New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan has the world’s first WeChat Pay flagship airport, with two terminal buildings, for both domestic and international services, connected to the payment system. The partnership is a new and innovative way to amplify the influence of the two brands, while providing a smarter and more convenient payment method and service for travellers.

According to statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organization, Japan received over 25 million foreign visitors in 2017, including 6.22 million visitors from China, putting the country at the top of the list in terms of the number of tourists visiting the island nation. With the comprehensive cooperation between WeChat Pay and merchants in Hokkaido, Chinese users, who are visiting the island, will have an opportunity to pay for products and services through the WeChat platform just as they so when shopping in their home country. WeChat currently serves over 980 million monthly active users.

When shopping at participating merchants, Chinese users can use WeChat Pay to make payments without needing to exchange currencies as WeChat Pay provides a direct conversation from yuan to yen, providing them with a smarter and more convenient shopping experience when abroad. In addition, shoppers may benefit from a random discount of up to 888 yuan (approx. US$134) when the value of the purchase exceeds 200 yuan (approx. US$30).

At the launch event, New Chitose Airport representative director and chairman Takeshi Moriyama said in his speech that with the promotional program on the WeChat platform, Chinese visitors will have an opportunity to experience the charm of Hokkaido’s food culture at the airport and to be able to do so conveniently. Additionally, the tie-up with the payment service provider will help attract more visitors from abroad to Hokkaido and contribute to the rejuvenation of the island.