The Outbound Chinese Tourism and Consumption Trends: 2017 Survey, jointly issued by Nielsen and Alipay, said skin care and beauty products are the most sought after by Chinese tourists, who also look for local specialties when shopping overseas.

The survey also found that Chinese tourists exhibit stronger purchasing power than non-Chinese tourists, at RM2,991 against RM1,908 per person on shopping alone.

The Chinese tourists, however, expect to continue enjoying a cashless lifestyle which they are used to back home with mobile payment platforms like Alipay.

“The modern-day Chinese tourists look to have the same payment convenience that they enjoy back home when they are travelling around the world.

“Given the high number of Chinese tourists Malaysia receives annually, it is important for local merchants and industry players to understand these preferences and embrace the right solutions to cater to this fast-emerging market,” said Cherry Huang, Alipay’s general manager of cross-border business for South and Southeast Asia.

Last year, 65% of Chinese tourists used mobile payment platforms during their overseas travels, over six times more that non-Chinese tourists (11%), the survey showed.

It also found that over 90% of Chinese tourists might purchase more goods or services from overseas merchants if they were able to accept mobile payment.

While shopping was the most common expense for which Alipay was used overseas, Chinese tourists also utilised it to pay for sightseeing, accommodations, dining, transportation and recreation.

Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz had said last year that Malaysia hoped to get eight million tourists from China by 2020.