Golden Week drives Alipay spending by Chinese tourists

The average spending has surpassed pre-COVID-19 levels

Alipay, the leading digital payment and service platform, has reported that Chinese travellers' spending during China's National Day holiday in 2023, from September 29 to October 6, has exceeded 2019 levels. 

This surge reflects the ongoing growth of outbound Chinese tourism in 2023. During this holiday period, the number of daily transactions by inbound visitors to China using Alipay+ partner e-wallets increased by up to 200%.

Chinese tourists abroad continue to indulge in shopping, with skincare products and duty-free items being the top expenses through Alipay during this period. Food and accommodation also rank high in terms of spending.

During this holiday period, the number of daily transactions by inbound visitors to China using Alipay+ partner e-wallets increased by up to 200%.

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Alipay users are increasingly utilising digital travel services, with currency exchange, coupon hub, tax refunds, and transportation being the most popular services during the first five days of the holiday. 

Transportation-related transactions have seen a 16-fold increase compared to 2019.

Chinese travellers prefer mobile payments like Alipay, citing transparent exchange rates, discounts, expense tracking, safety, and convenience as their reasons. They also said they seek personalised services like Chinese-language shopping guides and exclusive offers.

While popular destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore, France, and Italy continue to top the spending list via Alipay, there is a notable increase in spending in less-explored destinations like Estonia and Qatar compared to 2019.

Alipay+ has extended its reach into the Chinese mainland, connecting tens of millions of global merchants to over 1.4 billion payment accounts in Asia and beyond.