UNIONPAY THAILAND WELCOMES & STANDS READY FOR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS

Since 1 July, Thailand has gradually lifted restrictions to welcome international travelers back to the Kingdom. In preparation for the return of visitors, UnionPay International (UPI) has continuously strengthened its merchant acceptance and service capabilities to bring about a more seamless payment experience for these tourists and business persons.

When Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) announced relaxed hotel quarantine period in September 2022 for residents returning to the territory, Bangkok has emerged as the top travel destination for Hong Kongers according to reports^[1]. Online flight searches out of Hong Kong SAR rose close to 300% after the announcement. This was unsurprising given that Thailand was always a popular vacation choice for Hong Kongers and Macanese people pre-pandemic.      

What changed, during the pandemic, was payment habits. Industry research^[2] showed that Covid-19 has accelerated the adoption of digital wallets in Hong Kong SAR, with digital wallets expected to surpass credit cards as the most popular electronic payment method in Hong Kong by 2025. Scanning UnionPay QR Code for payment is becoming more popular for residents in Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR, with close to 2.7 million cards bound to wallets in these regions that have been enabled to scan UnionPay QR Code. In fact, the trend towards mobile payment adoption is not unique to these regions, but also seen in other parts of Asia, alongside the accelerated adoption of smart phones in this region, with 13 wallets launched in Asia in 2022 alone that supports UnionPay QR Code.     

To cater to the changing habits of travelers from Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Asia, UPI has been enabling merchants in all categories across Thailand for UnionPay Quick Response (QR) Code acceptance. From January to September 2022, close to 50,000 QR Code terminals have been added to UnionPay's merchant acceptance network in Thailand, including merchants in Retail, Food & Beverage, Supermarket, Convenience Stores, Cinema, Airport, and more. Travelers in Thailand can now conveniently scan UnionPay QR Code for payment at popular tourist brands like Central Department Store, Emporium, KOI The, Lawson108, Starbucks, Tesco Lotus, and at over 400,000 UnionPay QR Code terminals all over the Kingdom.    

Besides UnionPay QR Code, visitors to Thailand can also enjoy seamless cashless payment with their UnionPay cards as they shop, dine, and enjoy the sights, sounds and experiences in the Land of a Thousand Smiles, including at tourists favorites like Big C, Dairy Queen, Gourmet Supermarket, McDonald's, Siam Paragon and more.

"Payment experience emphasizes speed, precision, security and seamlessness, among others. Thus we fully understand that it's a hassle for travelers to carry foreign currency when abroad, not to mention that they want to reduce usage of fiat currency filled with germs and bacteria, even with the pandemic mostly behind us. We welcome visitors from Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and other markets to enjoy fast, seamless and secure payment experience with UnionPay when they immerse into Thai delectable cuisines, pristine beaches and wonderful hospitality. With abundant tourism resources and a populace that welcome international visitors, Thailand should quickly reclaim her status as one of the most visited nations globally," said Michael Shang, Thailand Country General Manager of UnionPay International.   

To further enhance the payment experience for inbound travelers, UnionPay has collaborated with Central Department Store, Central Pattana, and The Mall Group to offer privileges and offers for these customers. For more information on UnionPay International in Thailand, visit https://www.unionpayintl.com/th/.

About UnionPay International

UnionPay International (UPI) focuses on the international business of UnionPay, a global payment network that serves the world's largest Cardholder base. With over 64 million merchants and around 2.9 million ATMs accepting UnionPay in 181 countries and regions, as well as 45 markets globally accepting UnionPay Quick Response (QR) Code, UnionPay is one of the fastest-growing payment networks in the world.

As a company with a global acceptance network and a wide range of world-class payment services, UnionPay is committed to providing access to value and secure payment solutions that are tailored to the needs of the local market, to enable choice and ease of payment for consumers and businesses alike.

In Southeast Asia, UPI has enabled ATM, POS acceptance, card issuance and e-wallets across all 10 countries. In Thailand, a wide range of UnionPay Cards and several apps are enabled to scan UnionPay QR Code, including Bewallet and K PLUS, the number one mobile banking app in Thailand. For more information on UnionPay Thailand, visit https://www.unionpayintl.com/th/.

[1] https://www.lifestyleasia.com/bk/travel/destinations/hong-kong-travel-bangkok-popular-destination/
[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hong-kongs-digital-wallets-online-093000268.html  

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