Alipay, the world's leading digital payments platform, operated by Ant Financial Services Group, announced that it will partner with global restaurateur HMSHost to provide the Alipay mobile payment experience in many North American airports. 

Through this deployment, Chinese travelers visiting the U.S. and Canada will be able to pay using the Alipay app when making purchases at HMSHost-operated restaurants in most major airports across North America. Alipay is targeting late Q4 2018 for the first integration of HMSHost locations with the payment service.

The U.S. and Canada are among the most popular destinations for Chinese travelers and students, with around four million visits and over half a million Chinese students per year. Approximately 91% of Chinese tourists said widespread availability of mobile payment systems such as Alipay would encourage them to spend more while travelling abroad, according to a Nielsen report.