Tourists embrace new payment habits

Spending patterns among China's inbound travelers are shifting toward card-based transactions, experiential and everyday scenarios, underscoring the nation's progress in improving bank card acceptance and payment convenience, said a recent report by the World Tourism Alliance.

It said experiencing Chinese culture is increasingly the primary motivation for foreign visitors. This growing appetite for cultural depth is driving a shift from "checklist sightseeing" to "immersive experiences", making China's cultural treasure trove a key driver of inbound tourism growth.

The trend reflects ongoing enhancements to China's card acceptance environment. The report noted that coverage among key merchants reached 99 percent by September 2024. Moreover, tax refund efficiency has also improved significantly. The State Taxation Administration has rolled out "immediate tax refund upon purchase" services since May, drastically cutting refund processing times and enhancing shopping experiences.

The National Bureau of Statistics said China welcomed 132 million inbound tourists in 2024, marking a 60.8 percent year-on-year increase, with foreign visitors accounting for 26.94 million of these arrivals.

Between the third quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2025, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States emerged as the top source markets for inbound spending. Malaysia, Australia and Singapore posted standout year-on-year growth rates — each exceeding 50 percent, said the WTA.

Shopping stood out with a nearly 90 percent rise in transaction value. The surge was driven primarily by a sharp increase in the number of credit and debit cards used, while average spending per card remained stable — signaling a broader consumer base rather than higher individual outlays, the report said.

The transaction value of transportation spending has been growing strongly, with card usage surging, thanks to greater ease of foreign card payments in transit payment platform systems. Since early 2025, the number of inbound travelers using foreign bank cards for Tap-and-Go metro access has surged, with usage up nearly 60 percent in the second quarter compared to the previous quarter, the report said.

Tap-and-Go is rapidly becoming a preferred payment method for inbound travelers using urban transit, marking a step forward in the internationalization of China's public transport services. Beyond Beijing and Shanghai, other major cities such as Chengdu, Sichuan province and Guangzhou, Guangdong province are also following suit. Major global card networks are also aggressively promoting this payment scenario, offering rebates and cashback incentives.

Dennis Chang, executive vice-president at Mastercard, said: "Today, as Mastercard expands our domestic operations in China, we are proud to upgrade our Pay Like a Local payment facilitation program; enable inbound tourists to make QR code payments in China through Alipay and WeChat Pay; expand the acceptance of overseas-issued bank cards; and allow riders to use Mastercard directly for seamless Tap-and-Go urban rail transit — thereby ensuring improved consumption experiences for international visitors."

Visa, another US-based card payment provider, said overseas tourists' spending in China saw explosive growth in the first half.

The company said transaction volume of its tap-to-pay service saw rapid year-on-year growth, with Guangzhou's inbound tourist tap-to-pay transactions surging over 100 percent. In transportation scenarios, its tap-to-ride service gained widespread popularity, and around 60 percent of overseas tourists in Beijing are using Visa cards for tap-to-ride public transit, according to the company.