Alipay+ and Malaysia to Enhance Tourism with AI

Tourism Malaysia, the Malaysian government's tourism promotion agency, and Alipay+, Ant International's cross-border payment gateway, have signed a memorandum of understanding in Kuala Lumpur. The partnership aims to enhance cross-border payments and AI-powered travel services as part of the Visit Malaysia 2026-2027 campaign.

The initiative includes the introduction of Alipay+ Voyager, which Ant International describes as an AI travel companion. This tool will be integrated into partner wallets and super apps to provide personalized assistance to travelers.

Tourism Malaysia also plans to launch an AI-powered travel subsidy program. This program will offer benefits for accommodation, transportation, and attractions through the AI agent.

Ant International reported that over 600,000 Malaysian merchants received payments from Alipay+ wallets and bank apps in the first half of 2026. Additionally, traveler spending through DuitNow, Malaysia's national QR payment network, increased by more than 60%.

The official Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign targets 47 million tourist arrivals and 329 billion ringgit (approximately US$80.5 billion) in tourism receipts. This partnership strengthens Malaysia's existing cross-border QR payment infrastructure, which already allows visitors to use payment apps from their home countries to pay local merchants.