Mastercard and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism unveil enhanced Priceless Beijing
June 13, 2024 | BeijingAgreement promotes inbound tourism to China while expanding exciting experiences—and trusted payments—for travelers
Mastercard and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism have announced the relaunch of Priceless Beijing during a ceremony at the Zhengyici Peking Opera Theatre. Underscoring the power of public-private partnership to enhance tourism, the organizations signed their third cooperation agreement since 2012. This agreement reaffirms their shared dedication to delivering unforgettable Priceless Experiences for inbound travelers to China.
Priceless Beijing is an extension of Mastercard’s global Priceless platform. Cardholders around the world have access to hundreds of dynamically curated, once-in-a-lifetime experiences in 30+ premier destinations. With this relaunch, visitors to Beijing can enjoy Priceless Experiences at the iconic Great Wall, the Peking Opera, and King’s Joy, the first Michelin Green Star and three-Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant in China, and more.
Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing & communications officer, Mastercard 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, Yang Shuo, Director-General of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, highlighted the steps that Beijing has taken to boost inbound tourism. “These include improving the experience for travelers by updating the tourism portal website and optimizing 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 travelers around the world.”
Relaunching Priceless Beijing
According to Mastercard’s 2024 Travel Trends report, global tourism is booming: nine out of the last 10 record-setting spending days in the global cruise and airline industries occurred this year. The Mastercard Economics Institute anticipates this will continue as we enter the busy travel season and consumers around the world prioritize meaningful experiences like travel.
Building on this positive momentum, the relaunch of Priceless Beijing will tap into key passion points including culinary, entertainment and culture. The goal is to showcase Beijing’s premier cultural assets and tourism offerings, broaden secure and trusted payment options for travelers, and forge a connection between China and the global tourism sector.
“As an ancient capital that captures the essence of Chinese traditional culture, Beijing is full of vigor 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, Mastercard. “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.”
Bridging China to the world, one payment at a time
Through its trusted and convenient payment services, Mastercard has ensured peace of mind for international visitors to the Chinese Mainland for decades. The company recently launched its ‘Pay Like a Local’ program to broaden the acceptance of international bankcards by giving travelers an easy and convenient way to pay – via ubiquitous QR code payments – while shopping at tens of millions of local merchants.
Additionally, Mastercard NetsUnion, a joint venture between Mastercard and NUCC, began processing payments in the Chinese Mainland in May 2024 using Mastercard cards issued by Chinese banks and launched Mastercard cards that are now accepted for both domestic and international purchases. With the launch of additional products and the ongoing expansion of Mastercard’s omni-channel acceptance network in the Chinese Mainland, cardholders will soon have the opportunity to experience Priceless Beijing firsthand.
For more information about Priceless Beijing, please visit priceless.com.
Note: A list of Priceless Experiences that are now available in Beijing to Mastercard cardholders can be found in the Appendix below.
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Appendix
Luxuriate in a marvelous meal at the renowned King’s Joy, the first Michelin Green Star and three-Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant in China | |
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Sip tea atop the Great Wall of China during an overnight stay at Beijing Wtown Hotel | |
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Cycle among Beijing's historic treasures on a power-assisted bike | |
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Uncover the magic of Peking opera on a power-assisted bike tour of Beijing | |
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Visit the Great Wall at Simatai and create traditional Chinese handicrafts | |
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