Visa-free access to destinations such as Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand helped boost spending by Chinese tourists, according to Weixin’s latest National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival report.

Weixin Pay’s cross-border transactions rose 21 percent year-on-year during the first five days of October, reflecting strong outbound travel demand.

Transportation bookings made through Weixin Mini Programs increased 2.5 times, driven by platforms such as Uber, Grab, and DiDi, as well as rail services like Korail in Korea and Frecciarossa and Italo in Italy.

Hong Kong and Macao remained the top destinations for mainland tourists, recording the highest cross-border payment volumes.

Ride-hailing bookings in Hong Kong were more than five times higher than a year ago.

Expanding Reach Across Asia and Beyond

Weixin Pay transactions climbed 46 percent in South Korea and 32 percent in Singapore, while payments processed through Malaysia’s PayNet network more than tripled in both volume and value.

Spending in Japan rose over 25 percent, supported by integrations with local e-wallets such as PayPay, auPAY, and merpay/d-barai.

Weixin said its Mini Programs now operate in 92 countries and regions.

During the holidays, transactions through overseas Mini Programs rose more than 50 percent in tourism and 30 percent in dining, while average daily spending by Chinese tourists on overseas small businesses increased over 70 percent.

New Mini Programs for Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Heathrow Airport Express trains also made travel more convenient.

Inbound tourism to China also picked up, with the number of overseas visitors using Mini Programs rising more than 60 percent year-on-year.

Earlier summer holiday data showed that overseas users linking international bank cards to Weixin Pay saw a sharp increase in transaction counts, with activity in cities such as Chongqing and Chengdu doubling from a year earlier.

Hong Kong residents traveling north spent over 120 percent more through WeChat Pay HK compared with last year.

E-commerce, pet care, and courier services recorded the fastest growth, while entertainment and sports events were among the most popular activities during the holidays.

 

 

This article first appeared on Fintech News Singapore. 

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by poppet07 via Freepik