Business Wire IndiaThe Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Ant International, renewed their multi-year strategic partnership to deepen tourism-led economic impact by strengthening Singapore’s position as a world-class destination and delivering seamless digital experiences for global travellers through Alipay+, Ant International’s unified wallet gateway.
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(L-R) Ms Melissa Ow, Chief Executive of Singapore Tourism Board; Mr Peng Yang, CEO of Ant International
Building on the partnership which began in 2018, STB and Ant International will:
- Amplify Singapore’s destination appeal amongst key markets through joint marketing initiatives leveraging Alipay+’s ecosystem, including a campaign with Chinese actor Dylan Wang for the Chinese New Year period;
- Advance Singapore’s position in digital tourism by enabling seamless and secure mobile discovery and payments, ensuring visitors enjoy a frictionless experience; and
- Strengthen the competitiveness of Singapore’s travel ecosystem by leveraging Ant International’s data and technology capabilities to deepen actionable insights sharing on travellers’ behaviours.
The partnership aims to unlock new growth opportunities for local businesses, in line with STB’s Tourism 2040 roadmap, focusing on cultivating future demand, enhancing Singapore’s appeal as a destination, and developing a future-ready tourism sector.
Ms Melissa Ow, Chief Executive of Singapore Tourism Board said: “We are pleased to renew our strategic partnership with Ant International and look forward to unlocking new opportunities across key markets through Alipay+'s extensive digital wallet network. By combining our destination expertise with their payment technology and data capabilities, we can respond to the evolving traveller demand more nimbly and create a more seamless experiences for visitors whilst driving meaningful growth in tourism spending.”
Digital connectivity drives tourism success in 2025
Building on a successful year for Singapore tourism, the partnership between STB and Alipay+ in 2025 drove record spending via Alipay+ across Singapore’s tourism sector, from major attractions, to services and neighbourhood hawker stalls. According to data from Alipay+, Singapore is amongst the top 5 popular global travel destinations, with transactions increasing 36 percent year-on-year. In line with travellers’ demand for local experiences, spending via SGQR almost tripled from the year before, bringing tangible economic impact to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Via Alipay+, merchants across Singapore can accept 25 international e-wallets and bank apps, enabling travellers from 17 countries and regions to use their familiar home payment apps to make payment locally.
Asian travellers continue to be key drivers of Singapore’s tourism industry. According to Alipay+ data, Mainland China, Malaysia, Hong Kong SAR, the Philippines, and South Korea are the top 5 inbound markets. Transactions by Chinese travellers – Singapore’s largest pool of visitors – increased 26 percent year-on-year in 2025, alongside significant growth from new markets like Kazakhstan and Italy.
While retail remains the most popular activity, travellers are spending more on food and beverage, accommodation, and day-to-day services like transportation, as Singapore caters to a more diverse range of visitors.
“Destinations are dynamic digital ecosystems that connect culture and commerce across borders, driving economic impact and inclusion,” said Peng Yang, CEO of Ant International. “The Singapore Tourism Board has set the benchmark for how innovation, trust and public-private collaboration can power a world-class tourism economy. Together, we will support Singapore’s ambition to inspire not just as a place to visit, but one that shapes the future of travel and its shared value to communities.”
Shaping tourism’s next chapter with AI
The partnership also aims to further enhance Singapore’s global leadership in travel innovation. Both parties will leverage Ant International’s data capabilities to forecast trends, building a future-ready tourism sector while enhancing the experience for visitors.
Additionally, Alipay+ has driven a series of innovations for mobile-savvy travellers, including:
- Alipay+ Voyager: An in-app AI travel agent launched in six of Asia’s largest superapps, that can offer personalised recommendations, deals, essential services like transportation, translation and more, for travellers visiting Singapore;
- In-app rewards: Spotlighting Singapore attractions and offering exclusive vouchers directly within leading e-wallets; merchants can leverage Alipay+’s AI-powered marketing services for deeper, more relevant engagements;
- Mobile engagement: Collaborating with Fairprice Group to launch the first-of-its-kind Cheers mini-programme directly within Alipay for Chinese travellers
Enhancing Singapore’s global appeal
In 2025, STB and Alipay+ rolled out high-profile marketing campaigns with global celebrities Dylan Wang and Stefanie Sun, to promote Singapore to regional travellers. These campaigns amplified top attractions and digital connectivity in Singapore across multiple channels, including Alipay+’s partner e-wallets to reach travellers directly within the apps they use most, translating inspiration into visits and spending.
The first campaign to roll out for 2026 features Dylan Wang showcasing shopping, attractions and local food spots, ahead of the Chinese New Year, a peak travel season for Asian travellers.
About Singapore Tourism Board
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore’s key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.
More: www.stb.gov.sg or www.visitsingapore.com | Follow us: STB LinkedIn, STB Facebook or STB Instagram
About Ant International
Ant International is a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider. Through collaboration across the private and public sectors, our unified techfin platform supports financial institutions and merchants of all sizes to achieve inclusive growth through a comprehensive range of cutting-edge digital payment and financial services solutions. To learn more, please visit https://www.ant-intl.com/
About Alipay+
Ant International's Alipay+ is a unified wallet gateway with cross-border payment and digitisation services that help connect global merchants to consumers. Consumers enjoy seamless payments a broad choice of deals and the convenience of digital services using their preferred payment app/e-wallet while travelling abroad. Many small and medium-sized businesses already use Alipay+ digital tools to enhance efficiency and achieve omni-channel growth.
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