Alipay+ makes three more foreign e-wallets accessible in PH

Alipay+ now allows access to three more foreign e-wallets in the Philippines, its operator said.

Photo from Ant Group

Improving travellers' experience?

In a statement, Alipay+ operator Ant Group announced that a total of four mobile wallets are now accepted in the Philippines. These are AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia), and Alipay (Chinese mainland), which has been accepted by Filipino merchants since 2017.

This enables travellers from these regions to enjoy a cashless experience, using just their home mobile wallets to make payment, improving the travel experience as digital payment options like mobile wallets become the norm for day-to-day transactions, the company said.

The development comes as the Department of Tourism records more than 3 million tourists in the Philippines from January 1 to July 19, 2023, reflecting continued robust recovery. The department also noted that inbound tourism receipts from January 1 to June 30, 2023, are more than 500 percent higher than the same period last year. South Koreans topped the list of international visitors, while Malaysia ranks in the top 10.

Alipay+ is currently accepted in Manila and Cebu which is the top two most visited cities in the Philippines pre-pandemic.

Specifically, Mactan-Cebu International Airport saw a 219 percent increase in passengers in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year. The airport has integrated Alipay+ across 90 percent of its merchants to cater to its digital-first travellers.

Athanasios Titonis, Aboitiz InfraCapital Chief Executive Officer assigned to MCIA, said: At MCIA, we have always placed utmost importance on providing convenience and ease of travel through seamless processes and world-class services and amenities. The integration of Alipay+ gives our passengers exceptional convenience and more payment options when they travel through MCIA.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is the second largest airport in the Philippines with over 11 million passengers annually. It is also the first and only airport in the Philippines to receive the Airport Customer Experience (ACX) accreditation from the Airports Council International.

Philippines and its many islands, such as Cebu, have long been a favourite destination for Asian travellers and we look forward to working with our local partners to enhance their travel experience. We believe that digital adoption and solutions will shape travellers' expectations, particularly in the way they engage travel-related businesses, from airports and hospitality to F&B and retail stores, Dr. Cherry Huang, General Manager of Alipay+ Offline Merchant Services at Ant Group said.

Huang said they are now focusing on working with more partners to onboard more merchants with Alipay+ across the Philippines, especially local small businesses, and promote digital travel and travel recovery.

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