Luxury goods and the World Cup draw Chinese tourists as Russia and Europe top Alipay spending chart
Mobile payments providers like Alipay and WeChat Pay have been stepping up global expansion plans to tap the millions of Chinese tourists travelling overseas
Millions of Chinese tourists travel the world during the summer months and their propensity to shop and spend make them an attractive target. This year Russia and European destinations were some of the hotspots for online and mobile payments, according to a new report.
Russia saw over 50 times growth in Alipay transactions this summer – compared with a year ago – helped by the World Cup, according to a report by Alibaba Group Holding affiliate Ant Financial Services, which operates the Alipay payments platform. Luxembourg (39 times growth) and Switzerland (18 times growth) also featured high on the list.
Hong Kong, a popular shopping destination for Chinese tourists, took the top spot for the biggest Alipay transaction volume for the months of July and August, ousting Thailand, which topped the charts last year. Thailand came second in 2018, followed by South Korea.
Average spending per Alipay user abroad jumped 43 per cent from 2,073 yuan to 2,955 yuan (US$433), with China’s biggest spenders splurging in France, a popular destination for luxury goods shopping. In France, the average Chinese tourist spent 11,386 yuan with Alipay, almost four times than the average.
Chinese tourists are the biggest spenders globally, with outbound travellers spending US$258 billion in 2017, accounting for one-fifth of the world's total spending on tourism, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation World Tourism Barometer.