Malaysian businesses tap Weixin ecosystem to capture booming Chinese visitor spending

Nuwal Fadhilah Ku Azmi, Senior Director of Tourism Malaysia, delivers the opening speech.

Weixin today held its first-ever Open Class in Malaysia, bringing together over two hundred local merchants, service providers, and industry representatives in Kuala Lumpur to explore how the Weixin ecosystem – comprising Mini Programs and Weixin Pay – can help Malaysian businesses better serve the growing wave of Chinese visitors, unlock new digital growth opportunities, and contribute to the success of Visit Malaysia 2026.

At the event, Nuwal Fadhilah Ku Azmi, Senior Director of Tourism Malaysia, shared that Chinese visitor arrivals to Malaysia have maintained strong growth momentum for four consecutive years. In January and February 2026 alone, the number of Chinese visitors exceeded 1.03 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 27%. For merchants, integrating digital experiences that Chinese visitors are accustomed to, such as payment methods and Mini Programs, is becoming increasingly important.

In the latest cross-border data released by Weixin for the 2026 Chinese New Year period, Malaysia ranked among the top five overseas destinations for Weixin Pay offline transaction volume. Offline transaction value in Malaysia recorded a 131% year-on-year increase, while Mini Program transaction value grew over 140%. The positive growth reflects the increased tourism demand with the launch of the nation’s Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.

The momentum also stemmed from a strong recovery in cross-border tourism between Malaysia and China, following the mutual visa-free policy between the two countries that took effect in July 2025 and saw over 4 million Chinese visitors travelling to Malaysia last year. Tourism Malaysia, which signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) with Weixin Pay in January 2026, is targeting to welcome 47 million international arrivals for Visit Malaysia 2026. 

Weixin Mini Program transaction grows 140% YoY, driving growth across industries

A growing number of Malaysian enterprises have moved to establish their presence within the Weixin ecosystem. AirAsia, Southeast Asia's largest low-cost carrier, has launched a Weixin Mini Program for flight bookings, enabling Chinese passengers to search, book and pay entirely within the Weixin app without downloading a separate app. KLIA Ekspres, the express rail link connecting Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the city centre, has integrated Weixin Pay and Mini Program, providing arriving Chinese tourists with a seamless first-mile transit experience. Multiple premium hotels in Malaysia now offer commission-free direct bookings through Mini Programs, while merchants across the country -- from shopping malls to night market stalls -- are leveraging preferential exchange rate voucher tools introduced by Weixin Pay to increase average transaction values and drive social sharing among Chinese visitors.

Weixin Open Class session in Malaysia.

Millions of merchants connected to Weixin ecosystem via PayNet

On the payments infrastructure side, Malaysia's national payments network PayNet has fully integrated DuitNow QR with Weixin Pay, enabling over three million DuitNow QR touchpoints to accept payments from Chinese visitors without additional setup or cost.

The event also featured Gokoo, a Southeast Asian lifestyle services platform that launched in Kuala Lumpur in December 2025. Built on the Weixin Mini Program framework, Gokoo offers food delivery, restaurant bookings, hotel reservations, and home services to visitors and local users. The platform currently operates across eight countries with more than 1 million total transactions, demonstrating the versatility of the Mini Program model beyond serving inbound visitors.

Weixin Mini Programs currently serve over 1.1 billion monthly active users. In 2025, the Mini Program ecosystem expanded to cover 100 countries and regions across 108 industry verticals, with cross-border transaction value growing over 70% year on year. The Weixin Open Class Malaysia session marks the latest step in Weixin's ongoing efforts to support international partners and help local businesses connect with Chinese consumers through digital tools.