China and US hope for tourism boom

More convenience

Dai Haiyong, head of the foreign exchange business with Tencent Financial Technology, says the company has come up with two products for international travelers to China.

The first is binding international bank cards to WeChat for QR code payments, while the second is using overseas e-wallets for direct payments, Dai says, adding that the company has been accelerating cooperation with e-wallets around the world.

"We also launched a solution for small payments without verification. Tourists coming to China don't need to fill out any information and can make quick payments, greatly enhancing overall convenience," he says.

Millions of inbound visitors to China have used the company's payment service since July last year and gave positive feedback, Dai notes.

More investment will go into diversifying payment methods such as facial recognition, and product functionalities will be streamlined.

"In terms of identity recognition and customer service, we will leverage visual or deep-learning capabilities to better serve everyone," he says.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, says the city has applied an electronic customs clearance system that has played a positive role in facilitating travel for inbound visitors.

Last year, the city's financial management bureau worked on a service to convert different foreign currencies directly into Macao's scanning payment system.

"We hope to enhance convenience for our travelers in spending in Macao in the future," she says.

Macao is also leveraging advanced technology to address other issues, including making it easier for inbound travelers to search and understand Macao.

"We are currently working on launching a system through our mainland's Ernie Bot (AI model by Baidu) platform, which we hope will soon support and utilize various international languages to serve our customers," she says.

Wan Qingchao, executive vice-president of China Eastern Air Holding, says after five rounds of increased flights, the number of flights between the two countries has now increased to 92 flights per week.

Nevertheless, it's only 28 percent of the number before the pandemic.

"My colleagues and I are looking forward to more direct flights between the two countries to meet the needs of communication and exchanges, and to continue and deepen the friendship," Wan says.