Alipay taps Lunar New Year travel surge

HANGZHOU, 7 February 2025: During the 2025 Chinese New Year holiday season, Alipay recorded a significant increase in China’s outbound and inbound travel spending.

Photo credit: Alipay. Shopping malls in Malaysia welcome Chinese tourists with special Alipay discounts.

Spending standouts

• Alipay transactions made by outbound Chinese travellers across the 90 million-strong Alipay+ global merchants network increased by 30% y-o-y. The top destinations for Chinese travellers were Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong SAR, and South Korea, showing the highest growth rate in total Alipay spending. 

• China inbound travel spending via Alipay surged by 150% y-o-y in the first five days of the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday. The number of inbound travellers using their 13 home e-wallets supported by the Alipay+ solution nearly doubled y-o-y during the first four days of the holiday.

Outbound travel: Visa-free and long-haul travel destinations saw a surge in Alipay spending while Chinese tourists sought local experiences 

Global Alipay+ merchants have joined Alipay in an exclusive CNY campaign to lure travellers during the country’s longest national holiday. Between 28 and 30 January, transactions made by Alipay users in overseas destinations increased by 30% compared to last year’s Lunar New Year holiday season.

Shopping malls in Malaysia welcome Chinese tourists with special Alipay discounts.

Friendlier visa policies in major destinations bring substantive impact. In Singapore, total spending via Alipay rose by 56% year-on-year, making it the most popular destination. Japan also emerged as a favoured spot, with a 40% increase in Alipay spending, driven by eased visa policies and a weakened yen. Malaysia, Hong Kong SAR, and South Korea ranked among the top five destinations.

Long-haul travel rebounded: Alipay users made 30% more European transactions over CNY 2024. In addition to traditionally popular destinations like the UK, France, and Italy, emerging destinations such as Switzerland, Austria, and Turkey also saw a notable rise in number of transactions. 

Inbound travel: Visa-Free policies and new payment options drew international travellers to China to experience CNY traditions

With China’s recent visa-free policy updates, Alipay has launched new campaigns to double the number of Chinese merchants accepting payments with international card-enabled Alipay accounts and 13 overseas e-wallets. 

Between 28 January and 1 February, travellers spent 150% more using Alipay at merchants across the Chinese mainland in 2024. Spending from visa-free origins rose by 200% year-on-year. 

During the first four days of the CNY holiday, overseas e-wallet users making payments in China increased by 94% year-on-year. AlipayHK users topped the list, followed by Malaysia’s Touch ’n Go e-Wallet, Macao SAR’s MPay, Kazakhstan’s Kaspi.kz, and Thailand’s TrueMoney.

About Alipay
As the world becomes increasingly digital, Alipay has evolved from a trusted e-wallet into an all-in-one digital platform for daily services, connecting over one billion consumers to over 80 million merchants across China. 

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