European countries overall remained very popular travel and shopping destinations over the period, with Spain and Switzerland rounding out the top five after France, Italy and Britain.

But geographically close Asian destinations, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, were also important. Interestingly too, there was a notable increase in Chinese tourist spending via Alipay in less-explored destinations like Estonia and Qatar compared to the same period in 2019, “indicating a shift in travel preferences”.

The average spending of outbound Chinese travellers during the first five days of China’s National Day holiday 2023 – from 29 September to 6 October – surpassed 2019 levels, as the rebound of Chinese travel continues to gain momentum.

During the period, the highest spend via Alipay was on purchasing goods, including skincare products and duty-free items, surpassing spending on all other activities. Food and beverages, as well as accommodation, ranked as the second and third largest spending categories, respectively. Clearly, Chinese tourists were really splurging once they arrived at their chosen shopping destination.

Alipay also said that Chinese travellers prefer personalised services such as Chinese-language shopping guides (83%) and exclusive offers. “Local merchants keen on luring Chinese tourists may need to gear up for Chinese mobile payment methods and consider offering other value-added services tailored for [them],” it said.