Data from Alipay and its partner e-wallets on the Alipay+ platform shows a significant increase in both outbound and inbound travel spending during the 2025 Labor Day holiday in China. The data highlights the growing importance of digital payments in boosting international tourism.
Outbound Travel Trends: Chinese Tourists Seek Local Experiences
During the Golden Week holiday, Chinese tourists used Alipay+, a cross-border digital payment solution developed by Ant International, to make purchases in more than 70 destinations worldwide. Alipay+ connects 36 e-wallets from Asia and Europe, enabling users to pay abroad without the need for cash or currency exchange.
The top destinations based on Alipay spending were:
- Hong Kong SAR
- Japan
- Macao SAR
- South Korea
- Thailand
- Malaysia
- Singapore
- France
- Canada
- Italy
Travel spending data shows that Chinese tourists are increasingly opting for local and customized experiences. Switzerland saw the highest average spending per user, while South Korea recorded spending over USD 100 on average, partly due to the country’s popularity for medical tourism. Public transport was the most popular use of Alipay among Chinese travelers, especially in Hong Kong and Macao, with the platform’s usage for buses, subways, and trains up by 53% year-on-year.
Alipay’s real-time tax refund service saw a 33% increase in transaction value, while usage of instant discount offers rose by 46% compared to the New Year holiday.
Inbound Travel Trends: Visa-Free Entry and Convenient Payment Options Attract Tourists
Since late 2023, Alipay+ has allowed 13 international e-wallets, including AlipayHK (Hong Kong), Touch ’n Go (Malaysia), Kaspi.kz (Kazakhstan), MPay (Macao SAR), and TrueMoney (Thailand), to be used across merchants in China. During the Labor Day holiday, total transactions and spending from these e-wallet users grew by more than 100% compared to the previous year.
China’s visa-free transit policy and improved tax refund procedures have helped attract more international visitors. Tourists from countries eligible for the 240-hour visa-free transit policy spent 50% more through Alipay Tap!, a contactless payment system launched in 2024.
Alipay+ also enables international bank card users, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, UnionPay, and JCB, to link their cards to Alipay, simplifying payments for services like ride-hailing, hotel bookings, and public transport in China.
The Alipay Tap! service, which allows users to access services by tapping a terminal without opening an app, has rapidly gained popularity. Since its launch in June 2024, it has attracted over 100 million users, particularly among international travelers for daily transactions.
Conclusion
The 2025 Labor Day holiday data shows strong growth in cross-border tourism and spending, driven by seamless mobile payment options. As global travel rebounds, digital wallets and easy payment systems continue to play a key role in connecting travelers to local services and businesses, both in China and abroad.
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