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Alipay+, Ant International’s global wallet gateway, which enables merchants to accept payments from leading mobile wallets and digital banking apps, has revealed three pivotal trends shaping tourism in 2025 and beyond.
To empower global tourism, Alipay+ has significantly expanded its payments and digital services ecosystem, in three ways:
- Payments: Growing cross-border payment acceptance for Alipay+ to more than 100 markets, and expanding its partner ecosystem to 40, representing 1.8 billion users
- Partners: Supporting [new] Bluecode (Europe), PayPay (Japan) and KBank (Thailand) users to pay with their banking and wallet apps when traveling abroad
- Services: New services include (i) Alipay+ Voyager, a built-in AI travel agent, integrating partners like Trip.com, Agoda and Grab, (ii) Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit, an AI-as-a-Service solution for digital wallets to build AI-native solutions, and (iii) Expanded Global Blue in-app tax refunds for more partners, creating an end-to-end digital experience
“Travel has a significant impact to local economies, and we believe that mobile wallets can be a catalyst for growth, connecting travellers and businesses in more ways than ever,” said Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International. “Alipay+ aims to support the travel ecosystem with AI-powered payments and digital services to enable online and offline merchants, tourism partners, and other fintechs to create customer-centric engagements for mobile-savvy consumers. Through greater collaboration, we can create a new future of travel, one that enhances the experience for consumers, and promotes growth and connectivity.
Mobile payments become the norm, driving inclusive growth for global merchants
Travellers are embracing the use of their trusted home payment app, with more than 6.5 million digital wallet users using Alipay+ cross-border payments for the first time in the first half of 2025. Transactions across online travel agents and in-store merchants increased by more than 30%. Not only can travellers travel and pay “like a local” more conveniently, but now businesses can reach more customers easily.
To ensure inclusive growth at scale, Alipay+ is deepening its collaborations with national payment networks. Alipay+ transactions via national standardised QRs have almost doubled, as travellers can easily make payments at SMEs and merchants in smaller cities, including in destinations like South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and more.
Short-haul, value-conscious travel on the rise, opening up more opportunities for local businesses
Travellers are seeking greater value when they travel by going to places closer to home, looking for deals, and spending at local merchants.
Asia is leading global travel growth in 2025, with intra-Asia travel a big contributor. China, Japan, South Korea, and particularly Southeast Asia are amongst the most popular travel destinations globally, with intra-Asia transactions by Alipay+ partners increasing 32 percent year-on-year.
Travellers want to save when they can, without compromising on experiencing local destinations. Redemptions via A+ Rewards, an in-app marketing platform where travellers can browse local promotions and coupons, increased 57 percent. Travellers are also spending more at local businesses, with transactions under USD10 increasing 37 percent.
While hotspots within Europe like France, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom remain popular, destinations like Hungary, Greece and Norway saw the biggest growth in transactions, as travellers aim to explore new places while maximising their budgets.
Experiences and niche services in higher demand as travellers seek more conscious travel
Travellers are spending across more diverse travel scenarios beyond retail. While transactions for attractions and F&B continue to see significant growth, spending on local services including beauty, medical and education have become one of the key aspects of travel. For example, K-beauty transactions in South Korea increased 115 percent year-on-year.
Travellers are also going around more independently, with transactions on ride-hailing platforms doubling, and those on public transport increasing close to 50 percent. The expansion of Alipay+ acceptance across merchants and different modes of transportation has made it easier for travellers to visit smaller towns including Shikokuchūō in Japan, Jeollabuk-do in South Korea, Semporna in Malaysia and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province in Thailand.
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Source: traveldailymedia