Overseas tourists make full use of payment platforms

Digital platforms and lifestyle services are popular among domestic travelers as well as inbound visitors over the weeklong holiday.

Overseas travelers are also making full use of digital tools and payment platforms to experience and enjoy the vibrancy of the country during the peak travel season.

The amount of spending made by inbound tourists using Alipay surged 120 percent between October 1 and October 4 from the same period a year ago, according to the online payment service provider.

The number of merchants that have accepted foreign payments also more than doubled from a year ago.

Spending from foreign visitors using Chinese digital payments has been on the rise following a series of policies granting visa-free entry for tourists from several countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and Poland.

The combined value of the Alipay payments made by visitors from these countries and regions during the first four days of the holiday surged nearly three times from a year ago.

Meanwhile, the total number of orders made by Chinese travelers using Alipay at overseas destinations jumped 60 percent from a year earlier. The top categories are lifestyle services, transportation, entertainment and dining.

Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Macau are the top overseas areas with the fastest growth rate in terms of number of payments made by domestic travelers.

Lifestyle service spending on Meituan also jumped 41.2 percent during the first five days of the week-long holiday as travelers took to digital services for deals, discounts and online booking of entertainment programs.

Shanghai tops other leading cities including Beijing, Chengdu and Shenzhen in terms of overall holiday spending, while nationwide travelers' daily average spending on Meituan increased 69.6 percent from last year's holiday period.

At the same time, local tourists visiting domestic locations have been leveraging the on-demand delivery services for carefree travel experiences.

Shanghai financial consultant Daisy Chen who spent three days with her pet dogs in Jiangxi Province has been ordering snacks and drinks from delivery platforms.

"It's more convenient to enjoy some simple meals and snacks with friends while we spend leisure time at the home-stay apartment," she said.

Since October 1, the amount of delivery orders on Ele.me for food, beverage and daily groceries made by domestic travelers jumped 50 percent from a week ago.

Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing are the most popular destinations for domestic travelers in terms of the amount of delivery orders made by tourists.

The sudden drop of temperature in most parts of the country also pushed up sales of winter coats and down jackets.

The number of searches for winter jackets on Ele.me surged more than five times along with other popular items such as beauty and personal care products, accessories.