With the end of the "May Day" holiday, various tourist destinations have handed over a brilliant report card. On May 8, Tongcheng Travel took stock of the tourism market performance of 9 representative cities in China's four generations of "Internet celebrity cities" during the "May Day" holiday: from the first generation of tourist cities, to literary landmarks in the PC era, to the new favorites in the short video era, these cities not only exploded in a specific period, but also showed a different style during this year's May Day holiday.
The first generation of top stream: Rely on appearance to explode, and rely on strength to become popular
Sanya and Zhangjiajie are the representatives of the "first generation of top streams" of domestic tourist cities. From the late 70s to the early 80s of the last century, the two cities successively took tourism as a key area of urban development. The song "Please Come to the End of the World" let the world know the end of the world in Sanya, and the arrival of Wu Guanzhong painter made a deep mountain forest farm in Hunan become a "fairyland on earth" in people's minds. After years of development, the tourism industry has become a pillar industry for the "first generation of top streamers".
The data performance of the two cities during this year's May Day holiday is also very impressive. Tongcheng Travel data shows that during this year's "May Day" period, the booking popularity of Sanya scenic spots increased by 38% year-on-year, and the popularity of travel searches increased by 46% month-on-month. Popular attractions include Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone, Wuzhizhou Island, Sanya Eternal Love, Tianya Haijiao and West Island Marine Cultural Tourism Zone. Sanya's major bays are home to high-end resorts, duty-free shopping, surfing, music performances, outdoor camping and other activities, making Sanya a year-round tourist destination. "There is no winter in Sanya, and there is no off-season" has become a true portrayal of the local tourism industry.
According to Tongcheng Travel data, hotel booking popularity increased by 46% year-on-year during the May Day holiday in Zhangjiajie, and travel search popularity increased by 77% month-on-month. The natural scenery of Tianmen Mountain and Wulingyuan, as well as the Tianzi Mountain Cableway, Bailong Sky Ladder and Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Plank Road built by Zhangjiajie, have attracted many tourists to challenge. Top events and outdoor events, such as wingsuit flying and mountain biking races, not only enrich the experience of tourists, but also make Zhangjiajie evolve from a domestic top class to an "international Zhangjiajie".
Literary and artistic landmarks in the PC era: it's too late to "pass the gas", and it continues to become popular
Around 2000, with the rapid development of domestic free travel, "literature and art" and "utopia" became the time and distance of a generation of tourists, and Xiamen and Dali became literary and artistic landmarks in people's minds. In recent years, Citywalk has emerged, and the hit TV series "The Beginning" and "Going to a Windy Place" were filmed in Xiamen and Dali respectively, so that the city that has never faded out of people's attention has added new cultural connotations and attracted the attention of young tourists.
Since the rise of literary youth and backpacker travel in 2003, the literary and artistic atmosphere of Xiamen Gulangyu Island has attracted countless tourists. Tongcheng travel data shows that during this year's "May Day" holiday, the booking popularity of Xiamen scenic spots increased by 49% year-on-year, and the popularity of travel search increased by 103% month-on-month. Popular attractions such as Gulangyu Island and Jimei Village are still crowded, and Xiamen is not only the yearning of literary and artistic youth, but also enriches the city's tourism experience through diversified activities such as music, beaches and art festivals.
In 1982, Dali was awarded the first batch of historical and cultural cities in China. The TV series "Dragon Babu" broadcast in 2003 made more tourists know Dali. During this year's May Day holiday, the booking popularity of Dali hotels increased by 49% year-on-year, and the booking popularity of scenic spots increased by 122% year-on-year. Attractions such as Dali Ancient Town and Shuanglang Ancient Town continue to be hot, and Shaxi Ancient Town and Fengyangyi have also become new Internet celebrity check-in places.
