China's leading mobile payment platforms, Alipay and WeChat, revealed that they now allow tourists with foreign debit and credit cards to make payments and other transactions through the platforms.
According to CNBC, for Alipay, foreigners traveling to China can now download the app on iOS and Android smartphones wherein they can register for the app's international version using their foreign mobile numbers - a feature that previously unavailable.
For WeChat Pay, the announcement was made by owner Tencent, with Visa responding to the Chinese payments giant's announcement of adopting an international version for foreigners.
Before WeChat Pay and Alipay announced that international users can now access the platforms for their shopping sprees in China and other related transactions, foreign visitors were required to obtain a Chinese bank account before using the platforms.
So far, the international cards that the two mobile payment platforms will support are Japan's JBC, Mastercard, Visa, and Singapore's Diners Club card. It remains to be seen whether any of the two platforms will cater to other cards in the near future.
Over the past years, China's leaders in mobile transactions have been wooing international merchants for partnerships that will allow tourists to make transactions even without a Chinese bank account.
Industry experts said the new international features will help further boost tourist interest in the country, especially with visitor numbers traveling to China increasing last year by 1.2 percent from 2017.
Aside from improving foreigner access to China's mobile payments sector, China's tourism authority in London launched a program on Wednesday that will allow visiting bloggers and social media influencers to take part in tours in the country.
According to China Daily, Has To Be China, a leading travel agency with offices in Bristol and Shenzhen, announced that the "China Creators' Pod" will be taking influencers, vloggers, travel writers, and people with a knack for traveling, to take part in customized tours in rural China.
The goal of the program, which is also supported by China's National Tourism Office, is to help spread the word about the country's natural wonders. The tours will also include visits to major Chinese cities that feature high-end technology and fascinating infrastructure.
Director of Has To Be China, Hu Kaitie, noted that even up-and-coming influencers and social media personalities, not just those who have already established a name in social media, can apply for the program.
As part of the program's interesting features, people who pass the application process will have their travel expenses to China covered. The program is considered a win-win situation for both Chinese tourism and influencers.
