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29 Sep, 2017

Malaysia Airports to Offer Alipay Service For Chinese Tourists

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Sept 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has partnered China’s Ant Financial Services Group to offer the Alipay service for Chinese tourists travelling in the country.

Managing Director, Badlisham Ghazali, said Malaysia airports hoped to created awareness, boost interest and also strengthen its brand positioning among Chinese travellers through the partnership.

“We are continuously looking to enhance the airport experience for all our customers. Thus, to embark on the Alipay cashless payment platform is a major step taken by Malaysia Airports to embrace the future of retail and food and beverages transactions at the airports,” he said in a statement today.

To date, 55.8 per cent and 56.7 per cent of outlets at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) terminals respectively, are transacting via Alipay.

“So far, we have seen a 25 per cent increase in sales from overall Alipay transactions at both terminals and during shopping campaign periods, sales can increase further by 35 per cent to 40 per cent,” Badlisham said.

He said, through the Alipay in-store payment platform, customers can pay for their transactions in the Chinese yuan without having concerns on the exchange rate, and with all transactions performed in a highly secure manner.

MAHB is introducing the Chinese Traveler Welcome Pack as part of its Total Airport Experience initiatives, included information about special promotions, transit and baggage facilities, local city tours and fast track KUL VIP Access.

Chinese tourists need to present their passports to redeem the pack at the Chinese Helpdesk and Customer Experience counters at the KLIA and klia2 terminal, from mid-Oct 2017 till March 2018.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airports recorded 4.9 million passenger traffic movement from China last year.

From January to July 2017, the numbers increased further by 22 per cent to 3.3 million compared to the same period of the previous year.

Currently, 470 flights per week connect Malaysia and China.