CHICAGO, Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Airline and
Travel Payment Summit -- UATP announced today
that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Alipay,
China's leading third-party online
payment solution, to enable the U.S. travel industry to offer
Chinese consumers a convenient and trusted way to book and pay for
overseas travel.
(Logo:
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With minimal change to their existing backend systems, airlines,
hotels and other travel enterprises can now easily connect to the
more than 800 million Chinese account holders on the Alipay
platform via the UATP Network. These consumers are extremely
comfortable with online purchasing and enthusiastic about
high-quality international products and overseas travel.
China's increasingly affluent
middle- and upper-class consumers made 83 million outbound trips in
2012. China has been the world's
fastest-growing tourism source market for the past decade and it is
now also the world's top tourism spender. Chinese travelers spent a
record US$102 billion in 2012 to
surpass the U.S. and Germany, both
with spending close to $84
billion.
"After years as the most widely used online payment platform in
China, Alipay is thrilled to join
forces with UATP in this milestone collaboration. We are excited to
help U.S. businesses satisfy eager Chinese consumers," said
Jingming Li, vice president and chief architect of Alipay
International. "Alipay is dedicated to meeting the needs of
China's vast and growing pool of
keen overseas travelers by making it easier for them to pay for air
tickets, book hotels, rent cars and make other travel-related
purchases online from the world's leading airlines and accredited
travel agencies."
"We look forward to partnering with Alipay and working with them
in this mutually beneficial opportunity," said Ralph Kaiser, president and CEO, UATP. "We see
further growth in outbound travel as inevitable for China. Matching the strength of the UATP
Network with Alipay's proven success, we are confident that we can
bring the best that both companies have to offer to this
booming market."
Launched in 2004, Alipay is a cross-border payment solution that
provides an easy and secure platform to make and receive payment
over the Internet. Alipay partners with more than 180 financial
institutions and supports transactions in 15 foreign currencies. It
had more than 800 million registered accounts as of December 2012.
UATP is a comprehensive payment solution that airlines offer to
reduce the high cost of credit card use and provide vital data for
accurate travel management. UATP's corporate program and data
tools, DataStream and DataMine, supply Level III Data for all air
and rail travel, and folio-level data for hotel stays.
For more information, visit http://uatp.com and
http://global.alipay.com
About UATP
UATP is a global payment solution owned and operated by the
world's airlines and accepted by thousands of merchants for air,
rail, hotel and travel agency payments. UATP offers easy-to-use
data tools, DataStream℠ and DataMine℠, which provide comprehensive
account details to Issuers and Corporate Subscribers for accurate
travel management.
Accepted as a form of payment for corporate business travel
worldwide by airlines, travel agencies and Amtrak®; UATP accounts
are issued by: Aeromexico; Air New Zealand (ANZFF.PK); American
Airlines (AAMRQ.PK); Austrian Airlines; China Eastern Airlines
(NYSE: CEA); Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL); EL AL Israel Airlines;
Etihad Airways; GOL Linhas aereas inteligentes S.A. (NYSE: GOL and
Bovespa: GOLL4); Hahn Air; Japan Airlines (9201:JP); Luhfthansa
German Airlines; Malaysia Airlines; Qantas Airways (QUBSF.PK);
Shandong Airlines; United Airlines (NYSE: UAL); and US Airways
(NYSE: LCC).
UATP Contact:
Wendy L. Ward
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
+1 202 626 4077
wward@uatp.com
About Alipay
Launched in December 2004, Alipay
(www.alipay.com) is the most widely used third-party online payment
solution in China, providing an
easy, safe and secure way for millions of individuals and
businesses to make and receive payments on the Internet. Alipay
provides an escrow payment service that reduces transaction risk
for online consumers. Shoppers have the ability to verify whether
they are happy with goods they have purchased before releasing
funds to the seller. Alipay is an affiliate of Alibaba Group.
Alipay Contact:
Teresa Li (For APAC media
inquiries)
teresali@hk.alibaba-inc.com
Rebecca Lui (For U.S. media
inquiries)
rebeccalui@us.alibaba-inc.com
SOURCE UATP