PayNet, Alipay+, and Weixin Pay Join Forces to Boost Tourist Spending across Malaysia

The Sun

10-07-2025

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 9 July 2025 - National payments network, Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet), has teamed up with top Asian payment platforms, Alipay+, and Weixin Pay (commonly known in Malaysia as 'WeChat Pay'), to drive Chinese and regional tourist spending across Malaysia. As the summer travel season begins, both Alipay+ and Weixin Pay are rolling out targeted campaigns to promote Malaysia as a top destination. The campaigns will boost cross-border spending via PayNet's DuitNow QR ecosystem and make travel in Malaysia more seamless and rewarding for visitors.
Connecting Tourists with Malaysian Businesses
Tourists using AlipayCN, Alipay+ partner payment apps, and Weixin Pay can pay with ease in Malaysia by scanning DuitNow QR – no extra apps needed. It's the same e-wallet they use at home, accepted at more than 2.5 million merchants in Malaysia. From restaurants and hotels to souvenir kiosks and tour operators, this enhanced interoperability makes travel hassle-free. It also increases visibility for merchants, helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) tap into tourist spending. Alipay+ currently enables 15 international payment apps in Malaysia, including Alipay for Chinese tourists. During the December 2024 travel peak, Alipay+, via DuitNow QR, drove a six-fold revenue increase for Malaysian merchants' year-on-year.
'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,' said PayNet Chief Marketing Officer, Gary Yeoh.
Empowering MSMEs, Strengthening the Economy
This multi-partner initiative aims to increase sales by 20% for participating merchants during the summer campaign period. In the long run, the campaign underpins Malaysia's goal of becoming a cashless tourism leader, while helping more businesses tap into digital payments.
Tourism Malaysia Director General, Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, highlighted that the summer campaigns play a vital role in reaching the target of six million Chinese tourist arrivals this year. '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'.
China Summer Campaign Highlights
PayNet, Alipay+, and Weixin Pay are launching three targeted campaigns that reward spending, celebrate local experiences, and deepen tourism-driven economic impact:
As tourist arrivals to Malaysia continue to grow, the partnership between PayNet, Alipay+, and Weixin Pay showcases the power of digital payments to fuel economic growth. In line with this momentum, the target for 2025 is to increase DuitNow QR transactions through Alipay+ and Weixin Pay by more than 130% year-on-year.
By empowering local businesses and simplifying how tourists pay via trusted mobile payment methods, this summer campaign marks a meaningful step forward in strengthening Malaysia's tourism economy and boosting regional economic integration.
¹Tourists using Alipay+ from the countries listed below are eligible to participate in the contests:
Alipay (China), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), MPay (Macao SAR, China), TrueMoney, Kbank (Thailand), Changi Pay (Singapore), Hipay (Mongolia), HelloMoney, GCash (Philippines), Tinaba (Italy), Kaspi (Kazakhstan), BigPay (Singapore, Thailand), Kakao Pay, Naver Pay, and Toss (South Korea).