Travel e-commerce platform KKday has launched a service that allows people with iPhones to visit popular attractions with greater ease and convenience, as the COVID-19 pandemic speeds up digital transformation for organizations and individuals.
KKday users can access the new service by using App Clips introduced for Apple Inc’s iOS 14, the local company said, adding that the service is currently limited to Taipei, but would soon be extended to other parts of Taiwan.
People planning to visit the Taipei Children’s Amusement Park, the Maokong Gondola or Taipei Arena Ice Land can scan an App Clip code with their iPhone to enjoy quick and contactless ticketing services, it said.
Photo courtesy of Tigerair
Users select and purchase tickets with Apple Pay without ever downloading an app, it added.
After completing a ticket purchase, users receive a QR code so that they can use their iPhone to validate the digital ticket voucher to be admitted to their chosen venue, it said.
The service frees users from waiting in long ticket lines at venues or touching a ticketing kiosk, it said, adding that it has partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) to provide a NT$50 discount to users who pay with a Visa card through Apple Pay.
A consumer behavior survey conducted by KKday showed that 77 percent of users prefer to search for experience products on their smartphone and about 35 percent have become accustomed to mobile payment tools through KKday’s app.
More than 4 million users have so far used KKday’s electronic voucher verification service, it said.
KKday is the first tourism operator in broader China to introduce a service such as the App Clip.
“The pandemic has not hampered KKday’s efforts to enhance tourism experiences through digital innovation,” chief executive officer Chen Ming-ming (陳明明) said.
In the post-pandemic era, digital services are to play a greater role in tourism, especially in the areas of ordering, payment and customer service, Chen said, adding the KKday App Clip meets these needs.
TRTC and KKday have joined forces to provide digital upgrades for disease prevention in the pandemic, KKday said.
TRTC has expressed plans to extend the KKday App Clip service to all transportation, as well as entertainment and education venues in northern Taiwan, it said.
Government agencies and recreational facilities should embrace contactless payment systems featuring one-stop solutions in more consumer situations to meet people’s desire for fast and convenient payment that also boosts disease prevention, Chen said.
KKday aims to serve more than 10 million users and ultimately provide its digital services in all major tourism and payment situations nationwide, he said.
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