Surge in China inbound and outbound travel spending for 2025 Chinese New Year: Alipay

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During the 2025 Chinese New Year, Alipay recorded a significant increase in China’s outbound and inbound travel spending.

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

Through the Alipay+ cross-border mobile payment and digitalization solutions, Chinese travellers, along with users of the other 34 e-wallets in Asia and Europe, can use their own home payment app across 66 markets without the need to exchange currency or carry cash.

Global Alipay+ merchants have joined Alipay in an exclusive CNY campaign to lure travellers during the country’s longest national holiday. From January 28th to 30th, the number of transactions made by Alipay users in overseas destinations increased by 30% compared to the same period last year.

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

Long-haul travel rebounded. Alipay users made 30% more transactions in Europe 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.

Thanks to Alipay+’s diverse global merchant network, Chinese tourists are increasingly seeking more personalized and local experience. Beyond shopping and entertainment, Alipay spending in cosmetic surgery rose by 449% year-on-year. Food spending via Alipay also shows a varied pattern, with spending on meals, snacks, and desserts increasing by 33%, 36%, and 54%, respectively. Greater interest in immersive local travel trends also drives local transportation usage. Total Alipay spending on overseas bus, subway and ride-hailing trips grew by 139% year-on-year.

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 a total of 13 overseas e-wallets.

Through Alipay’s expanded partnerships with Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover®, Diners Club International®, and UnionPay International, travellers can link their international credit or debit card to their Alipay e-wallet for seamless payments and diverse digital services such as ride-hailing, hotel bookings, and purchasing plane and train tickets in China.

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

Since September 2023, the Alipay+ solutions have supported 13 leading payment apps in Asia to serve their roaming users across Alipay’s 80-million-strong merchant network in China. During the first four days of the CNY holiday, the number of 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.

China native: New digital traditions drive consumer enthusiasm

In China, Alipay’s flagship Fortune Cards Campaign has become a new tradition for celebrating the Chinese New Year. Users collect digital fortune cards for good wishes and potential monetary rewards. With 28 sets of fortune cards—from Marvel heroes to Pop Mart stars—this year’s campaign has attracted 600 million participants. Utilizing technologies such as AR, AI, and Alipay Tap!, it continues to help merchants of all sizes—from street vendors to major brands—enhance consumer interactions. Now in its tenth year, the campaign has cumulatively reached over one billion users.

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