Alipay app available in 16 languages to facilitate foreigners traveling in China

A foreigner pays via Alipay at a shop in Shanghai.  [PHOTO/CHINA DAILY]

Chinese payment services platform Alipay recently announced that it now provides services in 16 languages, which it expects will help international tourists travel in China more smoothly.

Services on the smartphone app are now available in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Turkish, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese, in addition to the Chinese and English services already in use.

With the latest update, foreign visitors in China can use the app's payment service in the language of their choosing. Other frequently used services in the app, including a hotel booking platform, can be translated into that language with a single click using Alipay's translation tool.

The People's Bank of China, the central bank, in February held a meeting to optimize payment services in the country. Relevant government authorities have since collaborated to refine the national payment services system, providing increased convenience to elderly people and foreigners in China.

In June, a research group at the Beijing Foreign Studies University's Silk Road Research Institute released a report on the travel and payment experiences of foreigners in China. It surveyed more than 700 foreign travelers who had traveled to China from over 100 countries, finding that 98 percent of respondents would recommend traveling to China to their friends, and that 86 percent believe the payment experience in China has become more convenient.

In the first half of 2024, spending among inbound travelers on Alipay surged eightfold year on year, and the number of Chinese companies using Alipay for business involving international tourists saw a yearly increase of 300 percent, according to Alipay.

With "China Travel" trending on social media platforms, China's inbound tourism is experiencing a surge and these visits are expected to boost consumption.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, average daily consumption among foreign tourists in China was 3,459 yuan (about $485) in 2023. In the first seven months of this year, the number of foreigners visiting China soared 129.9 percent year on year to 17.25 million, according to the National Immigration Administration.