Tourists enjoy song and dance performances at a historic and cultural block in Kuqa city, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, May 13, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]
URUMQI -- More than 180,000 overseas visitors to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region used mobile payment services in the first half of 2026, up 45 percent year-on-year, local authorities announced Tuesday.
During the period, mobile payment transactions by overseas visitors totaled nearly 700 million yuan ($103 million).
As the region continues to streamline its payment service for inbound travelers, Xinjiang allows visitors to pay directly with digital wallets from their home countries or regions without downloading additional apps. The service now covers 228 overseas e-wallets from 37 countries and regions, according to the regional government.
Meanwhile, foreign bank card transactions by inbound travelers in Xinjiang reached 148,000 in the first six months of the year, 1.68 times the figure of the same period last year. A total of 58,500 business entities in the region now support foreign bank card payments.
