Tourism Malaysia and Weixin Pay today agreed to a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) aimed at supporting the sustainable growth and digital transformation of Malaysia’s tourism industry while enhancing the travel experience for Chinese visitors.

“China remains one of Malaysia’s most important tourism source markets,” said Mr. Mohd Amirul Rizal, Director General of Tourism Malaysia. “Today’s Chinese travellers expect seamless digital integration throughout their journey, from trip planning to payment solutions. This strategic collaboration with Weixin Pay represents an important step forward in strengthening Malaysia’s presence in the China market, enhances engagement with visitors, and provides strong momentum for the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign.”

Mr. Ben Yang, Weixin Pay’s Managing Director for Southeast Asia and North America, said “Weixin Pay is committed to strengthening its presence in Malaysia and across the region by working closely with local partners to deliver smooth cross-border payment experiences. This collaboration will enable our users to fully explore Malaysia’s unique attractions and vibrant culture, offering an experience that feels both exciting and reassuringly familiar.”

Tourism Malaysia and Weixin Pay have agreed to work closely on joint digital marketing initiatives, technology adoption, and integrated promotional efforts to enhance Malaysia’s visibility and engagement in the China market. This will also support Malaysian merchants in leveraging Weixin Pay’s comprehensive suite of digital tools, enabling more seamless, convenient, and cashless experiences for Chinese visitors throughout their journey in Malaysia.

Weixin Pay has seen rapid adoption across Malaysia’s transportation, dining and retail sectors, including key touchpoints such as the KLIA Ekspres airport rail link and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Collaboration between Weixin Pay and Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) continues to deepen as a growing number of Malaysian SMEs are now able to accept Weixin Pay via DuitNow QR, allowing Chinese visitors to make payments effortlessly using their preferred method.

The impact of this digital integration is reflected in transaction data for the first half of 2025, as both Weixin Pay’s transaction value and transaction volume in Malaysia recorded several-fold year-on-year growth. During peak travel periods in October 2025, transactions processed through PayNet increased more than threefold in both volume and value, highlighting the role of interoperable digital payments in supporting travel and consumption.

Malaysia’s tourism industry continues to record strong growth momentum, with international visitor arrivals reaching 38.3 million from January to November 2025, a 12 percent increase compared to the same period the previous year. This positive performance is further strengthened by robust growth from key source markets, particularly China, which recorded 4.3 million visitor arrivals, representing a 25.9 per cent year-on-year increase, underscoring China’s continued importance to Malaysia’s tourism recovery and expansion strategy.

With the mutual visa-free policy between Malaysia and China in effect since July 2025, cross-border travel between the two countries has entered a new phase of robust and sustained growth. This collaboration is expected to further deepen tourism exchanges and deliver tangible benefits for both the tourism industry and visitors.

The signing of this MoC underscores the shared commitment of Tourism Malaysia and Weixin Pay to positioning Malaysia as a competitive, digitally enabled and welcoming destination for global travellers, reinforcing its readiness to welcome the world for Visit Malaysia 2026.