With the commencement of “China-Denmark Tourism Year”, UnionPay International announced today that it has inked a cooperation agreement with VisitDenmark to expand UnionPay card using channels in Denmark, increase its brand awareness among the local customers, and promote the local merchants to offer discounts and privileges for UnionPay cards. In this way, the two sides jointly enrich and improve the payment services for the exchange of tourists during the Tourism Year.

Denmark is a significant country along the “One Belt and One Road”. “China-Denmark Tourism Year” is the first tourism year that China holds with a Nordic country. It is aimed to promote the exchange of tourists between the two countries. In 2016, more than 210,000 tourists from China and Denmark visited each other’s country and this figure is expected to grow. Since the UnionPay card is the most commonly used payment method by Chinese outbound tourists, VisitDenmark wants to improve the tourism payment environment through this cooperation, so as to attract more Chinese tourists.

Currently, UnionPay cards can be used in 160 countries and regions, covering 36 million merchants and over 2 million ATMs. In Denmark, about 90% of the merchants accepting international payment cards accept UnionPay, and UnionPay’s ATM acceptance coverage is growing continuously. In other Nordic countries, almost all the ATMs and more than 85% of merchants in Iceland accept UnionPay cards, and half of the merchants in Sweden will be able to accept UnionPay cards within this year.

In recent years, UnionPay International has accelerated its crossover cooperation with the tourism sector, carrying out cooperation with the tourism departments of several countries and regions, such as the UK, Australia, and Japan. UnionPay International has also cooperated with online and offline travel agencies both in and outside mainland China. Taking the “China-Denmark Tourism Year” as an opportunity, UnionPay International and VisitDenmark’s will jointly improve the payment services for tourists: First, to make full use of VisitDenmark’s rich resources to promote the local institutions to enable more ATMs and merchants to accept UnionPay cards. Second, to promote more quality merchants to offer exclusive privileges and discounts for UnionPay cards, and to use the channels of both parties to encourage more tourists to use UnionPay cards. Third, to take part in the activities of the Tourism Year to enhance information sharing between China and Denmark.

UnionPay’s support for the improvement of tourism payment service has been recognized by the international society. Chairman of China UnionPay, Ge Huayong, is recently named as the “Special Ambassador of 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development”. He is also the only Special Ambassador from China. He will advocate the contribution that tourism has made to economic and social development, and promote the exchange and cooperation in tourism-related fields.