Extra Southeast Asian flock to China’s Chongqing due to social media

A brand new pattern is driving Southeast Asian vacationers to China’s Chongqing metropolis — viral social media clips of monorails working by way of a residential constructing, buildings perched atop hilly terrain, and a pedestrian bridge on the thirteenth ground.

Flight bookings from Southeast Asia to Chongqing elevated greater than sixfold through the Dragon Boat Competition vacation, which fell on Could 31 this 12 months, in contrast with the earlier 12 months, Chinese language on-line journey platform Fliggy informed CNBC.

“In 2025 alone, we have captured an almost 12-fold surge in demand for Chongqing, in comparison with demand for different cities,” stated Sarah Wan, Klook’s normal supervisor for Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, in an e-mail. Demand doubled for different fashionable cities reminiscent of Beijing and Shanghai, and tripled for Chengdu, she added.

Chongqing has captured on-line consideration for its duality — it is dwelling to pure points of interest such because the Three Gorges and the Dazu Rock Carvings, and futuristic structure that impressed its nickname, “cyberpunk metropolis.”

That is partly as a result of younger adults are turning to social media for suggestions when planning their holidays, with 79% of millennial and Gen Z vacationers doing so, in response to Klook Journey Pulse analysis revealed in February.

That was the case for Ong Chong Yu, a 24-year-old undergraduate on the Nationwide College of Singapore, and his buddies, who needed to go to town after it “blew up” on Douyin and TikTok for its “8D magic,” refering to the way in which buildings sit on the hilly elements of Chongqing that provides dimension to town’s panorama.

The Chinese language language and Chinese language research main, who’s on a scholar trade program in Beijing, visited Chongqing on a weekend journey in March. He stated he discovered town’s distinctive panorama most memorable.

“[It] takes a climb up and down the mountain to get from one highway to a different, the primary ground of 1 constructing may be the fifteenth ground of one other,” Ong stated.

Except for social media hype, an enchancment in facilities and quite a lot of actions have contributed to town’s rising recognition.

The big selection of actions accessible for vacationers implies that “there’s something in Chongqing for everybody,” stated Edmund Ong, senior regional director of Southeast Asia at Journey.com, in an e-mail to CNBC.

“Older of us have lengthy loved Chongqing for its stunning surroundings, together with the Yangtze River and Three Gorges, whereas youthful vacationers have seen many locations there go viral on social media,” he added.

However it takes greater than good views to make a superb vacation.

Though Chongqing has change into extra crowded since undergraduate Ong’s final go to in 2018, “town’s crowd management is nice,” he stated, “so transferring round was fairly orderly, which I’m impressed by.”

The municipality has been specializing in making journey extra handy for vacationers, stated Gao Ling, director-general of the Chongqing Municipal Fee of Tradition and Tourism Growth, in a interview translated from Mandarin by CNBC.

The municipality has invested extra into the transport programs for these touring out and in of town. With extra choices to and from different main cities reminiscent of Beijing and Chengdu by way of air and prepare, town goals to make entry into Chongqing straightforward for vacationers, Gao stated in an interview with CNBC performed in Mandarin.

Earlier this 12 months, Chongqing additionally established one-stop service facilities in main transit hubs reminiscent of its Jiangbei Worldwide Airport and Chongqing North railway station, Gao stated. The facilities present baggage storage and data desks for vacationers.

Younger Southeast Asians could also be enticed to go to, partly due to the area’s proximity to China, Gao stated.

Amongst nations in Southeast Asia, Journey.com has seen essentially the most bookings to Chongqing from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, which all take pleasure in visa-free journey to China. Equally, Klook has famous that vacationers from Singapore and Malaysia lead gross sales for excursions within the area, with vacationers from Thailand and Indonesia fueling demand.

The variety of lodge bookings to Chongqing from Thai vacationers has additionally risen greater than fivefold, in response to knowledge supplied by Fliggy.

In response to the Klook Journey Pulse analysis examine, mainland China is the highest “must-go vacation spot” for millennial and Gen Z vacationers — second solely to Japan. The nation’s youth attraction may be attributed partly to cultural experiences reminiscent of themed photoshoots and stay performances incorporating music and dance, stated Elvis Yap, journey expertise and design planner for China at Singapore-based tour company Dynasty Journey.

Themed photoshoots, during which vacationers gown up in conventional outfits, have additionally blown up on social media, fueling demand, Yap stated. International and native vacationers alike submit images of themselves on social media, dressed up within the conventional Han clothes, full with a wig and heavy make-up, all of that are included within the service that vacationers buy.

One other fashionable instance is “gong yan,” a multi-course banquet meal and present, throughout which prospects can gown up in conventional outfits. It is “much more dynamic,” with “excessive stage cultural arts” performances mixed with the eating expertise at an reasonably priced worth, Yap stated, citing the power of the Singapore greenback towards the yuan.

However social media is not the one issue — hospitality in China has additionally improved, with extra enticing providers supplied in motels and points of interest, he added.

“The opposite nations in Asia need to be careful for the extent of competitors that China hospitality establishments are offering,” Yap stated.