As global and inbound tourism recovers, Alipay, the leading digital payment and lifestyle service platform in China, is partnering with Fliggy, a leading online travel platform in China, to launch an exclusive marketing campaign to enhance the travel experience of international visitors traveling to China. The two companies shared the campaign at the official launch of the overseas promotion of China Ice & Snow attractions in Kuala Lumpur, and will launch air ticket coupons for international travelers, with the first batch designed for Malaysians traveling to ice and snow attractions and other tourist destinations in China.
As part of the campaign, Malaysians planning to travel to China can download the Alipay app and search “ice”, “snow” or “travel to China” to claim the coupon in the Fliggy mini program in the Alipay app, which offers up to RM68 off for a single air ticket. The campaign period is from 29 January to 17 February, with limited redemptions available on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Through the introduction of this marketing campaign, we hope to enhance the travel experience for international visitors in China, providing increased convenience for Malaysians utilizing Touch ‘n Go eWallet or Alipay during their travels across the country. Together with our partners, we remain committed to enhancing the overall users’ journey to ensure a seamless travel experience with added value,” said Hannah Tan, Country Manager and Strategic Partnerships for Malaysia, Ant Group.
Driven by the increased flight frequencies and favorable policies, cross-border travel including inbound travel to China is experiencing a surge in demand. Notably, Switzerland and Ireland joined the list of countries enjoying visa-free entry to China. This policy extension follows the earlier implementation of visa-free entry for travelers holding ordinary passports from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia.
Overseas tourists can download the Alipay app and bind an international credit or debit card from Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover®, and Diners Club International® to start their mobile payment journey across China. Whether to shop in brick-and-mortar stores, hail a cab, take public transport, book flight tickets or hotels, global travelers can all pay with Alipay. Additionally, Alipay also offers online translation, currency conversion, and other services through various in-app mini programs to enhance the travel experience of global tourists in China.
Similarly, Malaysians who are traveling to Chinese mainland can pay by either downloading the Alipay app or using Touch ‘n Go eWallet to scan merchant’s Alipay QR code, just like users of other nine overseas home e-wallets – AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), mPay (Macao SAR, China), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Hipay (Mongolia), Changi Pay (Singapore), OCBC Digital (Singapore), Naver Pay (South Korea), Toss Pay (South Korea) and TrueMoney (Thailand).
Since 2022, Alipay has partnered with international card networks to further upgrade its payment service for international travelers. In August 2023, Alipay partnered with international card networks to launch a marketing campaign that allowed overseas tourists to win the opportunity to earn a discount of up to 100 RMB per transaction when making payments with their Alipay account linked to an international card of Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover®, and Diners Club International® at Chinese mainland merchants within the extensive Alipay merchant network during the Asian Games.
In December 2023, Alipay worked with top online travel agencies, including Trip.com, a global one-stop travel service provider and Tuniu, an integrated leisure travel service provider in China, to launch selected tour packages and travel guide on the Alipay app for international tourists travelling to China. The first batch of the launch includes a total of 20 packages aimed at helping international tourists navigate their travels in China.
The packages include tours with an English-speaking guide at famous tourist attractions such as the Palace Museum and Badaling Great Wall in Beijing, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Jiuzhaigou National Park (Jiuzhai Valley) in Sichuan Province, Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, and Shanghai Disney Resort and the Bund in Shanghai. Some of the attractions offer up to a 20% discount.
