Mobile payment favored among Chinese tourists
Chinese tourists are using mobile payment overseas far more frequently than foreign counterparts, and over 90 percent Chinese tourists will use mobile payment overseas given the option.
The joint survey by Nielsen and Alibaba's payment affiliate Alipay shows that about 65 percent of Chinese respondents have used mobile payment while traveling overseas, compared with only 11 percent of non-Chinese tourists.
As many as 93 percent of the Chinese tourists said they will consider using mobile payment more frequently if more overseas merchants support the use of Chinese mobile payment options in the future, and 91 percent of respondents expressed that if overseas merchants support the use Chinese mobile payment brands, it can increase their desire to shop.
The respondents include 2,009 Chinese respondents aged between 20 to 50 who have traveled overseas in the past year and 613 foreigners travelling to overseas destinations.
Chinese tourists made 131 million times of outbound trips in the past year, adding 7 percent from a year ago, according to the China National Tourism Administration.
According to the survey, the average spending of Chinese tourists during one overseas trip was US$5,565, and the figure is expected to add 3 percent to US$5,715 in this year.
Payment options is also a key concern for Chinese tourists when they're paying for shopping, accommodation and dining during their trips abroad. During their most recent overseas trip, 2.8 out of 10 payments made by Chinese tourists were via mobile payment.
The most frequent occasions for Chinese tourists to use mobile payment while travelling abroad are shopping, dining and visits to tourist attractions.
The primary reasons for Chinese tourists to use mobile payment abroad are cited as "convenience and speed, and familiarity”, "favorable exchange rate" and "discounts or promotions."
