According to the data of several OTAs, over 60% of Chinese tourists plan to travel outside mainland China during the upcoming May Day Holiday, and many white-collars prefer to have a long-distance trip by taking some days off. UnionPay International announced today the launch of its “Fly to the World” themed campaign, offering smoother and better payment experiences to the Chinese outbound tourists. UnionPay cardholders may enjoy exclusive offers at about ten thousand merchant locations in 20 overseas countries and regions.

With the May Day Holiday approaching, many UnionPay cardholders who have traveled prior to the peak have enjoyed the abundant discounts offered by UnionPay. Sandy Yu, a UnionPay cardholder from Hong Kong, shared on the Internet that, when she last visited Milan, UnionPay card was not accepted at the Style Outlets; but now, when she shopped at the merchant again, she could pay with UnionPay cards while enjoy exclusive discounts. The Management of Matsuya said, with 90% of the Chinese tourists whom shop at Matsuya Ginza prefers to pay with UnionPay cards, the store has not only launched UnionPay mobile QuickPass service, but also provides year-long offers for UnionPay cardholders.

To date, UnionPay acceptance network has expanded to 168 countries and regions, covering more than 23 million merchant locations and 1.64 million ATMs outside the Chinese Mainland. On the basis of its extensive acceptance network, UnionPay International continues to upgrade its card-using privilege system, collaborating with various types of merchants across Asia Pacific, Europe, America, Middle East and Russia to offer up to 30%-off discounts to UnionPay cardholders from now to June 20th.

“Fly to the World” themed marketing campaigns offer discounts and privileges at various types of merchants and cover the whole trip. Participating merchants include airport duty free shops, famous department stores and brand stores, car rentals, restaurants, cruises, tourist attractions and communication service providers. UnionPay cardholders may enjoy online booking discounts when booking hotel rooms at OTAs like agoda.com. After returning home, they may get cash refunds from banks and airlines or card-using incentives from travel agencies.

According to the Annual Report of China Outbound Tourism Development (2017) issued by China Tourism Academy, more and more Chinese tourists prefer to spend more time to experience the local life and culture of the destination. With this trend, “Fly to the World” covers more car rental companies, restaurants, cruises and entertainment establishments (30% more than UnionPay’s global campaign last year), offering better experiences to free-and-independent travelers.

Tourists going on short-distance trips may follow the recommended travel tips offer by UnionPay International, to enjoy the abundant merchant discounts in Tokyo, Bangkok and Bali, etc. Tourists traveling to the US, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Middle East can enjoy exclusive offers at popular merchants of various types too. For instance, many restaurants in New York offer discounts when spending with UnionPay cards to a certain amount, and 10%-off is offered by iFly indoor skydiving in the Gold Coast, Australia. 

In addition, tourists may download the “UnionPay” app to enjoy more offers. For instance, cardholders may enjoy discounts paying with the “UnionPay” app by scanning QR code at merchants such as Kith Café, Bakery Cuisine, Pablo Cheese Tart and Itacho Sushi in Singapore. They may also download the e-coupons of “U Plan” with the app to enjoy instant discount at dozens of merchants, including Hertz in America, T Galleria in Australia and Tsuruha Drug in Japan.