On September 5th, at the 2024 Inclusion Conference on the Bund in Shanghai, it was revealed that since March this year, Ant Group's services, "international card linking" and "global digital wallet use in China," have driven a sixfold year-on-year increase in inbound tourist spending. The number of active users tripled, and the number of active merchants doubled. Thanks to the popularity of "Hong Kong residents traveling north" and the integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen ranked first in China for the number of transactions made by inbound tourists, while Guangzhou saw a ninefold increase in inbound tourist spending. Favorable policies such as visa exemptions have also fueled the global "China Travel," attracting more international visitors to the country.

Alipay now supports seven major international card brands through its "International Card Linking" service, including Mastercard, Visa, JCB, DinersClub, Discover, UnionPay International, and the soon-to-be-added American Express, covering all mainstream global cards. Through Alipay+ cross-border services, tourists from 10 countries and regions, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, and Macao SAR, can use 13 different foreign digital payment tools without downloading a new app.

On September 5th, Ant Group released for the first time the top consumer hotspots for inbound tourists using mobile payments over the past six months. From over 500 popular shopping districts in over 70 cities across the country, foreign visitors ranked the "2024 Top 10 International Consumer Friendly Zones" and landmarks based on spending activity. These include Sanlitun District, Beijing's SOLANA Blue Harbor; Yuyuan Cultural District, Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden; Jiefangbei Central Business District (CBD), Chongqing's Guotai Arts Center; Tianhe CBD, Guangzhou's PO PARK; Chunxi Road CBD, Chengdu's Parkson; Nanjing Road CBD, Shanghai's First Foodholl; Youth Avenue CBD, Shenyang's K11; Futian CBD, Shenzhen's Link City, as well as scenic spots like Huangshan and West Lake.

So, which countries' tourists are most enthusiastic about using mobile payments in China? Data shows that tourists from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, France, and Mongolia lead in terms of the number of transactions made using Alipay or their own local mobile wallets.

Over the past six months, the number of transactions made by users of Alipay+ global wallets while redeeming discounts in China increased by 105% quarter-over-quarter, with over 1.6 million cross-border consumers benefiting from promotional offers. The introduction of digital coupons has further boosted cross-border spending.

Source :Lingnan on the Cloud

入境游客消费哪座城最热？深圳消费笔数中国第一

记者9月5日从外滩大会上获悉，今年3月以来，通过蚂蚁集团“外卡内绑”和“外包内用”两项服务，带动入境游客消费额同比增长6倍，活跃用户数增长3倍，活跃商户数增长2倍。受益于“港人北上”消费热和大湾区一体化，深圳入境游客消费笔数排名全国第一，而广州入境游客消费额增长9倍。伴随免签等一系列政策利好，全球兴起“China Travel热”，吸引越来越多的外籍人士来华旅行。

目前支付宝App支持“外卡内绑”的国际银行卡品牌即将增至7种，包括：Mastercard、Visa、JCB、DinersClub、Discover、银联国际，以及最新即将加入的美国运通，由此实现对全球主流卡品牌的全覆盖。而通过Alipay+跨境服务，无需下载新app，“外包内用”可直接用的境外数字支付工具增至13个，覆盖新加坡、马来西亚、泰国、韩国、蒙古国、巴基斯坦、哈萨克斯坦、菲律宾、中国香港、中国澳门等10个国家和地区的用户。

9月5日，蚂蚁集团首次公布半年来入境游客用移动支付的消费热点商圈，从全国70多个城市超过500个热门商圈里，境外宾客根据消费热度评选出“2024十大入境消费友好型商圈”及地标，包括：三里屯商圈｜北京SOLANA蓝色港湾、大豫园文化片区｜上海大豫园、解放碑商圈｜重庆国泰广场、天河商圈｜广州PO PARK东方宝泰、春熙路商圈｜成都时代百盛、南京路商圈｜上海第一食品、青年大街商圈｜沈阳K11、福田商圈｜深圳领展中心城，以及黄山景区和西湖景区。

到底有哪些国家的“老外”，来中国爱用手机支付呢？数据显示：用支付宝或自己手机上常用的家乡钱包，交易笔数增幅排前5名的来源国分别是，泰国、新加坡、马来西亚、法国和蒙古国。

3月以来半年间，Alipay+境外钱包用户来华消费领优惠的笔数，环比增长了105%，优惠促消费突破了160万人次，电子优惠券的推出也让跨境消费更有动力。

文｜记者 沈钊
图｜受访者提供
译｜赵凡
英文审校｜林佳岱