Mastercard relaunches Priceless Beijing to boost inbound tourism in China

Mastercard and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism have joined hands to relaunch Priceless Beijing, in an effort to promote inbound tourism in China while expanding trusted payments for travellers. 

This is the third cooperation agreement between the two partners since 2012 to enhance tourism. This agreement reaffirms their shared dedication to delivering unforgettable Priceless Experiences for inbound travellers to China.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer, Mastercard, said that the relationship between Mastercard and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism is a longstanding and meaningful partnership that began over a decade ago.

"The latest Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reaffirms the two parties' joint commitment to providing even more convenient and special Priceless Experiences for inbound visitors," he added.

Priceless Beijing is an extension of Mastercard’s global Priceless platform which gives consumers access to hundreds of dynamically curated, once-in-a-lifetime experiences in more than 30 destinations including the Great Wall, the Peking Opera, and even Michelin restaurants.

The relaunch also comes along with the findings of Mastercard’s 2024 Travel Trends report, which showed travellers were extending their trips by an extra day over  the past 12 months ending March 2024 compared to the same period in 2019, highlighting a growing desire for more immersive and meaningful travel experiences. In Mainland China, domestic travel is 15% above 2019 levels in March 2024, while international traffic is set to recover later.

With travel increasingly in demand, Mastercard aims to highlight Beijing's top tourism offerings both at home and abroad. 

In terms of marketing strategies, Mastercard has recognised the importance of creating authentic, memorable experiences for the cardholders while navigating an increasingly digital world.

According to Rajamannar, Mastercard has shifted its marketing strategy to be more experiential rather than relying on traditional advertising. This allows the company to cut through the clutter of marketing messages and engage with consumers in more meaningful ways through their passions. The relaunch of Priceless Beijing embodies this approach, offering cardholders the chance to indulge in their love for travel, culture, and culinary delights.

The relaunch of priceless Beijing will tap into consumer passion points including culinary, entertainment and culture – with the goal of showcasing Beijing’s premier cultural assets and tourism offerings, forging a connection between China and the global tourism sector.

Rajamannar said: “Connecting people to their passions, their purpose and each other is our focus at Mastercard, and nothing bridges cultures as powerfully as travel. We are thrilled to partner with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism to relaunch Priceless Beijing, unlocking unforgettable experiences for countless future visitors to this captivating city.”

At the ceremony at Zhengyici Peking Opera Theatre, Yang Shuo, director-general of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, said “These include improving the experience for travellers by updating the tourism portal website and optimising payment services across the dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, entertainment, healthcare, and education sectors."

"By partnering with Mastercard to appeal to tourist preferences for lifestyle experiences, digital communications, self-service options and more, we look forward to further developing Beijing as a premier tourism and retail destination for travellers around the world," Yang added.

“As an ancient capital that captures the essence of Chinese traditional culture, Beijing is full of vigour and vitality while remaining quaint and graceful, beckoning visitors from all over the world,” said Dennis Chang, executive vice president and division president, Greater China.

Chang added, “In recent years, the travel environment for international inbound visitors has improved significantly, aided in part by Mastercard and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism. As innovative cooperation projects such as Priceless Beijing continue to expand, Mastercard looks forward to introducing more payment facilitation measures to offer consumers even more choices in how they pay and receive payments, helping to better connect China and the world by supporting tourism recovery.”

Most recently, Mastercard also launched a ‘Pay Like a Local’ programme to broaden the acceptance of international bankcards by giving travellers a seamless way to pay – via ubiquitous QR code payments – while shopping at tens of millions of local merchants.

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