Year 2019 has been dedicated as the China-New Zealand Year of Tourism. New Zealand is gaining popularity among Chinese tourists. UnionPay is accepted at over 50,000 merchants and 85% of ATMs in New Zealand, and about 80% of local merchants are expected to accept UnionPay cards before 2019, with over half of them also accepting UnionPay mobile QuickPass. Chinese tourists will also be able to pay with the "UnionPay" app in New Zealand.

 

With continuous acceptance expansion in New Zealand over the past few years, UnionPay is accepted not only at local duty-free shops, shopping malls and scenic spots, but also at supermarkets, restaurants and public transportation. Now, more than 7,000 POS terminals in the country accept UnionPay mobile QuickPass, including Michael Hill jewelry chain stores, the Loop duty free shops, Relay airport convenient stores, etc.

 

Data issued by Tourism New Zealand shows that over 410,000 Chinese tourists visited New Zealand in 2017, 37% of which were independent travelers. In January 2018, over 70% of the 50,000 tourist visas issued by New Zealand to Chinese tourists were free travel visas. UnionPay is offering tourists diverse payment services. Resorts like Maori Cultural Village, Rotorula Hot Springs and Queenstown bungee jumping all accept UnionPay cards for online booking. Tourists may also rent cars with UnionPay cards at Thrifty, Ace, and Apex, or pay for the fares with UnionPay cards in about 90% of local taxis.

 

Meanwhile, UnionPay International collaborates with Immigration New Zealand to provide cardholders with convenient visa payment services. Cardholders can pay visa fees online with UnionPay debit and credit cards when applying for visas at the official website of Immigration New Zealand.

 

Now, tourists visiting New Zealand may enjoy discounts and benefits exclusive for UnionPay cardholders; Auckland DFS, Queenstown NZONE Skydive, Live Fish Seafood Restaurant, and airport Lagardere duty-free group provide cardholders with privileges including buy-one-get-one-free or instant discount.

 

In recent years, it has become increasingly convenient to use UnionPay cards in the South Pacific. In Australia, 90% of ATMs and 75% of merchants accept UnionPay, and over 60% of the UnionPay-accepting merchants also accept UnionPay mobile QuickPass. UnionPay is also available in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Timor-Leste.