FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – LankaPay, Sri Lanka’s national payment network, has integrated with Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay), allowing Chinese tourists to make payments at over 400,000 merchants across the island using their local digital wallets.
The move, aimed at capturing the Chinese travel market, enables tourists to scan any LankaQR code at local vendors, ranging from five-star hotels to small-scale street stalls.
For the local economy, the partnership is expected to drive financial inclusion by allowing smaller merchants — who previously dealt only in cash — to tap into international tourism revenue.
“Our main objective is to provide a similar digital payment experience to Chinese tourists when they are visiting Sri Lanka,” said David Chong, Country Manager of Weixin Pay. “With Weixin Pay and LankaQR, we can connect, convert, and grow.”
The integration comes at a critical time for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, which is looking to diversify its source markets amid global shifts. “Last year we had about 132,000 Chinese tourists; this year we are expecting about 300,000,” said Buddhika Hewawasam, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).
He noted that while historical numbers have been high, the challenge has been ensuring that money spent by tourists actually reaches rural communities. “The smaller vendors in the tourism areas are not getting the benefits of tourism yet. This is actually one milestone of achieving that—enabling the rural communities, the communities in tourism, and even the smallest vendors to accept global payments,” Hewawasan said.
Chong explained how Weixin Pay will help solve these problems faced by Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. He mentioned that Weixin was moving beyond simple transactions in Sri Lanka, aiming to integrate the island’s tourism offerings into a ‘full cycle’ digital ecosystem to drive revenue and merchant growth.
He noted that the recent integration allowing Weixin to scan LankaQR is just the beginning of a broader strategy to position Sri Lanka as a preferred destination for Chinese travelers. The platform’s Mini Program will support the entire traveler journey of a visiting Chinese tourist to the island.
The first feature is ‘Pre-trip’ planning, where tourists can search destination information and marketing offers. Next is the ‘In-trip’ feature, allowing Chinese tourists to seamlessly access services like transportation. Finally, the “post-trip” feature enables users to purchase Sri Lankan products even after returning to China.
By connecting with local stakeholders, Weixin Pay aims to convert digital engagement into seamless payments, helping local merchants promote their brands directly to mainland China. “Our service is not just the payment, but we want to provide the full cycle of the experience. And also, to help our partners, the merchants, to generate more transactions in Sri Lanka,” Chong added.
A key advantage of the new system is the cost to the local business owner. While traditional credit card networks often charge high commission rates, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has capped the merchant discount rate for these QR transactions at 1.8%.
LankaPay CEO Channa de Silva highlighted that the journey to this launch took five years of technical and regulatory groundwork. “It’s a great opportunity for Sri Lanka. Previously, they would have to change their currency into local currency, which is a cumbersome task. Now, everything has gone away. There’s only one conversion,” de Silva said.
(Colombo/Mar24/2026)
