New Delhi: Indian tourists can now use the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to make online bookings at major tourist attractions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore, according to a statement issued by the Union finance ministry.
The move allows Indian travellers to use their preferred UPI apps for convenient online payments when planning visits to popular international attractions, reducing the need to rely on unfamiliar payment methods.
NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India, announced strategic partnerships with the UAE on July 29, 2026, and Singapore on September 9, 2026, to enable UPI payments for online bookings.
In the UAE, UPI payments have been enabled for the ‘At the Top’ experience at the Burj Khalifa through partnerships with NEOPAY and Emaar Entertainment.
In Singapore, the facility has been extended to Resorts World Sentosa in collaboration with payment service provider FOMO Pay. The resort includes popular attractions such as Universal Studios Singapore, Singapore Oceanarium and Adventure Cove Waterpark. Singapore welcomed 1.2 million Indian visitors in 2025, according to the statement.
The initiative is aimed at making cross-border digital payments more convenient and strengthening digital and economic ties between India and the two destinations. UPI-based ticketing was previously introduced for the Eiffel Tower in France on January 26, 2024.
Indian travellers can also access UPI-based payments in Singapore, the UAE, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Greece. Uzbekistan is expected to become the 11th country on the list following a commercial agreement signed during the Indian prime minister’s visit on August 30, 2026, the statement said.
