Looking to further strengthen its push into the world’s fastest growing cruise market, Carnival Corp cruise brands will offer Alipay payment options onboard its fleet sailing in Asia.
Alipay, which has about 450 million active users in China and beyond, can be used for onboard products and services during voyages.
The Alipay option will debut on Costa Serena in China before likely expanding to other ships in the Costa Asia fleet.
Carnival’s other brand sailing in China and Asia, Princess Cruises, will also have offer Alipay onboard its ships which includes the new Majestic Princess as the first vessel custom built for the Chinese market.
More details about Alipay rollout for Princess will be announced at a later date.
"We are excited that our guests will now have the opportunity to use Alipay onboard our brands sailing in China and Asia. As we continue to grow interest and demand for cruising within the larger vacation market in China, this is another example of being able to stay close to our guests – understanding their needs and tailoring our offerings to their preferences," said Michael Thamm, group CEO of carniva; Asia and Costa Group.
"Alipay is a leading payment service already used by hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers, so we see this as a natural fit for us in China and a great opportunity to make onboard purchases even more convenient."
Carnival has announced six ships will be based in the China market across its Costa and Princess brands, which it says is the equivalent to nearly half of the overall cruise market in China.
