After a first experiment during the 2017 Chinese New Year, Paris Aéroport is pursuing its collaboration with the Chinese leader Tencent by introducing the WeChat Pay option in its Duty Free* shops operated by SDA (Société de Distribution Aéroportuaire) - the joint-venture between Lagardère Travel Retail and the Group ADP.
WeChat Pay, which has more than 600 million active users, is a smart phone secured payment system widely used in China.
WeChat Pay is integrated into the WeChat application, one of China's most popular "smart" social networks with close to a billion users. More than 70% of transactions in China are carried out via mobile phones.
WeChat Pay, which has more than 600 million active users, is a smart phone secured payment system widely used in China.
WeChat Pay is integrated into the WeChat application, one of China's most popular "smart" social networks with close to a billion users. More than 70% of transactions in China are carried out via mobile phones.
The roll-out of WeChat Pay is the latest addition to the mobile payment offering for Chinese passengers who, since 2016, have been able to reserve and pay for tourism-related services at the Tourist Information Counters of the Ile-de France Regional Tourism Committee upon their arrival at the airport.
WeChat Pay is available at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport shops in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2E, and soon will be available in Terminal 2A in the following shops: BuY Paris Duty Free, L'Occitane, BuY Paris Collection, Fendi, Ferragamo, YSL, Hermès, Bvlgari, Burberry, Bottega Veneta, Longchamp, Hugo Boss, Michael Kors, Pandora, Swarovski, Tiffany, Saint Laurent, FNAC, Tod's, Moncler and Mont Blanc.
Paris Aéroport is innovating to continually improve services for Chinese travellers
After a first experiment in "social shopping" carried out during the last Chinese New Year, Paris Aéroport and the Chinese leader Tencent, through its flagship application WeChat, are pursuing their work in innovation.
Since the beginning of September 2017, all of the Chinese passengers arriving at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport have fast, personalised and easy access to the airport's free WIFI. Registration is just a click away on the WeChat interface. The results are convincing: nearly 2,000 passengers a day connect to the airport's free WIFI network.
By the end of December 2017, nearly 40,000 passengers had joined the WeChat Paris Aéroport account (+ 75% compared to the previous year). These developments were carried out jointly by engineers from Hub One, a subsidiary of Groupe ADP specialised in Telecom networks and from Tencent.
Paris Aéroport: a pioneer in customer service for Chinese passengers in Europe
"France is the number one destination for Chinese tourists visiting Europe. We are delighted to offer a new service which helps facilitate their airport experience in addition to the 150 Chinese speakers dedicated to welcoming them and providing support when they visit the airport shops in Paris. Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport was the first international airport in its category to receive the Welcome Chinese certification by the China Tourism Academy in April 2015. In September 2014, all of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport shops had already received the China Outbound Tourism Quality Service Supplier certification rewarding the quality of the shopping offered and the hospitality extended to Chinese passengers", highlights Augustin de Romanet, Chairman and CEO of Groupe ADP.
In 2017, Paris Aéroport welcomed nearly 2.5 million passengers travelling from/to China, a 2.4% increase from 2016. Between 2010 and 2016, the number of passengers using airlines connecting to mainland China increased by 72%.
Every week, there are on average 187 weekly flights serving Chinese cities departing from Paris Aéroport and operated by five airlines: Air China, Air France, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, China Southern and Hainan Airlines.
