UnionPay mobile payment transaction volume grows as Chinese tourists celebrating the Spring Festival all around the world
2018-02-20
Today is the fifth day of the Chinese Spring Festival holiday, and the Chinese New Year has become a global tourism peak season with more and more Chinese tourists celebrating the festival abroad. According to the data from China Tourism Academy, as many as 6.5 million Chinese people travel abroad this Spring Festival, and global merchants are endeavoring to improve the experience of Chinese tourists. It is learnt that more than 23 million merchants outside the Chinese Mainland accept UnionPay, which is the preferred bankcard of Chinese tourists, and the cross-border transactions volume of the UnionPay mobile payment has grown substantially during this Spring Festival.
Mobile payment is gaining popularity.
The signage of the app of “UnionPay” can be easily found at The North Face stores in Kathmandu, the Capital of Nepal. Miss Shen from Xi'an, China said: “I just bought a new mountaineering costume by scanning UnionPay QR Code; it is as simple as it is in China.”
Since the launch of the “UnionPay” app, UnionPay International has been expanding the acceptance scope of the app outside mainland China. In 2017, the transaction number and volume of UnionPay mobile QuickPass and UnionPay QR Code outside mainland China grew by dozens of times.
Just prior to this Spring Festival, a number of merchants in Nepal, Kenya, Djibouti, Vietnam and Taiwan started to accept UnionPay QR Code, which was previously accepted in Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau. These merchants include shopping malls, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions, including Kenya Airlines, Djibouti Hilton Hotel, Taiwan Sugar & Spice and other well-known merchants.
Meanwhile, with many Chinese people travel abroad, the transaction volume of UnionPay mobile QuickPass outside mainland China is growing. Now, UnionPay cardholders are able to pay with UnionPay mobile QuickPass at about 1 million POS terminals in 18 countries and regions, including Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia and Russia. During this Spring Festival, the malls and Vanguard under Sun Hung Kai in Hong Kong, Nikken Sekkei in Japan have launched exclusive offers for UnionPay mobile QuickPass.
Global merchants welcome Chinese tourists by accepting UnionPay.
Many Chinese tourists visiting Melbourne like to go shopping and dining at Emporium Melbourne, the largest shopping mall downtown. The mall started accepting UnionPay before this Spring Festival. Kate Rooney, Manager of Emporium Melbourne said: “Accepting UnionPay gives simple and pleasant shopping experiences to the Chinese tourists who visit here during the Spring Festival.” A netizen, “The Big Eye” commented on her experience in Florence: “I had to pay with cash at TheMall in Florence back in 2016, but now, I can easily pay with my UnionPay cards.”
With more and more merchants accepting UnionPay cards, the travel experience of Chinese tourists is getting better and better. The latest data show that customers are able to pay with UnionPay in 168 countries and regions, covering more than 23 million merchants and 1.64 million ATMs. During this Spring Festival, famous restaurants, hotels, stores, entertainment establishments in 22 popular travel destinations are offering exclusive discounts up to 30% off for UnionPay cardholders.
Cultural-experiencing tours and self-driving tours are gaining popularity among Chinese tourists. To serve Chinese tourists, more than 10 museums such as Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art and Museo Thyssen-bornemisza are providing exclusive offers for UnionPay. And since February 10, the transaction volume of UnionPay cards at car rental merchants in the United States, Thailand, Australia has been growing remarkably. Cardholders can enjoy not only easy payment, but also multiple discounts.
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