Alipay+: 4 Trends for Chinese Traveler Spending in EMEA

How have Chinese travelers been spending their money internationally in 2025? Where are they shopping, what are they buying, and what do we know about these consumers? At Dragon Trail’s December 2025 webinar, leading Chinese payment provider Alipay+ shared answers to these questions with never-before-seen information about Chinese and other Asian travelers in the EMEA region.

Diversification emerged as one of 2025’s leading trends for Chinese travelers, observable in their destination choices, what they shopped for, and who these travelers are. Alipay’s data also underscored the importance of Chinese holiday periods for attracting and boosting Chinese tourist spending.

Here are our four top takeaways from the webinar:

1. Destinations are more diverse

Alipay’s 2025 data shows continued steady growth from the Chinese market, especially in the Middle East, and Southern Europe – led by Italy and Spain.

The UAE and Qatar in particular have grown market share since 2019, while France remains one of the strongest contributors to Alipay spending in the region. The UK and DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) has lost market share compared to pre-pandemic, yet spending volumes in these destinations are stable.

The list of cities with the strongest growth is topped by several student hotspots: Edinburgh and Oxford. We also see stand-out growth from Copenhagen, Southwest France (Toulouse, Nice, Montpellier, and Cannes), and Versailles. However, major travel and tourism hubs like London and Barcelona still show strong momentum.

2. Spending is diversified

Travelers are “seeking local flavor and elevated experiences” says Head of Business Development for Europe at Alipay+ Alba Ruiz Laigle, identifying diversified spending as one of the top trends of the post-pandemic era. Clothing has seen the strongest growth as a share of Alipay spend by Chinese wallets, especially local brands. Meanwhile, F&B and transport remain small categories compared to traditional retail, but they have shown the fastest growth. Similar to destination choice, there are still some constants about the market, and Ruiz notes that “jewelry and watches remain resilient over time.”

3. Alipay user demographics have diversified

Not just serving Chinese travelers, Alipay+ partners with over 40 mobile payment partners, consisting of digital wallets and banking apps, to serve over 1.8 billion user accounts in 100+ markets. Outside of the mainland Chinese Alipay users, the Alipay+ wallet holders with the biggest growth in 2025 were Hong Kong, South Korea, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

“Overall, EMEA is attracting a wider and more heterogeneous Asian traveler base,” says Ruiz, “creating new opportunities for merchants to engage beyond traditional core markets.”

Chinese Alipay users have also shown more diversity in the post-pandemic era. The user mix has shifted slightly towards younger generations, while 35-49s remain the stable core. Women still dominate the market, but the male/female ratio has become more balanced since COVID. First-tier cities still account for the majority of users, but there is stronger representation from lower-tier cities than there was in 2019. Finally, looking at Alipay membership and tier level, the user base shows a clear shift towards higher-tier profiles, with growing relevance of Platinum and Diamond users over time.

4. Chinese holidays are big opportunities to attract traveler spending

While Asian travelers are exploring the world, they also want to find the same level of trust and payment experience as they have at home, and Chinese travelers have been shown to be more willing to spend – and spend more – if their preferred mobile payment platforms are available.

But being Alipay ready isn’t just about offering travelers the payment platform, but also the opportunity to join seasonal campaigns that effectively boost visibility and sales, especially during Chinese holiday periods. Alipay’s data shows that most destinations’ ticket size (average spend per transaction) in 2025 was bigger than pre-COVID, but overall user spending was still slightly behind. However, user spending during the Chinese New Year period in 2025 actually showed a year-on-year increase – this highlights the importance of the holiday period on Chinese spending, and the impact of Alipay’s seasonal campaigns to drive increased spending at those times. “Marketing campaigns clearly influence user spending, driving peaks during key promotional periods,” concludes Ruiz.

Click here to watch the recording of our December 2025 webinar with Alipay+. Please contact us directly to request the presentation slides.