The first wave of short-time frequency traffic: It has always been very "rich" and difficult to replicate
In recent years, short videos have become an important window for urban tourism brand communication. Cities such as Xi'an, Chongqing, Chengdu, and Changsha became the first wave of beneficiaries of short video traffic. These new first-tier cities, which originally had a long history, developed economy, convenient transportation and relatively complete infrastructure, have their own advantages that are difficult to replicate, and have become the real "top stream" of the current tourism market.
From 2017 to 2018, short video content such as the night view of Hongya Cave and the Liziba light rail crossing the building made Chongqing an Internet celebrity city. According to the data of Tongcheng Travel, this year's "May Day", Chongqing ranked first in the country in terms of hotel booking popularity, and the top 10 scenic spot booking popularity in the country. Attractions such as Baidi City and Qutang Gorge attract a large number of tourists, and Chongqing's three-dimensional magical city characteristics make it a popular destination for young tourists.
Xi'an's bowl wine and the little sister tumbler have become memorable fragments from 2018 to 2019. Tongcheng Travel data shows that during the May Day holiday in 2024, Xi'an will rank among the top 10 hotels in the country in terms of hotel booking, and the Mausoleum Museum of the First Qin Emperor and the Shaanxi History Museum will be among the top 10 popular museums in China. Attractions such as the Tang City that never sleeps, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses have become a must-visit place for tourists, the bright moon of the Qin Dynasty and the elegance of the Tang Dynasty are fascinating, and the light night scene and rich cultural experience of contemporary Xi'an have made people's cultural nostalgia have a place to rest.
New traffic of short videos: Who is the wealth of the sky today?
"Small city" has become the core keyword of this year's "May Day" cultural tourism market. According to Tongcheng Travel data, during this year's May Day holiday, the popularity of hotel bookings in dozens of small cities below the third tier in China more than doubled. In fact, since 2020, more and more small cities have become popular all over the Internet with a short video, and then more cultural tourism highlights have been discovered by people, and then become new cultural tourism consumption hotspots.
From 2020 to 2021, the short videos of Tibetan boy Ding Zhen and Ganzi "Internet Celebrity Director" Liu Hong have become popular one after another, and Ganzi has also become the yearning of countless young tourists. During this year's "May Day" holiday, the booking popularity of Ganzi hotels on the Tongcheng travel platform increased by 67% year-on-year, and the booking popularity of scenic spots increased by more than 7 times year-on-year. Scenic spots such as Luding Bridge and Daocheng Yading have become popular choices, and the natural scenery and ethnic customs of Ganzi have been loved by tourists.
In 2023, Zibo barbecue will become a hot spot on the whole network, and since then, Zibo cultural tourism and local citizens have made big moves, and the hospitality of Shandong people has become vivid stories and intimate details through short videos, which have become popular all over the country. During this year's "May Day" holiday, Zibo's tourism popularity has not decreased, the eight major markets are still crowded, Haidailou Zhongshuge has also repeatedly limited the flow, and scenic spots such as the red leaf persimmon rock tourist area have become a new choice for tourists to explore Zibo in depth.
Tianshui Malatang became a hot word on the Internet in March this year, and since then, the popularity of tourism has continued to rise. Tongcheng travel data shows that this "May Day", the booking popularity of Tianshui hotels increased by 59% year-on-year, and the booking popularity of scenic spots increased by 138% year-on-year. Attractions such as Maiji Mountain and Fuxi Temple are favored by tourists, and the historical culture and food culture of Tianshui have successfully attracted the attention of tourists.
"Out of the circle" through the Internet is an important opportunity for cultural tourism destinations to gain exposure and attract more tourists. How to convert traffic into tourism consumption and turn "Internet celebrity" into "ever-popular" also needs to continuously enrich the cultural connotation of the city and improve the tourism experience and service reception capacity. As the tourism market continues to recover and prosper, it is believed that these cities will continue to attract tourists from all over the world with their unique charm, and new "Internet celebrity cities" will continue to emerge to provide tourists with more travel options.