Citywalk is on fire in 2023.
City walk, also known as "city walking" or "city roaming", is a whirlwind in 2023, quickly spreading across major social platforms: on Xiaohongshu, the topic has been viewed more than 2.1 billion times, searches have increased 140 times year-on-year, more than 3.7 million notes have shared Citywalk's story, and videos with related hashtags on Douyin have reached 4.52 billion views...... With the popularity of this mode of travel, some cities have also become popular, including Tianjin.
Some people may wonder why Citywalk has become the new trend of tourism, what kind of communication does it open up between people and the city, and what do people gain from Citywalk?
Look at the city from a different angle
Some people may say that Citywalk sounds good, isn't it just "pressing the road", and what "flowers" can be walked out. In fact, unlike natural scenery tourism, Citywalk is an exploration of the city's history and people, and walking is the best way to go deep into every corner of a city.
The indissoluble bond between the video blogger @Walking Rice Cooker and Tianjin began with a family visit: "After the Spring Festival last year, we stayed at a relative's house in Binhai New Area for a few days, and as an authentic food blogger, I first indulged in Tanggu seafood, and then I was impressed by the pancake buns. Originally, the purpose of this trip was not tourism, although I tasted the food, but I didn't have time to enjoy the beautiful scenery, or some regrets, plus the call of food, I came back again in the spring. ”
The main targets set for this trip in May @ Walking Rice Cooker were the former residence of Zhang Xueliang and the Li Shunde Hotel Museum. "My travel strategy is always very crude, except for the main destination, the rest of the itinerary depends on touching, and the beautiful scenery that I accidentally find should be a surprise for myself. But this trip to Tianjin was not only a surprise, but also shocking. The hotel I chose was near Xiaobailou, and the distance to Zhang Xueliang's former residence was not close, so I chose to walk without taking a car if I could walk, and I accidentally walked on Tai'an Road. I always thought that Tianjin's attractions should be distinct from each other, after all, it is rare for a city to have a block like Wudao, and there is no need to have too high requirements for other streets, but I was wrong. "It's the first time I've moved down a street, and every few steps I have to look back at the buildings, for fear of missing the most beautiful angles."@行走的电饭煲打趣道 Later, I slipped to Jiefang North Road at night...... The beauty of a city is over, how to achieve beauty without knowing it. That's it, there are many local fans who tell me that there is nothing in Tianjin, you are really low-key. ”
If some people are still wondering, what is the fun of Citywalk without planning, checking in, or rushing?@行走的电饭煲给出的可能就是最好的答案: Walking aimlessly, in addition to deepening your connection with the city, also gives you more opportunities to meet the locals and gain the warmth and kindness of strangers. "The people of Tianjin are really very welcoming. Because my strategy is very rough and often need to ask for directions, I found that when Tianjin people give you directions, you often ask a sentence and they can reply to you five sentences, if the place to go is not distinctive enough, they hate to plan a Plan B for you on the spot. She told reporters, "In the past year, I have come to Tianjin almost every two or three months. Once I seriously summarized the impression left on me by Tianjin - lazy, romantic, high-end, comfortable, and now I want to add a 'joy', which is the feeling that Tianjin people give me, and it is also one of the characteristics of this city that particularly attracts me, and this kind of urban temperament can only be experienced more truly when it gets into the corner of the city. ”
Huang Tian's biggest hobby is reading books and collecting vinyl records. Because of her work, she can always get some free time on other people's busy working days, and walk through the streets and alleys of Tianjin to find her favorite shop. "I'm afraid I'm a veteran Citywalker now, and this habit permeates all my city trips. Huang Tian joked. Unlike many people who do a strategy for checking in on travel routes and scenic spots before traveling, Huang Tian prefers to dig into the city's culture in advance: "Maybe it's because I like to walk the streets and alleys, and ordinary guides are of little use to me." But in order to get a better feel for a city, I will definitely learn about the local history and culture first, and sometimes I may even do some local culture learning in advance, so that I can have a deeper understanding of the city. ”
Comparing the cities he has visited, Huang Tian feels that even international metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai are not as strong as Tianjin in terms of the collision of different cultures: it can have both the foreign atmosphere of the Five Great Avenues and the hustle and bustle of the city at the bottom of the Nine Rivers, and this fusion of contradictions is not abrupt at all, and it adds a charm to Tianjin and its people.
A new way for young people to decompress
"Walking is just living, walking is living". With the acceleration of the pace of the city, more and more people have no time to enjoy the scenery on the way to and from work, but walking in the city and walking in nature can bring about both physical and mental changes, which is one of the reasons why more and more young people fall in love with "Citywalk".
Of course, when it comes to "Citywalk", we have to mention the wave of "special forces-style tourism" that arose before it, and some netizens even laughed that putting them together can be called the "peerless double pride" of the tourism circle in 2023.
