SkyBus launches WeChat payment service for Chinese tourists
28 September 2016
We are excited to announce that SkyBus has now launched our ‘WeChat Pay’ service allowing Chinese tourists to travel to and from Melbourne Airport quickly and easily.
SkyBus is the first Mass Transit provider in Australia to offer WeChat Pay as a payment option for travellers.
WeChat Pay is the payment feature integrated into WeChat, China’s most popular social media messaging service, which allows users to pay for goods and services quickly and easily using their mobile phones.
Launching the new payment service at Melbourne Airport, our Director, Michael Sewards said, “Victoria is becoming a more and more popular destination with Chinese tourists, and so we wanted to make Chinese visitors feel at home when they land in Melbourne and travel to the CBD or St Kilda with SkyBus.”
Melbourne Airport saw 798,000 arrivals from China in the past year, a number that is set to grow with the launch of Beijing Capital Airlines and Xiamen Air’s new routes from China to Melbourne Airport in the past two months1.
“SkyBus is all about making journeys more seamless for travellers, so we’re delighted to launch WeChat Pay for our Chinese customers so that they can get on board SkyBus quickly and easily, and pay safely,” Mr Sewards added.
WeChat Pay is linked to Chinese bank accounts, meaning that tourists visiting Melbourne don’t need to worry about withdrawing cash or exchanging money, and can simply use WeChat Pay when travelling to or from Melbourne Airport.
George Hua, COO of RoyalPay, who partnered with SkyBus to build the advanced ticketing payment system, said: “With Chinese tourists spending so much money in Victoria, it’s smart for tourism providers like SkyBus to adopt Chinese payment services, of which WeChat Pay is by far the biggest.”
According to Visit Victoria, Chinese tourists spent $2.3 billion in the year ending June 2016, and hold a 33% share of international expenditure in Victoria2. This figure is more than the next six markets combined: UK (6.3%), New Zealand (6.3%), Malaysia (5.6%), Singapore (5.0%), USA (5.0%) and India (4.0%).
“WeChat Pay has more than 300 million users in China, and SkyBus should be commended for taking the initiative, launching WeChat Pay, and adding to Victoria’s successful visitor economy,” Mr Hua added.
Chinese customers can pay for their SkyBus tickets through WeChat Pay at our ticket booths located kerbside at Melbourne Airport and at Southern Cross station.
1 http://melbourneairport.com.au/about-melbourne-airport/media/media-releases/melbourne-airport-welcomes-beijing-capital-airlines-2021.html
2 http://www.tourism.vic.gov.au/research/international-research/international-visitation.html