Singapore has emerged as the top destination for tourism spending growth in 2025, according to Ant International’s global wallet gateway, Alipay+. The report highlights a surge in mobile payment use, with transactions via Singapore’s SGQR system rising more than 1.7 times year-on-year. This reflects a growing trend of travellers choosing to “travel like a local,” directing their spending towards small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and neighbourhood shops.
During China’s Golden Week holiday, transactions via SGQR increased by 3.5 times compared to the previous year. This demonstrates a rising appetite among Chinese travellers for authentic local experiences and convenient cashless payments while exploring Singapore.
Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International, said, “Travel has a significant impact to local economies, and we believe that mobile wallets can be a catalyst for growth, connecting travellers and businesses in more ways than ever. Alipay+ aims to support the travel ecosystem with AI-powered payments and digital services to enable online and offline merchants, tourism partners, and other fintechs to create customer-centric engagements for mobile-savvy consumers.”
Alipay+ has expanded its cross-border payment acceptance to over 100 markets, connecting merchants with 1.8 billion users across 40 international payment partners. More than 6.5 million people used Alipay+ cross-border payments for the first time in the first half of 2025, as the platform enhances its ecosystem to meet changing traveller habits.
Recent additions to its partner network include Bluecode in Europe, PayPay in Japan, and KBank in Thailand, allowing their users to make payments abroad using familiar mobile wallets. New services have also been introduced to enhance the travel experience. These include Alipay+ Voyager, an AI-powered travel assistant integrated with partners such as Trip.com, Agoda, and Grab; the Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit, which helps digital wallets build AI-native features; and expanded in-app tax refund capabilities through Global Blue.
Ant International identified three key travel trends shaping the industry: the normalisation of mobile payments during travel, the rise of value-driven short-haul trips, and the growing demand for unique local experiences.
Singapore’s inclusive payment network
Singapore ranks among the top ten global travel destinations for Alipay+ partner users, with visitors from China, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines making the most transactions. The city-state’s integrated SGQR system has played a key role in promoting financial inclusivity, allowing small merchants such as hawker stalls and neighbourhood shops to accept digital payments from international visitors. Transactions via SGQR now make up about one-third of all cross-border payments in Singapore.
Oliver Chong, Assistant Chief Executive, International Group, Singapore Tourism Board, said, “Singapore’s position as the top destination for tourism spending growth reflects the success of our efforts to drive new and refreshed tourism products and experiences for visitors from around the world. Through our strategic collaboration with Alipay+, including promotional campaigns featuring Singaporean artist Stefanie Sun, we strive to create a seamless payment experience for our visitors and to enable our local businesses including hawker centres and neighbourhood shops to participate meaningfully in Singapore’s tourism growth.”
Regional trends and the rise of local exploration
Across Asia, short-haul travel continues to dominate, with intra-Asia transactions among Alipay+ users increasing by 32 per cent year-on-year. Travellers are focusing on affordability, convenience, and local discovery. Redemptions via A+ Rewards, the in-app platform for browsing local promotions and coupons, rose 57 per cent, while transactions under US$10 increased 37 per cent, reflecting more spending at smaller merchants.
In Singapore, travellers are venturing beyond shopping and attractions, with food and beverage, retail, and public transport emerging as key spending areas. Transactions for public transport services have increased tenfold, showing that tourists are exploring the city more independently. This growing adoption of digital payments also extends to other regions, helping travellers visit smaller towns in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand while supporting local economies.
Alipay+’s expanding acceptance network, combined with its AI-powered tools and local partnerships, is redefining how people pay, explore, and connect globally—while enabling merchants of all sizes to benefit from the tourism boom.
