The World Gets Primed for China's National Day Holiday

GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year from October 1st to October 7th, China is immersed in the festivity of its National Day Holiday, known as Golden Week, and the number of Chinese travelling overseas peaks during this period. Last year, over 6 million international trips were made from China during the holiday, accounting for 41% of total trips made in the seven-day period. The buying power of outbound Chinese tourists is beyond any doubt, with each spending an average of over RMB 9,000 in the 2017 week-long holiday.

The holiday marks a time of excitement and joy, not only for the Chinese themselves but also for businesses across the world. Even before the holiday begins, people outside of China – from government officials to travel agents and retailers -- are already drooling over the prospect of embracing the arrival of Chinese tourists.  

Today, with Tencent's WeChat Pay – a mobile payment platform embedded in WeChat the 1-billion-active-user social APP – widely accepted by businesses outside China, shopping overseas is just as easy and barrier-free as shopping domestically for Chinese tourists. Overseas businesses, from shopping malls, restaurants, to metro services, and even temples, are also finding every possible way to lure Chinese tourists.

An outpouring of enthusiasm from overseas businesses for WeChat Pay, a "magic wand" to attract Chinese customers.

As the footprints of Chinese tourists expand, so does the global coverage of WeChat Pay. As it stands today, WeChat Pay is available in over 40 countries and regions, supporting direct transactions in 13 currencies. By saving users the hassle of foreign currency exchange and carrying pocket money, WeChat Pay makes overseas shopping as simple and efficient as shopping in China. This explains why Chinese tourists are more than willing to use WeChat Pay while travelling abroad. This mobile payment platform from Tencent is now viewed by overseas businesses as a "magic wand" to attract Chinese customers.

In the first half of 2017, the number of transactions via WeChat Pay increased by a whopping 16 times in Japan. The business community in Thailand has been connected to WeChat Pay's system on a massive scale, from duty-free chain stores in Bangkok to roadside vendors in Chiang Mai and Phuket. The enthusiasm of overseas businesses for connection to WeChat Pay's system is on the up and up, fueled in large part by the continual rise of per-customer transaction by Chinese outbound tourists.

Overseas businesses itching to emulate the Chinese marketing model as WeChat Pay creates more "Smart Life" mobile consumption scenes.

Overseas businesses are leveraging WeChat Pay's platform to upgrade their marketing strategies and tactics for higher efficiency in attracting customers from the Chinese mainland, young people with spending power in particular. Increasingly, their marketing tactics are becoming like those of their counterparts in the Chinese mainland. For example, some retailers now leverage WeChat Moments ads to target mainland tourists travelling to these two special administrative regions of China, some leverage WeChat Coupons to boost their social media exposure, some leverage WeChat Mini Program to provide better service, etc.

To help overseas businesses grow accustomed to Chinese tourists' spending habits, WeChat Pay never relents in its efforts to develop more mobile consumption scenes. Specifically, it has launched its WeChat Pay Smart Flagship Airport and WeChat Pay Smart Amusement Park in overseas tourist destinations and has integrated itself with local events and activities, most notably Broadway Macau Local Culture & Food Festival. WeChat Pay commits to enriching and bettering its users' payment experience in overseas destinations by constantly exploring new scene-based operation options.

Double preferential offers to WeChat users paying with WeChat Pay, a pleasant surprise gift for the National Day holiday.

From this day onwards until the end of December, for every purchase they make in a retail or service outlet connected to WeChat Pay's platform, whether in the Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Sydney of Australia or Auckland of New Zealand, all WeChat Pay users are eligible for a WeChat Shake lucky draw chance to win either a free order or a virtual red pocket (coupon) that they can use in a brick-and-mortar retail store.

Beyond that, WeChat Pay users travelling overseas can enjoy extra offers and very competitive currency exchange rates. By scanning the QR code printed on the poster of any one of WeChat Pay's overseas partner businesses, a user travelling overseas can receive a red envelope coupon containing RMB 2,018 yuan at maximum, which is redeemable on next purchase at any of WeChat Pay's partner businesses.

According to WeChat Pay, it will continue to bring to its users payment solutions that are smarter, simpler and more efficient than before, so that its users enjoy as convenient and intelligent services when travelling overseas as when they do at home in terms of dining, shopping, entertainment and other fun activities. Meanwhile, it will seek to establish partnerships with more overseas businesses across many sectors to provide digitalized payment experiences to Chinese outbound tourists.

SOURCE Tencent, WeChat Pay