Payment service center for international travelers opens at Kunming airport in SW China

A staff member provides foreign tourists with guide materials about payment methods in north China's Tianjin Municipality on April 7, 2024. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

KUNMING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- A payment service center was initiated at Changshui International Airport in Kunming on Wednesday, offering immediate assistance to overseas visitors as soon as they step off the plane. Kunming is a highly popular tourist destination in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

"For large purchases, you can use a Visa, MasterCard or UnionPay card; For small purchases, you can pay in cash. If you need to exchange cash, we have an ATM machine here. You can use one of those cards to withdraw RMB directly, or you can exchange RMB at bank outlets and exchange points. In addition, you can download WeChat or Alipay and add your bank card for e-consumption," according to the notice at the center.

The center at the arrivals lounge was jointly promoted by the People's Bank of China's Yunnan branch and the provincial department of transport, which aims to provide guidance for payment services in China, particularly the ubiquitous mobile phone scan code payment system.

Kunming Changshui International Airport is an important gateway for foreigners traveling to China. Official figures showed that from April 1 to 7, the number of international passenger flights at the airport reached 388, logging an increase of 16.8 percent over the previous week in terms of average daily flight volume. The number of inbound passengers increased 8.5 percent over the previous week.