German payments firm Wirecard has collaborated with Tirol Werbung, the tourism organisation of the Austrian state of Tyrol, to introduce the China Pay Initiative.

Under the initiative, Tyrolean firms will add support for Chinese mobile payment solutions such as Alipay.

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Wirecard will manage the payment integration and processing operations.

At first, 150 local firms will offer the payment system.

Partners in the venture are Innsbruck Tourism, Kitzbühel Tourism, Kufsteinerland Tourism Association, Ötztal Tourism, St. Anton Tourism Association and the Swarovski Kristallwelten.

Wirecard managing director CEE Roland Toch said: “Experience shows that accepting Alipay as a new payment method can lead to an increase in transaction volume with travelers from China of more than 350 percent within one year.”

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Toch also announced plans to extend the partnership to other regions in Europe later.

Tirol Werbung market manager Holger Gassler said: “We expect to gain a competitive advantage as the first Austrian province to introduce Chinese mobile payment methods on a large scale.

“Payment convenience plays a major role for this target group in particular and can make both the region and participating merchants more attractive to Chinese tourists.”

In this context, Wirecard cited a Nielsen study which found nearly 91% of Chinese tourists willing to spend more overseas if merchants accept Chinese mobile payment methods.