Global cross-border digital payments and marketing solution and provider of Alipay+, Ant Group, announced an addition of four mobile wallets to the list of supported payment solutions in the country.
On top of Alipay, which has been supported by merchants in the country since 2017 and with a majority of users arising from mainland China, the three other mobile wallets include Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), and Kakao Pay (South Korea).
As the additional mobile wallets make their way to Philippine shores, travelers from each respective region will gain a more convenient means of payment during their travel. The strategic move, via Alipay+, also comes in light with tourists returning to the country.
Per the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Philippines has seen more than 3 million visits from January 1 to July 19, 2023. Additionally, the agency said that inbound receipts during the first half of 2023 are five times higher than they were in the same year prior.
Among the tourists visiting the country, South Koreans top the list while Malaysians are also in the top ten.
Widely accepted as a payment solution by merchants within Manila and Cebu even before the pandemic, Alipay+ is now supported across 90 percent of Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA). The airport saw a slightly more than double the number of passengers in comparison to last year.
Aboitiz InfraCapital Chief Executive Officer Athanasios Titonis said that at MCIA, they uphold giving their customers “convenience and ease of travel through seamless processes and world-class services and amenities”.
Titonis believes that they can provide “exceptional convenience and more payment options” to travelers coming to the country via MCIA with the incorporation of Alipay+.
Dubbed the second-largest airport in the country, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport sees over 11 million passengers yearly—also making it the second busiest next to Ninoy Aquino International Airport.