Alipay teams up with Nordic partners to bring "smart tourism" to Chinese visitors

HANGZHOU, China, Sept. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alipay, the world's largest online and mobile payment platform, operated by Ant Financial Services Group ("Ant Financial", "Ant"), today announced that it has signed separate MoUs with Finpro (Finland), Svensk Handel (Sweden) and the Scandinavian Tourist Board, which will enable merchants across Nordic region to accept payment via Alipay and reach Chinese customers before, during and after their visit via Alipay's in-app marketing platform.

This will bring Chinese tourists the same convenient payment and travel experience that they enjoy in China.

Douglas Feagin, President of International Business, Ant Financial Services Group, said, "Alipay has been leading the trend of smart living in China. People not only use Alipay for payment, but also for settlement of all types of needs in their daily life. As part of our globalization strategy, we are focused on working with local partners to bring this smart lifestyle to Chinese tourists, no matter where they go."

Over 500 merchants in Finland already accept Alipay and are searchable on Alipay's Discover Platform, including well-known brands in Helsinki such as Marimekko, Iittala and Marja Kurki. Finland's latest addition to the Alipay ecosystem is retail giant Stockmann. ePassi, a leading e-payment company in Europe, and the largest e-wallet in Finland, has been working with Finpro, a government owned organization promoting trade, investment and tourism in Finland, to promote Alipay among merchants in the country.

Alexander Yin, CFO of ePassi, said, "Together with Alipay, we are building a smart tourism ecosystem for Chinese tourists. Now Chinese users have an easy and flexible way to enjoy a full Finnish shopping experience without a language or currency barrier. The convenient payment experience starts when a Chinese tourist books his or her flight ticket and hotel room online, continues with shopping on Finnair flights between China and Helsinki, and, once there, encompasses everything from hop-on-hop-off buses and sightseeing in Helsinki to shopping, dining, enjoying a classic Finnish sauna, and even meeting the Moomin in Naantali or Santa Claus up in Lapland."