Ant Group Grows Partnership with STB to Drive Tourism Demand from Asia to Singapore

Singapore, 27 October 2022 – Ant Group today expanded their partnership with Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to make cross-border travel to Singapore more seamless and convenient. The partnership builds on a collaboration forged in 2019 and is focused on driving tourism growth in Singapore through a series of digital and marketing initiatives over the next two years.

To strengthen Singapore’s destination appeal among travellers from Asia, including key markets like Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand, Ant Group launched the SingapoReimagine with Alipay+ campaign with STB. As part of SingapoReimagine, STB’s international recovery campaign, it offers fresh and innovative experiences to travellers from these markets, while allowing transactions in Singapore through mobile wallets that they are already familiar with.

The joint campaign will also highlight exclusive offers to users of the six Alipay+ partner mobile wallets when they travel to Singapore. In addition, Ant Group will progressively expand the Passion Made Possible Privileges (PMPP)[1], a mini programme co-branded with STB to serve tourists to Singapore – previously available only on Alipay – to other Alipay+ mobile wallets. These initiatives will help Singapore businesses reach and engage a new pool of customers, increasing the visibility and awareness of Singapore’s tourism offerings for visitors before and during their trips to Singapore.

As part of the partnership, STB and Alipay+ will also explore piloting digital solutions with local businesses in areas such as digitalisation of service operations, digital marketing efficiency and enhancing customer experience. 

The new mobile wallets accepted in Singapore are GCash from the Philippines, TrueMoney from Thailand, and AlipayHK from Hong Kong SAR, China,adding to existing partners Kakao Pay from South Korea, Touch ’n Go eWallet from Malaysia and Alipay from the Chinese Mainland. This brings the number of mobile wallets accepted via Alipay+ in Singapore to six. Travellers with these mobile wallets can easily and securely transact with local businesses across tourism and lifestyle industries that accept Alipay+, including retail shops[2] at Changi Airport, ComfortDelgro taxis, hotels, and attractions such as Gardens by the Bay. 

Ms Angel Zhao, President of International Business, Ant Group said, “We deeply believe that the benefits of digital innovations can be amplified through open collaborations in the ecosystem. Ant Group is always open to join hands with partners such as STB to provide businesses, especially small and micro enterprises the best digital services, including payments and marketing solutions and we are committed to contributing to the digital transformation of industries and create greater value for societies.” 

“Amid the fast recovery of the tourism industry, we are excited to play a part in promoting Singapore as a top destination of choice for travellers and making travel safe, seamless and efficient through digital solutions like Alipay+,” she added.

STBChief Executive, Mr Keith Tan said, “Singapore has seen strong travel demand from Asia since our reopening and we hope our joint initiatives can grow and sustain that demand. The next phase of our exciting partnership with Ant Group will also offer a seamless experience when travellers visit Singapore, build affinity for our destination, and drive the digitalisation of our tourism sector.”

Hong Kong SAR, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Chinese Mainland were among Singapore’s top 15 markets from January to August 2022[3]. Prior to the pandemic, approximately a third of Singapore’s visitors were from Southeast Asia, another third from the Chinese Mainland and the rest of Northeast Asia, and the final third from the rest of the world.

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Annex

Quotes from new mobile wallet partners

AlipayHK

Venetia Lee, General Manager of Ant Group Greater China International Business, said, “The acceptance of AlipayHK in Singapore is a significant step for AlipayHK's global development strategy. Singapore is a popular travel destination for Hong Kong people, and with Alipay+, our users can now use their home e-wallet to make purchases and enjoy rewards in Singapore. We hope that as more destinations accept AlipayHK, it will become a useful travel companion for our users, allowing them to pay in other countries and regions as they do at home.”

GCash

Ms Martha Sazon, President, and CEO of GCash, said: “As global tourism continues to open up, we are glad to be with our customers wherever they go. This partnership with Alipay+ will ensure that our users always have a safe, convenient, and seamless payment experience whenever they travel to popular destinations like Singapore. Surely, this is a big step in our journey towards achieving financial inclusion and building a cashless ecosystem.”

TrueMoney

Koravut Pavitpok, Head of Commercial, TrueMoney Co., Ltd., said, “Singapore has long been one of the top destinations for leisure and business travel for Thais. The country’s proactive push towards innovation and digital transformation has shaped a dynamic and vibrant tourism landscape with local tourism businesses that are digitally and future ready. As a mobile wallet partner of Alipay+, TrueMoney believes that the latest partnership and the joint marketing campaign between The Singapore Tourism Board and Alipay+, coupled with our cross-border cashless payment service availability at the destination, will have a profound impact on enhancing the travel experience.”

[1] The Passion Made Possible Privileges (PMPP) mini programme enhances the visitor travel experience in Singapore through attractive privileges and deals from participating businesses. It has been available on Alipay since 2019.

[2] Including duty-free shops

[3] According to STB’s visitor arrivals figures, from the Singapore Tourism Analytics Network (STAN), https://stan.stb.gov.sg/content/stan/en/tourism-statistics.html