This year Russia and European destinations were some of the hotspots for online and mobile payments, according to a new report.

Russia saw over 50 times growth in Alipay transactions this summer - compared with a year ago - helped by the World Cup, according to a report by Alibaba Group Holding affiliate Ant Financial Services, which operates the Alipay payments platform. Luxembourg (39 times growth) and Switzerland (18 times growth) also featured high on the list.

Hong Kong, a popular shopping destination for Chinese tourists, took the top spot for the biggest Alipay transaction volume for the months of July and August, ousting Thailand, which topped the charts last year. Thailand came second in 2018, followed by South Korea.

Average spending per Alipay user abroad jumped 43% from 2,073 yuan to 2,955 yuan (USD 433), with China’s biggest spenders splurging in France, a popular destination for luxury goods shopping. In France, the average Chinese tourist spent 11,386 yuan with Alipay, almost four times than the average.