KUALA LUMPUR, 15 October 2026: Tourism Malaysia and Alipay+, Ant International’s unified wallet gateway, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate cross-border commerce and digitise merchant engagement across Malaysia’s tourism economy.
As Malaysia welcomes visitors for Visit Malaysia 2026–2027, the partnership merges Tourism Malaysia’s destination marketing with Alipay+’s global wallet ecosystem and AI capabilities. It aims to create a highly intelligent digital journey, connecting international travellers directly with local operators as well as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), strategically distributing visitor spending beyond major hubs to support the broader economic goals of VM2026–2027.
The MoU builds on Alipay+’s significant momentum within Malaysia’s digital commerce ecosystem. In the first half of 2026, over 600,000 merchants, primarily SMEs, received payments from Alipay+ partner wallets and bank apps, marking a year-on-year increase of over 70%. Furthermore, traveller spending via DuitNow surged by more than 60%, establishing Alipay+ as the largest contributor to inbound QR transactions nationwide. Alipay+ currently connects over 2 billion user accounts with 150 million merchants across 210 destinations and operates through major national schemes like PayNet.
A core component of the collaboration is Alipay+ Voyager, an AI travel agent embedded within travellers’ digital wallets. Alipay+ Voyager will surface Tourism Malaysia-verified cultural, culinary, and experiential offerings tailored to individual interests, creating a new digital channel to reach international customers at the moment of discovery.
Benefits for Malaysian businesses
Direct access to global travellers — Tourism Malaysia and Malaysian businesses become visible directly within leading global e-wallets in the Alipay+ ecosystem.
From payments to active engagement — AI agent Alipay+ Voyager surfaces verified offerings, connecting travellers with businesses beyond major hubs and with personalised deals across the travel journey, driving higher-intent engagements.
SME growth engine — Exclusive campaign with 20% savings via PayNet’s DuitNow encourages discovery and transactions at small local shops.
(Source: Ant International)