Recalling the situation at that time, Qiu Fei, who is in her third year of college this year, told reporters that she really followed the trend. "I feel like it's just a bit of a suffocation during the pandemic, and when it's finally time to open up and play, everyone is racing against the clock as if they're trying to catch up on missed time. Qiu Fei said with a smile, "During the May Day holiday, I went to Suzhou and Hangzhou with my roommates, and I can't wait to use one day as an 8-day check-in, scenic spots, street travel photography, and food exploration...... It's a lot of fun. After returning to Tianjin, I felt that my whole body was so tired that I took off my skin. Qiu Fei, who was "injured" by the "special forces-style tourism", decisively chose a local tour during the National Day holiday five months later. "Travel is for relaxation and relaxation, and I don't want to 'roll up' on this as well. ”
One of the four roommates in Qiu Fei's dormitory is from Haikou, and it is also for the purpose of taking her to get to know Tianjin that she has this in-depth city roaming. "I didn't expect that a trip down brought a lot of surprises to us, the 'local natives'. "People often say that familiar places don't have scenery, but that's not the case. If we take 'Citywalk' as an attitude, the city we live in, and even our lives, will become more exciting. ”
Kaikai and Yuanyuan, the best friends, are loyal fans of "Citywalk", and when the reporter met them in Tai'an Road, it happened to be Christmas Day 2023. "We are from Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, and we took our annual leave to celebrate Christmas today. Kaikai told reporters, "From Cangzhou to Tianjin, take the high-speed rail for only 20 minutes, sometimes busy for a week, especially want to find a strange place to relax, charge and then go back, Tianjin has become our first choice." ”
Kaikai and Yuanyuan took a photo in Tai'an Road
After escaping the stylized travel of "checking in N attractions every day", "Citywalk", a travel experience that does not need to quantify the results of travel and completely returns to emotion, allows young people to find another way to decompress, and even allows some people to have a new social experience. "Now, Tianjin has a paid "Citywalk" route, where three or five people follow a guide to explore the history behind the building, enjoy the beautiful scenery and make friends, which I think is worth it. Qiu Fei said, "My home used to be near the Italian style street, and the tour guide told me about history and celebrities, so I shared the story of living here, and I felt that I could better appreciate the happiness of living with the city." Usually a person can walk the distance in more than 1 hour, but that day I stopped and walked around for an afternoon. When we parted, another student in the team also added me to WeChat, and agreed to continue walking in the city together next time. Having a friend with similar interests was an unexpected gain. ”
Abandon the blind pursuit of "punching in".
The popularity of the "Citywalk" has livened up the city, and at the same time, it has also brought a large number of tourists to the streets.
Li Chao has lived in Wanghailou Street, Hebei District since he was a child, and he can't tell what day the Lion Forest Bridge diving became popular. "Since I was a child, I knew that there were several groups of people who came to play by the Haihe River every day, in addition to the uncles and aunts who swam and dived, there were also many fishing enthusiasts, and the locals had long been surprised, but they never thought that the 'diving uncle' could become popular. Li Chao told reporters, "I was also quite entangled during that time, on the one hand, I hope that the popularity of the uncles can continue and bring more attention to Tianjin." On the other hand, the traffic around my house has really put it to the test. "For a long time, Li Chao arrived home from work more than half an hour later than usual every day. Especially in the case of needing to take a taxi, if it is located near the Lion Forest Bridge, you can get on the bus within half an hour, which is considered fast.
Also feeling the surge in tourists from other places are the residents of Honghu in Hongqiao District. "Now, Tianjin's early reputation is well-known, and many tourists come to Tianjin for this mouth. At first, everyone went to the northwest corner, and then a few food bloggers visited the store in Honghu, and there were more people here. It's usually better, but on weekends you have to queue up for 1 hour, and breakfast can be turned into lunch directly. A local resident told reporters, "On weekends, we basically don't eat out and leave the opportunity to tourists." ”
Although in interviews, people will also complain about the inconvenience caused by sudden changes in their lives, more people choose to be tolerant and understanding, and even adjust their habits to adapt to the new environment. "In fact, I have also unearthed a lot of treasure bookstores, some of which are hidden in the city, so that people can enjoy a moment of tranquility in the depths of the city. But I won't keep it private in order to keep this tranquility, but I prefer to share it with more friends, maybe there will be people who are curious to 'join in the fun' at first, but the tourists who will really stay and come back again and again must be the people who can really feel the beauty of it. Huang Tian told reporters.
It is true that there are some locations that have not been developed for tourism purposes, and the sudden influx of crowds is sure to be beyond its capacity. "Citywalk" should be free to start from the heart, not fall into the trap of stylization. When tourists really use the city block as a window to experience a city, and abandon the blind pursuit of "checking in" and "showing movies", then "Citywalk" will be more friendly to both tourists and the city.
Reporter's note: Solve the problem of Citywalk
In May 2023, the White Paper on China's Travel Consumption Trends was released, giving us a clearer picture of the future transformation of the travel industry. The four new trends mentioned are: niche and unique, relaxed and relaxed, unknown surprises, and deep locality, which is exactly in line with the popularity of "Citywalk".
While "Citywalk" has become popular, it has also given birth to the development of related industries and economies within the city, and new opportunities have been ushered in for tour managers, catering, shopping, accommodation and other industries. How to empower "Citywalk" has become the focus of attention of many cities.
During the interview, the reporter found that a considerable part of the check-in places in the "Citywalk" route are closely related to the city's history and culture, which also makes "retro streets and alleys", "old landmarks" and "time-honored brands" the preferred destination for many tourists to "Citywalk". This trend has also indirectly promoted the renewal of cities and the upgrading of traditional resources. However, the upgrading and renewal of cities requires careful design. If you just copy and paste the "Internet celebrity snacks" and "cultural and creative products" that do not have local characteristics and can be seen all over the country to the local area, it will not only make tourists feel aesthetically fatigued, but even have a sense of unworthy of the name.
In today's era, tourism consumption is changing from sightseeing consumption to experiential consumption, and whoever can meet this demand will be able to turn "flow" into "retention". Tianjin has a unique historical and cultural endowment, and it is very important to revitalize and make good use of the profound cultural and tourism resources, and to deeply explore and innovate the opening and experience mode of these resources. It is hoped that "Citywalk" can become a stage to showcase the unique charm of Tianjin, attract more tourists, and inject more vitality into the city's economic development.
Source: Tonight reporter Tian Ying