Global brands and leading digital wallets in Asia join the Alipay+ campaign to drive responsible international travel. It supports SMEs and the environment.
Travelers from China and Southeast Asia will enjoy wide-ranging benefits and incentives. Meanwhile, the industry gears up for global travel recovery in 2024.
A research project will monitor the ESG impact of the campaign on the environment and local businesses. Alipay+ is a payment technology and marketing solutions platform. It connects over 25 leading e-wallets and payment apps to global merchants. As a result, it saw a rapid increase in total and daily transactions in 2023.
Philippines, 15 December, 2023 – Alipay+ today announced a year-end campaign to promote sustainable cross-border travel. The cross-border mobile payment platform operates under Ant International. Global partners offer incentives to users of five leading e-wallets in Asia. These include Alipay (the Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), Touch ’n Go eWallet by TNG Digital (Malaysia), GCash (the Philippines), and TrueMoney (Thailand).
The campaign will last till December 31. At first, it launches for Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Travelers will enjoy a wide array of special offers curated with global industry leaders. These include ComfortDelGro Taxi, Daimaru Matsuzakaya, Galaxy Macau, King Power, and Lotte Duty Free. In addition, local small and micro-sized enterprises (SMEs) join in, such as Durian BB in Malaysia and IJOOZ in Singapore. As a result, travelers get a diverse and inclusive selection.
Supporting Responsible Travel
Ant International is committed to promoting sustainable and responsible tourism across its Alipay+ markets. Its ESG program closely aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The campaign features special offers from Alipay+ and partners to encourage sustainable travel behavior. For example, these include free overseas mobile data packages and in-app discounts across Alipay+’s extensive merchant network. Travelers can also win 100% rebates at partner stores. Moreover, they are rewarded for using digital payments instead of cash. They also earn rewards for choosing public transportation over cars. Likewise, travelling with their own toothbrushes instead of disposable ones earns rewards. Finally, visiting more diverse local destinations supports communities’ economies and preserves local cultures.
Dr Cherry Huang, General Manager of Alipay+ Offline Merchant Services, Ant International said, “Our year-end campaign is not just about travel; it’s about making a positive impact. By collaborating with partners who share our commitment to sustainability, we are offering travelers the chance to explore the world responsibly.”
Digital payments and local tourism revenue
Digital payment increases international tourism revenue for local SMEs. In 2023, Alipay expanded cooperation with major international card organizations. This helps foreign cardholders visit China. Meanwhile, Alipay+ brought 10 Asian e-wallets and banking apps into the Chinese mainland to serve their travelling users. This was a landmark in the international expansion of these leading payment methods. As a result, over three million merchants in China, including mom-and-pop shops, closed their first international transactions on Alipay+ in 2023.
Travel is booming between the southern Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR. Therefore, a total of 220 leading merchants in Shenzhen, in south China’s Guangdong province, joined the year-end promotion campaign. They aim to attract AlipayHK and mPay users with discount packages worth as much as HK$14,000 (about 1,793 US dollars).
To monitor the ESG impact of the campaign, Alipay+ will collaborate with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). An advisory group will also join, with experts from Tsinghua University, Hong Kong University, University of Geneva and Northwestern University. Together, they will measure travelers’ carbon footprint reduction. They will also measure the impact on local businesses, culture and communities. Finally, they will assess the impact on business best practices in the ecosystem.
Bruce Zhang, CEO of IJOOZ, a juice vending machine provider in Singapore, said, “Every year, IJOOZ generates huge amounts of orange pulps and peels. We recycle orange waste, turning them into valuable resources for making new products. We are happy to join hands with Alipay+ to promote sustainable travel among global tourists visiting Singapore.”
Alipay+ in 2023: A Year of Expanded Growth and Partnerships
Alipay+ launched in 2020 as a suite of cross-border payment and marketing solutions. Since then, it has expanded to connect over 88 million merchants in 57 markets. They reach 1.5 billion payment accounts across over 25 digital wallets, banking apps and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) apps.
In the second half of 2023, Alipay+ recorded an estimated 30% increase in total payment volume (TPV) compared to the first six months. Daily average transactions (DAT) rose over 70%. Excluding Alipay, the TPV and DAT of cross-border payments of the other Alipay+ partner wallets increased by some 280% and 230% respectively.
In terms of transaction volume in 2023, AlipayHK, Kakao Pay, Touch ’n Go eWallet and GCash are the top 4 most popular Alipay+ partner wallets among cross-border travelers, aside from Alipay itself. Meanwhile, Touch ’n Go eWallet, mPay and TrueMoney rank top 3 for month-on-month (MoM) increase of transaction volume in November 2023. As a result, merchants in the Chinese mainland, Macao SAR, Japan, South Korea and Singapore benefited the most from the surge in cross-border mobile payment.
Alan Ni, CEO of TNG Digital, operator of Touch ’n Go eWallet, said: “Tourism is an important contributor to the local economy. TNG Digital is committed to making a positive difference with our product and services, especially to encourage sustainable travel. Touch ’n Go eWallet cross-border payments in the Chinese mainland have grown by more than 100% month-on-month in 2023. With that, we are hopeful that with our small gesture, we can create a path for others to follow.”
