Young tourists from China have started visiting random places en masse. There is an explanation: xiahongshu

Chinese tourists (especially young ones) have opened a new, vast, and impressive window to the world: Xiaohongshu, an app that can be translated as “little red book”, although in reality it is often referred to as a Is cited as. from instagram made in ChinaSome have even dubbed it the “Chinese Instagram on steroids”. What is clear is that in just a few years Xiaohongsu has experienced tremendous growth that has allowed it to generate over 300 million users and ten-digit revenues. That and is becoming the reference guide for thousands of Chinese planning their next vacation.

outcome? The “Little Red Book” (RED) has led many young Chinese to visit heretofore unknown or less traveled places.

a success storyThis is not the first time we have talked to you about him. Xiaohongshu has been carving out its own niche for quite some time now, especially among Generation Z. Its approach with a clear commitment to shopping, products and lifestyle has allowed it to differentiate itself from other networks and grow.

From being a platform where reviews of articles were shared, it has become a network influencer and diverse content that touches on areas such as personal care, home, sports or travel. The result is a platform that has convinced millions of young people across the Asian giant. And this is clearly visible in their figures.

what do the statistics sayfew days back financial Times He dedicated a chronicle to it in which he outlined some of the figures that reflected this success: recorded $1,000 million in revenues during the first quarter of the year and a net profit of 200 million compared to 600 and 40 million respectively the previous year. Went. In terms of implementation, its monthly active users reached 312 million last year, an increase of nearly 20% compared to 2022.

Where am I going on a trip? As Chinese tourism revives after the pandemic, more young people are asking themselves this question. And more and more people seem to be responding by turning to Xiahongshu, which in a very short time has become an influential travel guide, a kind of “bible” for tourists. The most striking thing is that after consulting it, many Chinese go to primary places that are not very touristy, such as urban parks, grounds or police stations.

Why xiahongshu? For many reasons. First, its huge user base, more than 300 million, and a particularly pronounced weighting among Gen Z. Its profile is also very specific. in 2022 forbes It says that 80% are women and 90% of them are not yet 32 ​​years old. Its audience also seems to be mostly urban. About 60% live in so-called “tier 1” and “tier 2” cities, which include the country’s best metros.

The second key is that “Chinese Instagram” provides content absolutely in Chinese. And this is an important benefit. Despite the fact that the Asian giant is a huge market for tourism and the flow of travelers is increasing both at home and abroad – activity at the borders increased significantly during the last “Golden Week” – CNN recalls that many travel apps And the resources are not fully available in your language.

In Xiahongshu you will find detailed tips and routes to organize your trips, reviews of hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions, transportation recommendations… all accompanied by images and content created by other users. There are also people who use it directly as a search engine.

Redefining TourismThe success of Xiaohongshu is something that can be clearly seen on the street, where it is changing habits and turning places that were until recently unknown and often still unknown to Westerners, into tourist icons. In. Its logic is simple and closely related to the tourism known as “Daka tourism”, which basically consists of looking for photogenic places, taking photographs in them and sharing them on networks. “Travel to see,” Guanxi said sarcastically. In fact Robbery It can be translated as “sign”.

The Straits Times Published a report yesterday describing how one rainy morning its reporter saw about twenty people, mainly Chinese tourists, lining up to take photographs in the “Fort Canning Tree Tunnel” in Singapore. Many of them were there and not in other more popular parts of the city, such as Sentosa or Marina Bay Sands, because they had seen photos of the place in Xiahongshu. Something similar happened in Clarke Quay, where the journalist saw Chinese tourists posing in front of the Old Hill Street Police Station, known as the “Rainbow Station” in the Xiahongshu community.

tourists in a fieldSingapore is not the only example of how “Chinese Instagram” is changing the reference points of young Chinese when traveling. This happens to them in Europe, in Southeast Asia and in their own country. CNN reports that many tourists visiting Hong Kong from mainland China visit the Kennedy Town Playforth basketball court. Not because his tracks are anything special. They have simply checked in the app that from there they will get good views (and photos) of the urban landscape.

There are Chinese tourists in Copenhagen who, instead of looking for the statue of The Little Mermaid, visit Black Square in the city park because attractive white stripes have been painted on the ground, which have created a photogenic location. There seem to be places in New York or Tokyo that have become popular among the Chinese because of their associations with Mandopop or anime. They know it because they’ve seen it in the app. Another good example is in Indonesia: the Ijen Volcano in the east of Java, a place that was little known among Chinese travelers before the health crisis, but which has become a popular spot through the art of Xiaohongshu.

“My business became famous”The logic is always the same. Xiahongshu users have turned lesser-known places to Western tourists into fashionable places, photogenic places where they take selfies which they later share and ultimately attract new visitors. Of course, this phenomenon is important for companies that earn a living from tourism. Ang Koen, a 48-year-old Indonesian who organizes tours to Ijen, confessed to the rest of the world a few days ago that his longtime clients were European in origin. Now 60% are Chinese and most (of course) come here through Xiahongshu.

“My business is becoming famous,” he celebrates. This phenomenon has been felt with particular interest in Southeast Asia, a popular destination among the Chinese. And to show you a button: Laos is far from being the most visited country in Southeast Asia, but since 2023 it is in fashion on Xiaohongshu, with more than 71,000 publications, compared to 37,000 for Cambodia. MyBanLao Hotels, one of the country’s accommodations, reports that the number of Chinese guests has increased since creating an account with Xiahongshu, making up nearly 70% of its entire clientele.

Images | xiaohongshu capture

In Xataka Hong Kong spent a lot of money to become a great tourism capital in Asia. Now the only thing missing is tourists