Chinese tourists can now pay via DuitNow QR at 2.5 million Malaysian shops using Alipay, Weixin Pay
KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Chinese tourists can enjoy greater payment convenience and extra promos when they scan and pay via Malaysia's DuitNow QR codes.
PayNet has teamed up with Alipay+ and Weixin Pay (also known as WeChat Pay) to drive mainland Chinese and regional tourist spending across the country. With the current cross-border integration, tourists can scan DuitNow QR codes using their Alipay and Weixin Pay eWallets at over 2.5 million merchants in Malaysia.
In conjunction with the upcoming summer travel season, both Alipay+ and Weixin Pay are rolling out targeted campaigns to promote Malaysia as a top destination, with the aim to boost cross-border spending and make travel more seamless and rewarding for visitors.
With DuitNow QR's cross-border payment integration with Alipay+ and Weixin Pay, the interoperability not only makes travel hassle-free but it also helps to increase visibility for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to tap into tourist spending.
Alipay+ itself currently enables 15 international payment apps in Malaysia which include Alipay for mainland Chinese tourists and other Asian-based eWallets. During the December 2024 travel season, Alipay+ via DuitNow QR has driven six-fold revenue increase for Malaysian merchants year-on-year.
Cross-border campaigns via Alipay+ and Weixin Pay to promote Malaysia as a top cashless destination
Paynet Chief Marketing Officer Gary Yeoh said, 'This is what smart tourism looks like, seamless for travellers, transformative for our MSMEs. By enabling tourists to use their home wallets via DuitNow QR, we are opening up more than 2.5 million Malaysian businesses, many of them small and family-run, to global spending power. It's a digital solution with real-world economic impact.'
The multi-partner initiative aims to increase sales by 20% for participating merchants during the summer campaign period. The campaign is set to play a vital role in reaching the target of 6 million Chinese tourist arrivals this year.
As tourist arrivals to Malaysia continue to grow, the partnership between PayNet, Alipay+ and Weixin Pay aims to showcase the power of digital payments to fuel economic growth.
Tourism Malaysia Director General Datuk Manoharan Periasamy said, 'We believe that making travel simple, welcoming, and convenient is the key to attracting more visitors,' he said. 'With DuitNow QR accepted via Alipay+ and Weixin Pay, tourists can enjoy a smoother, more enjoyable travel experience. This initiative not only adds comfort and familiarity for our guests but also creates meaningful opportunities for local businesses and boosts the overall tourism economy'.
The target for 2025 is to increase DuitNow QR transactions through Alipay+ and Weixin Pay by more than 130% year-on-year.
Promo for Alipay and Weixin Pay users
PayNet, Alipay+ and Weixin Pay are kicking off the following targeted campaigns that run between June to September 2025:
Alipay+ Promo
1. Lucky Draw: Win a Premier League Football Experience
From 26 June to 14 July: Chinese and regional travellers, who spend at DuitNow QR merchants via AlipayCN and Alipay+ partner payment apps, stand a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to Hong Kong to catch Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur.
Two winners, each with one guest, will receive tickets to the football match on 31 July, round-trip flight tickets, and a three-day, two-night luxury hotel stay.
For specific campaign details, refer to the AlipayCN or Alipay+ partner payment apps. T&Cs apply.
2. Spend and Save: Eat, Play and Save
Running from 15 June to 30 September, this campaign rewards AlipayCN and Alipay+ payment partner users with generous discounts as they explore Malaysia's diverse F&B scene and tourist attractions.
For specific campaign details, refer to the AlipayCN or Alipay+ partner payment apps. T&Cs apply.
Weixin Pay Promo
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Politics over pot: Thailand moves to recriminalise cannabis, rattling US$1b industry
BANGKOK, June 25 — Thailand's government is moving to recriminalise cannabis, plunging into limbo an industry estimated to be worth over US$1 billion that has boomed since the substance was taken off the country's narcotics list in 2022. The push to impose new controls on recreational use of cannabis comes after the Bhumjaithai Party, which championed its legalisation, withdrew from the ruling coalition last week following Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's apparent mishandling of a border row with Cambodia. Late on Tuesday, Thailand's health ministry issued an order prohibiting the sale of cannabis for recreational use and making it mandatory for any retail purchase to require a doctor's prescription. The new rules will come into effect once they are published in the Royal Gazette, which could happen within days. 'Cannabis will be classified as a narcotic in the future,' Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said on Tuesday. Three years ago, Thailand became one of the first countries in Asia to decriminalise the recreational use of cannabis, but without any comprehensive rules to govern the sector. Since then, tens of thousands of shops and businesses selling cannabis have sprung up across Thailand, many of them located in the country's tourism hubs. Thai Chamber of Commerce previously estimated the industry, which includes medicinal products, could be worth US$1.2 billion by 2025. Unregulated access to cannabis has created serious social problems, particularly for children and young people, said government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub. 'The policy must return to its original goal of controlling cannabis for medical use only,' Jirayu said in a statement. The recriminalisation push has left some cannabis industry members like Punnathat Phutthisawong, who works at the Green House Thailand dispensary in Bangkok, stunned. 