Oliver Csendes, CEO, Visit Hungary Ltd and Jeff Hu, General Manager, Weixin Pay Europe sign MoU to promote cultural tourism with Chinese visitors to Hungary and help local merchants offer a more integrated and seamless digital payment experience.

Weixin Pay and Visit Hungary Ltd today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), paving the way for a deeper collaboration to strengthen Hungary's position as a cultural destination for Chinese visitors and create new opportunities for local merchants to deliver a more integrated digital payment experience. The partnership also marks a new phase for Weixin Pay in building a localized ecosystem and cultural-tourism initiatives in Europe.

Visit Hungary Ltd has a long-standing commitment to promote the country's diverse tourism assets and cultural heritage. It’s collaboration with Weixin Pay will focus on cultural promotion, digital integration and payment facilitation, expanding Weixin Pay's acceptance across Hungary's tourism, retail, dining and entertainment sectors. Together, the parties will leverage their strengths to explore smart tourism to deliver a seamless end-to-end travel experience for Chinese tourists, from trip planning and booking to spending and cultural activities. Overall, the partnership opens new opportunities for Hungarian merchants to attract and serve Chinese tourists, a fast growing and highly valuable consumer group.

Weixin Pay is now available in 32 European markets and supports direct settlement in 11 currencies including the Euro and Hungarian forint. There has been remarkable progress in rolling out Weixin Pay in Hungary. Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc International Airport, the main point of entry for Chinese visitors, now accepts Weixin Pay at Heinemann duty-free shops, souvenir outlets and retailers such as Swarovski, allowing Chinese travelers to use a familiar payment method as soon as they arrive in Hungary. 

Oliver Csendes, CEO, Visit Hungary Ltd, said: “We are delighted to support this strategic collaboration. With Weixin Pay’s digital capabilities, local merchants will be able to reach and serve the Chinese consumer market more effectively, a market with tremendous potential. At the same time, it will provide us with valuable insights to accelerate the digital transformation of our tourism sector.”

Jeff Hu, General Manager, Weixin Pay Europe, said: “This partnership marks an important step in Weixin Pay’s commitment to strengthen its presence in the European market. By collaborating with Visit Hungary Ltd to expand payment touchpoints, Chinese travelers will be able to access and enjoy Weixin Pay’s services from the moment they land, enhancing every stage of their travel journey.”

Weixin Pay has an extensive European footprint in both travel and retail and fashion spanning apparel, handbags, jewelry and watches. Top department stores including Galeries Lafayette, Harrods, El Corte Inglés now accept Weixin Pay to meet the growing demand among Chinese tourists for premium shopping experiences in Europe. In the travel sector, activity on European transport-related Mini Programs underscores Chinese travelers’ growing reliance on digital services for transportation. With the support of major transport providers such as FlixBus, Italy’s Italo, Eurostar and Frecciarossa high-speed trains, Chinese travelers can now enjoy seamless ticketing and payment solutions. At the same time, key airports such as Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Frankfurt Airport and airports in Italy’s Rome and Milan have also accept Weixin Pay, ensuring smooth payments for travelers at key hubs. 

The next phase of collaboration will continue to focus on serving the Chinese tourists, local Chinese communities, and students in Hungary. By deepening partnerships with local merchants and partners, Weixin Pay aims to expand its acceptance in Hungary, strengthen merchants’ understanding of Chinese payment methods, ultimately helping merchants to successfully engage with Chinese consumers and creating shared values for all.