GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 4, 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.
Quoting French official figures, China's news agency reported over 43% of Chinese tourists visiting France traveling in FIT, and the ratio is projected to rise to 50% in 2019. French businesses embrace this Chinese tourist rush, and WeChat Pay together with diverse promotions has become their 'magic wand' to attract Chinese customers.
As for now, 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.
In France, a variety of businesses have accepted WeChat Pay as their mobile payment platform. Chinese tourists can now use WeChat Pay when shopping in Printemps and Lafayette, paying for tickets of attractions including Abbaye Du Mont-Saint-Michel, Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau, Carcassonne Castle, Chateau d'If, l'Arc de triomphe de l'Etoile, La Conciergerie, le Pantheon and La Sainte-Chapelle, buying air tickets on Air France official website, etc. French businesses have also partnered with WeChat Pay to launch diverse promotions including WeChat Shake lucky draw and scan-and-get-a-coupon. All these contribute to the increase of transaction frequency and per customer transaction of Chinese tourists.
Globally, 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.
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.
