BEIJING, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2024 / Tourism from international travelers into China is gaining momentum as the country rolls out its visa-free policy to more countries and international flights continue to resume.

A recently study on international tourists' travel and payment experiences in China, conducted by a team at the Silk Road Research Institute of Beijing Foreign Studies University, found that 98% of international travelers would recommend that their friends visit China.

The survey, conducted in June of 2024, included over 700 international travelers from 103 countries. More than half of those surveyed were visiting China for the first time.

International travelers to China are predominantly traveling with family, friends or alone, and about 10% travelling to China with a travel group.

According to the survey, when it comes to payments, international visitors are interested in trying local mobile payment methods like Alipay. 84% of travelers surveyed said they used at least one type of mobile payment in China.

The study also found that younger generation of international travelers is more likely to use mobile payments while in China, with 90% of visitors born after 2000 using at least one form of mobile payment. When surveying those born after 1970, 1980 or 1990, over 80% of each group said they used mobile payment while in China.

In a survey of international travelers who used Alipay in China for mobile payments, nearly 97% would recommend that their friends use Alipay when visiting China.

As the all-in-one app for international visitors to China, Alipay offers convenient payment and travel services to make traveling in China easy.

International visitors to China can download the Alipay app, sign up and link an international credit or debit card from Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club to pay across China. Alipay works with tens of millions of partner merchants across China, including restaurants, cafes, tourist attractions, shopping malls and street stalls.

In addition to payment services, Alipay also works with industry partners to provide international travelers with easy-to-access digital travel services, including online translation, ride hailing, making hotel reservations, buying tickets to tourist sites, using bike share systems and taking public transport. Currently, the Alipay App can translate between 16 languages, allowing international travelers to experience China like locals.

The People's Bank of China has implemented policies to optimize the payment experience for international visitors to China this year. As a result, 86% of international travelers surveyed said that, compared to their last trip to China, payment has become easier.

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Contact Person: Steven Yang
Email: yangxzgsti@bfsu.edu.cn

SOURCE: BFSU Silk Road Research Institute