Latest news with #internationaltourists
CNA
2 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Going cashless in China is easier than ever – I even had my bubble tea delivered by a drone
With over 132 million international tourists last year, China is a really hot destination. And unlike other countries, it's entirely possible not to pay for anything with paper money. In fact, you may get looks for trying to do so, because it's likely they won't have change for you – the proportion of money in circulation in cash was just 3.7 per cent in 2023. Having been to China a few times in the last decade, I've always felt the need to bring cash along with me. But my last few trips made me realise I was being silly. I didn't need to convert any cash at Changi Airport, and carry wads of paper notes in a plastic envelope. Instead, all I needed to do was to make sure I had set up my WeChat or Alipay account correctly, which would allow me to just pay with a QR code. And doing so is very simple – you just need to set up your WeChat or Alipay account, link your credit card to it, and you're all done. It wasn't always so simple, though. When China clamped down on its financial service industry a few years back, it required WeChat users to have a local Chinese bank account to actually use its payment facilities. You could still use Alipay linked with a credit card, though. Alternatively, if you had a friend who lived there, they could issue you a virtual supplementary card with money that you could use. However, things have changed again, as I learnt on my recent trip, and I was able to just pay for all my purchases using either WeChat or Alipay with a linked credit card. COMPLETELY SEAMLESS The whole payment experience is pretty simple, that you can even use it with street vendors. They simply scanned my QR code after telling me how much they were charging, and I got a message telling me what was charged to my account. It was all so simple, even better than in Singapore, where you still had to manually enter the amount and show it to the hawker or cashier. In restaurants, just sit down at a table, scan a QR code located in the corner, make your order through a web app, pay, then wait for your meal to be delivered right to you. In stores, you simply show your QR code and the amount gets deducted from your account. In fact, most stores don't even have a cash register – they use either a phone or a tablet. As for paper receipts? Just download the copy from WeChat or Alipay. While WeChat and Alipay apps are usable in English, if you're feeling confident about your Mandarin reading skills, you can also try other more adventurous orders, such as buying bubble tea delivered by a drone, a thing you can't really do anywhere else in the world. Which was what I did in Shenzhen, one of the cities I visited on my recent trip. I stood waiting in the middle of a park, next to a delivery station, while peering anxiously at the air for a sign of the delivery drone. About 15 minutes after making my order, I spotted the drone buzzing over in the horizon, carrying a box over. It hovered over the station, before dropping down and releasing its contents. From there, it's a simple matter of using another QR code again to collect my loot. It's honestly so simple that I can't help but wonder if this is the future of payment systems, having one super app that does everything and you never have to leave it. It's no surprise that Grab wants to achieve something similar, and Elon Musk too, had previously talked about his ambition of making X (formerly Twitter) into a super app like WeChat or Alipay. GETTING TO PAY If you want to try this out for yourself, there are a few things you'll need to prep before your trip to China. For one, you'll need to set up your WeChat and AliPay. As mentioned, the process is pretty simple, you'll just need to add a credit card and you're good to go. However, if you want to receive money from someone though, that's where it gets a bit iffy. You'll need to provide personal details such as information on your passport as well as your home address. You'll also need to send a scanned copy of your passport over for verification. I wasn't really sure about giving so much data away to a foreign government, but I figured out that if I was already visiting, they would certainly have that bit of data anyway. To tap on the more advanced features such as bubble tea or food drone deliveries though that I tried, you'll need to be able to read Mandarin almost natively. My terrible command of the language didn't quite cut it, but you can always ask for help from friends, locals, or if desperate, use AI translations. There are a lot of other features as well, such as taking public transport, or even booking hotels. Note though, there is a transaction fee charge of 3 per cent for purchases over 200 yuan (S$35.72), and a limit of 6,000 yuan per transaction. You can also only spend 50,000 yuan a month. Once set up, you never have to worry about ever paying cash again. There's no need to take out hefty wads of passe paper money, or swipe your credit card. Simply flash either the WeChat or Alipay QR code and you're good to go. That said, there can be too much of a good thing though, as foreign visitors usually find themselves unable to spend the cash they exchange as shops and street vendors may not have change for you. To combat this, China has been pushing for a cash again campaign, where in places like Shanghai, a small number of taxi drivers were able to give you change for rides. Nationally, the Chinese government has also issued directives to markets, pharmacies, and eateries to accept cash. But if you want the best experience visiting China, just go cashless. The systems are all in place and have worked for years now. After all, when in Rome – well China – do as the Chinese do, and you can't go wrong.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
The most dangerous country in the world revealed as surprising location bags the top spot
New research has revealed the world's most dangerous countries to travel to and Britons might be surprised by the results. The researchers looked at 35 criteria to determine the most dangerous and safest countries to visit. The rate of natural disasters, violence in society, involvement in armed conflicts and health infrastructure were all covered to determine the safest destinations to travel to. So, where are the world's most dangerous countries to travel to? The Philippines ranks as the world's most unsafe holiday destination according to the research. Despite its position at the bottom of the safety ranking, the country remains a popular tourist hotspot. More than 5.4 million international holidaymakers travelled to the Philippines in 2024 with many heading to popular beach spots such as Boracay and Palawan. Next on the list in the danger rankings is Colombia. The South American country has a high rate of violence within society which earned it second place. It's also a popular tourist destination and welcomed 6.2 million international tourists in 2024, nearly a 30 per cent increase on visitors numbers in 2022. But the third most dangerous country on the ranking is one of the world's leading tourist destinations. According to the research, Mexico is the third most dangerous tourist destination in the world. Much like Colombia, the country earned its place on the ranking due to high levels of violence within society. In 2024, around 45 million international tourists travelled to Mexico. The country's leading holiday destinations include Cancun, Tulum and Playa del Carmen. India also ranks among the most dangerous holiday destinations for international tourists. Russia, Yemen, Somalia, Iran and Syria all feature in the most dangerous top 10 destinations. Each of the five countries are on the UK Government's Do not Travel list. At the other end of the scale, Iceland ranks as the world's safest country to travel to for a holiday. Singapore ranks second on the list. HelloSafe, which commissioned the research, says: 'A country's safety and the feeling of security are often essential criteria for international travellers. The results sometimes contradict preconceived ideas.' Denmark is listed as the third safest country in the world while Austria and Switzerland also rank among the top five. The Czech Republic, Slovenia, Finland, Ireland and Hungary also make the top 10 safest countries in the world. In Europe, Greece and France both rank as two of the continent's least safe countries to visit, with only Russia and Ukraine listed as more dangerous.