'This is my main source of income,' Punnathat, 25, told Reuters. 'Many shops are probably just as shocked because a lot of them invested heavily.' — Reuters pic Punnathat Phutthisawong, a staff member at a cannabis shop called 'Green House Thailand' arranges cannabis inside his shop on Khaosan Road, one of the favourite tourist spots in Bangkok, Thailand, June 25, 2025. — Reuters pic The cannabis sector could have transformed Thai agriculture, medicine and tourism, but uncertainty and policy reversals have stymied any sustainable growth, said cannabis activist Chokwan Kitty Chopaka. 'The cannabis industry has become a hostage to politics,' she said. Today, there was still a steady trickle of customers — mainly tourists — coming into cannabis shops in Bangkok's Khao San Road area, among them Daniel Wolf, who is visiting from Australia. 'There are shops everywhere, so how do they reverse this? I don't think they can,' he said, 'It's absolutely insane.' — Reuters
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Ringgit rises against greenback, major currencies on easing geopolitical risks
KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — The ringgit ended firmer today, supported by easing geopolitical tensions and weaker United States (US) economic data that continued to pressure the greenback. At 6 pm, the local rose to 4.2335/2405 versus the greenback from Tuesday's close of 4.2410/2465. SPI Asset Management managing partner Stephen Innes said that the sustained ceasefire between Israel and Iran has dampened safe-haven demand for the US dollar. 'In addition, the US consumer confidence index deteriorated by 5.4 points in June, falling to 93.0 from 98.4 in May,' he told Bernama. Innes said that Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's recent cautious remarks, interpreted as keeping the door open to a possible rate cut, had pushed US treasury yields lower, providing some relief to Asian currencies. 'Although trading remained subdued, the ringgit held on to modest gains at the close,' he added. At the closing, the ringgit traded higher against a basket of major currencies. It appreciated against the Japanese yen at 2.9070/9120 from 2.9256/9296, escalated versus the British pound to 5.7631/7726 from 5.7707/7782, and improved against the euro to 4.9113/9194 from 4.9225/9289 yesterday. The local note traded mixed against its Asean counterparts. It advanced vis-a-vis the Singapore dollar to 3.3061/3121 from 3.3130/3178, and appreciated against the Thai baht to 12.9584/9858 from 12.9793/13.0021 at Tuesday's close. Meanwhile, it eased against the Indonesian rupiah to 259.7/260.2 from 259.3/259.7, and slipped against the Philippine peso to 7.46/7.48 from 7.41/7.44, previously. — Bernama
Borneo Post
an hour ago
- Borneo Post
Local communities urged to help map Sarawak's historical sites
Ting (second left) strikes the gong to officiate the event as Penguang (left) and others look on. MIRI (June 25): The Sarawak government is calling on divisional tourism committees to work closely with local communities to identify and map out historical sites to be preserved and promoted as tourist attractions. State Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Sebastian Ting, said the ministry will support these efforts through the divisional tourism committees by providing funding and tourism product development. 'In Miri and its hinterlands, there is a wealth of history, and I believe the same goes for other divisions in Sarawak. Every town in Sarawak has its stories ― of rivers, markets, communities, and dreams,' he said when officiating the launch of Miri Heritage Trail here today. Ting said the local communities possess valuable knowledge of historical sites in their areas, and the ministry, together with the divisional authorities, can assist in preserving and promoting these legacies. The Miri Heritage Trail pamphlet retraces the footsteps of the city's past and aims to guide its future development with pride and purpose, representing a collective community effort to preserve local heritage. Ting said the trail is more than just a map of historical sites ― it is a journey through time, from the earliest known mention of 'Maraboo' (Miri in 1791) to its transformation into Malaysia's first oil town. 'Miri's social history was shaped during the Brooke era and strengthened by communities such as the Jatti Miriek, Kedayan, Kenyah, Kayan, and others. Though the city's history was scarred by wartime struggles, it was never broken,' he added. Among the featured sites on the trail are Japanese Landing Craft War Memorial at Brighton Beach, lighthouse at Pusara Metali, The Grand Old Lady, Salome Dam, World War II Air Raid Shelter (Canada Hill), Bunkers Batu 1 (Kuala Baram road), Dato Permaisuri's Tomb (Tanjung Batu), WWII POW and Execution Camp (Lopeng), WWII Memorial Park, and Piasau Bailey Bridge. The ministry, in collaboration with local ethnic associations, history groups, and local authorities, developed the Miri Heritage Trail as part of efforts to preserve the city's legacy. The Miri History Group, made up of local history enthusiasts, played a key role in igniting interest in documenting these historical places, with a significant social media following backing the initiative. Meanwhile, Ting said the ministry will continue working with partners to ensure the trail is developed into a marketable tourism product, contributing to Sarawak's broader heritage tourism offerings. Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chairman Datuk Dennis Ngau expressed optimism that many historical places across Sarawak ― including those in Baram basin ― could be developed into tourism products with the concerted efforts of all stakeholders. Also present at the event were Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datu Sherinna Hussaini; State Deputy Minister of Public Health, Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil; Miri District Officer Siti Rohanie Yusof; Miri Deputy Secretary Petrick Linggie Taboh; and community leaders. historical sites Miri Heritage Trail Sebastian Ting tourism
