus now is to work with more partners to onboard more merchants with Alipay+ across the Philippines, particularly local small businesses, and promote digital travel and travel recovery.”

    Introduced by Ant Group in 2020, Alipay+ aims to enable local businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses, to process a wide range of mobile payment methods and reach more than 1.4 billion regional and global consumers, through one-time integration and simple technical adaption.

    In addition to the Philippines, Alipay+ is also widely accepted in destinations including the Chinese mainland, Macao SAR, Singapore, Thailand, Japan and South Korea among others.