New initiative to encourage Sustainable Travel by Alipay+ and E-Wallets

The Chinese company Alipay+, who specialise in cross-border mobile payments through their digital platform, have just declared a December campaign to promote sustainable cross-border travel. There are a number of opportunities offered to users of five leading e-wallets in Asia, including Alipay (the Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), Touch ’n Go eWallet by TNG Digital (Malaysia), GCash (the Philippines), and TrueMoney (Thailand). This is the latest offering from Alipay+, who are a spin out from Ant International.

Alipay+ and Partner E-Wallets aim for Sustainable Travel 

This current campaign, runs until December 31. It is first offered for the following locations Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Participants can access  many special offers from a range of companies including ComfortDelGro Taxi, Daimaru Matsuzakaya, Galaxy Macau, King Power, and Lotte Duty Free. There are  also other smaller companies such as Durian BB in Malaysia and IJOOZ in Singapore.

Promoting sustainable and responsible tourism

Ant International and Alipay+ are hoping to deliver an ESG program closely aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This program has special offers to encourage sustainable travel behaviour. Free overseas mobile data packages, in-app discounts, opportunities for rebates. Digital payments are rewarded over cash, public transport, and visiting diverse locations to support local cultures.

Overall 220 leading merchants in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong province joined the  campaign to attract AlipayHK and mPay users with various discount packages. This year alone more than 3 million merchants in China, closed their first international transactions on Alipay+.

“Our year-end campaign is not just about travel; it’s about making a positive impact. By collaborating with partners who share our commitment to sustainability, we are offering travelers the chance to explore the world responsibly.”

Dr Cherry Huang, General Manager of Alipay+ Offline Merchant Services, Ant International

Digital payment increases international tourism revenue to local SMEs. In 2023, while Alipay expanded cooperation with major international card organizations to facilitate foreign cardholders visiting China, Alipay+ brought 10 Asian e-wallets and banking apps into the Chinese mainland to serve their travelling users, a landmark in international expansion of these leading payment methods.

To monitor the ESG impact of the campaign, Alipay+ will collaborate with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and an advisory group consisting of experts from Tsinghua University, Hong Kong University, University of Geneva University and the Northwestern University to measure travelers’ carbon footprint reduction, the impact on local businesses, culture and communities, as well as the impact on business best practices in the ecosystem.

Bruce Zhang, CEO of IJOOZ, a juice vending machine provider in Singapore said, “Every year, IJOOZ generates huge amounts of orange pulps and peels. We recycle orange waste, turning them into valuable resources for making new products. We are happy to join hands with Alipay+ to promote sustainable travel among global tourists visiting Singapore.”

Alipay+ in 2023: A Year of Expanded Growth and Partnerships

Since its launch in 2020, Alipay+, a suite of cross-border payment and marketing solutions, has expanded to connect over 88 million merchants in 57 markets to 1.5 billion payment accounts of over 25 digital wallets, banking apps and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) apps.

In the second half of 2023, Alipay+ recorded an estimated 30% increase in total payment volume (TPV) compared to the first six months, and over 70% increase in daily average transactions (DAT). Excluding Alipay, the TPV and DAT of cross-border payments of the rest of Alipay+ partner wallets increased by some 280% and 230% respectively in the second half of 2023.

In terms of transaction volume in 2023, AlipayHK, Kakao Pay, Touch ’n Go eWallet and GCash are among the top 4 most popular Alipay+ partner wallets used by cross-border travelers, aside from Alipay itself. Touch ’n Go eWallet, mPay and TrueMoney are ranked top 3 based on month-on-month (MoM) increase of transaction volume in November 2023. As a result, merchants in the Chinese mainland, Macao SAR, Japan, South Korea and Singapore benefited the most from the surge in cross-border mobile payment.

Alan Ni, CEO of TNG Digital, operator of Touch ’n Go eWallet, said: “Tourism is an important contributor to the local economy, and TNG Digital is committed to making a positive difference with our product and services, especially to encourage sustainable travel. Touch ’n Go eWallet cross-border payments in the Chinese mainland have grown by more than 100% month-on-month in 2023. With that, we are hopeful that with our small gesture, we can create a path for others to follow.”

About Alipay+

Alipay+ offers unified global mobile payment and marketing solutions that connect merchants with multiple e-wallets and payment methods from different countries and regions by collaborating with global partners. Consumers can conveniently use their preferred local payment methods while transacting seamlessly in a different market and be able to enjoy marketing solutions offered by the merchants through Alipay+. Alipay+ is developed by Ant Group, the owner and operator of Alipay, one of the world’s leading digital open platforms.

• Global brands and leading digital wallets in Asia join Alipay+’s campaign to drive responsible international travel to support SMEs and the environment
• Wide-ranging benefits and incentives for travelers from China and Southeast Asia as industry gears up for global travel recovery in 2024
• A research project to be launched to monitor the ESG impact of the campaign to the environment and to local businesses
• Alipay+, a payment technology and marketing solutions that connect over 25 leading e-wallets and payment apps to global merchants, sees rapid increase in total and daily transactions in 2023

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