
On May 27, Zihuny Rasheed, Deputy Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC/Visit Maldives), and Mr Etienne Ng, Weixin Pay’s Country Manager, Singapore and Regional Director, Southeast Asia, WeChat Pay, signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during ITB China 2024, pledging to support more Maldivian merchants to accept WeixinPay to provide Chinese tourists with a convenient payment experience. Visit Maldives is the Official Destination Partner for this year’s edition of ITB China.
âChina is a key source of tourists for the Maldives, and we greatly value the experience of Chinese visitors,â said DMD Zihuny Rasheed. âWe plan on promoting the acceptance of Weixin Pay throughout the country, offering Chinese tourists the payment option they are familiar with and prefer. I have used Weixin Pay during my visit to China via linking an international card, and I can attest to the convenience of the mobile payment option.”
Ibrahim Faisal, Minister of Tourism of the Maldives, expressed his support, âExcited that we’re introducing Weixin Pay for Chinese visitors, which is another step in establishing Maldives as their top destination. Now, it’s easier than ever for Chinese travellers to enjoy their stay, hassle-free. We look forward to further enhancing their experience,â he wrote.
According to Mr Etienne Ng, Weixin Pay is currently being piloted at the countryâs airport duty-free store, as well as in popular restaurants like Sala Thai and City Garden. Additionally, a range of hotels and resorts are participating including, JEN Maldives Malé by Shangri-La, 阿达郎精选胡杜兰富士酒店, 阿达郎兰纳丽俱乐部, 阿达兰威望瓦杜酒店, 阿达兰尊贵水上别墅, 维拉私人岛屿, Cheval Blanc Randheli 私人岛屿, 马尔代夫达瓦伊乎鲁度假村, 马尔代夫阿雅达酒店、万豪旅享家、瓦宾法鲁悦榕庄、 马尔代夫伦格里岛康莱德酒店 和 微拉瓦鲁悦椿度假村 在马尔代夫银行和当地商户的大力支持下,该支付方案已在马尔代夫正式落地。目前,该支付方案进展顺利,预计全国将有 8,000 家商户接入该支付方案。
âWeixin Pay is committed to providing users with safe and convenient payment services. Since the visa exemption policy was implemented, more and more Weixin Pay users have chosen to travel to the island country. Through our cooperation with Visit Maldives, we aim to provide Chinese users with the same convenient experience in the travel as they experience at home,” he said.
2023年2月,中国与马尔代夫签署的《中马互免签证协定》正式生效,中国将免签政策惠及更多国家,马尔代夫在“五一”、“十一”等旅游旺季持续位列中国游客首选海外目的地。
根据马尔代夫旅游局的数据,2023 年,马尔代夫接待了超过 180 万名游客,创下了该国的新纪录。中国市场一直是马尔代夫的主要客源市场。截至 2024 年 5 月 11 日,中国是马尔代夫最大的客源市场,游客人数达 91,073 人次。
