In addition to closer Asian destinations, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, France is, along with Italy, the most popular destination for Chinese shopping tourists.
The information was provided by Alipay, China’s most widely used online/mobile payment service provider and a must-have for any business that wants to sell its products to as many Chinese customers as possible, whether they are at home or abroad. It is available in 70 markets and has already been adopted by more than 3 million merchants worldwide.
Alipay announced that the average spending of Chinese outbound travelers during the first five days of China’s National Day – from September 29 to October 6, 2023 – exceeded the average spending level of 2019, reflecting the continuation of the growth. Chinese outbound tourism trend recorded since the beginning of the year.
All shopaholics
Shopping remains one of the favorite activities of Chinese tourists when traveling abroad. During Golden Week, the biggest spend on Alipay was on skincare and tax-free products, and it outperformed all others. Food and drinks, as well as accommodation, were in fact classified in the second and third spending categories respectively.
In addition to paying for products and services with the app, Chinese tourists are increasingly relying on Alipay’s various digital services; the most used were currency exchange, Coupon Hub, tax refund and transport. In particular, the number of transport-related transactions increased 16-fold compared to the same period in 2019.
