More Southeast Asians are flocking to China's Chongqing city. Social media hype is a big reason

CNBC

a day ago

A new trend is driving Southeast Asian tourists to China's Chongqing city — viral social media clips of monorails running through a residential building, buildings perched atop hilly terrain, and a pedestrian bridge on the 13th floor.
Flight bookings from Southeast Asia to Chongqing increased more than sixfold during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, which fell on May 31 this year, compared with the previous year, Chinese online travel platform Fliggy told CNBC.
"In 2025 alone, we've captured a nearly 12-fold surge in demand for Chongqing, compared to demand for other cities," said Sarah Wan, Klook's general manager for Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, in an email. Demand doubled for other popular cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, and tripled for Chengdu, she added.
Chongqing has captured online attention for its duality — it's home to natural attractions such as the Three Gorges and the Dazu Rock Carvings, and futuristic architecture that inspired its nickname, "cyberpunk city."
That's partly because young adults are turning to social media for recommendations when planning their holidays, with 79% of millennial and Gen Z travelers doing so, according to Klook Travel Pulse research published in February.
That was the case for Ong Chong Yu, a 24-year-old undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, and his friends, who wanted to visit the city after it "blew up" on Douyin and TikTok for its "8D magic," refering to the way buildings sit on the hilly parts of Chongqing that adds dimension to the city's landscape.
The Chinese language and Chinese studies major, who is on a student exchange program in Beijing, visited Chongqing on a weekend trip in March. He said he found the city's unique landscape most memorable.
"[It] takes a climb up and down the mountain to get from one road to another, the first floor of one building might be the 15th floor of another," Ong said.
Aside from social media hype, an improvement in amenities and a variety of activities have contributed to the city's growing popularity.
The wide range of activities available for tourists means that "there is something in Chongqing for everyone," said Edmund Ong, senior regional director of Southeast Asia at Trip.com, in an email to CNBC.
"Older folks have long enjoyed Chongqing for its beautiful scenery, including the Yangtze River and Three Gorges, while younger travelers have seen many places there go viral on social media," he added.
But it takes more than good views to make a good holiday.
Although Chongqing has become more crowded since undergraduate Ong's last visit in 2018, "the city's crowd control is great," he said, "so moving around was quite orderly, which I am impressed by."
The municipality has been focusing on making travel more convenient for tourists, said Gao Ling, director-general of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, in a interview translated from Mandarin by CNBC.
The municipality has invested more into the transport systems for those traveling in and out of the city. With more options to and from other major cities such as Beijing and Chengdu via air and train, the city aims to make entry into Chongqing easy for tourists, Gao said in an interview with CNBC conducted in Mandarin.
Earlier this year, Chongqing also established one-stop service centers in major transit hubs such as its Jiangbei International Airport and Chongqing North railway station, Gao said. The centers provide luggage storage and information desks for travelers.
Young Southeast Asians may be enticed to visit, partly because of the region's proximity to China, Gao said.
Among countries in Southeast Asia, Trip.com has seen the most bookings to Chongqing from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, which all enjoy visa-free travel to China. Similarly, Klook has noted that tourists from Singapore and Malaysia lead sales for tours in the region, with tourists from Thailand and Indonesia fueling demand.
The number of hotel bookings to Chongqing from Thai travelers has also risen more than fivefold, according to data provided by Fliggy.
But the hype isn't confined to Chongqing — travel demand is rising across cities in mainland China.
According to the Klook Travel Pulse research study, mainland China is the top "must-go destination" for millennial and Gen Z travelers — second only to Japan. The country's youth appeal can be attributed partly to cultural experiences such as themed photoshoots and live performances incorporating song and dance, said Elvis Yap, travel experience and design planner for China at Singapore-based tour agency Dynasty Travel.
Themed photoshoots, in which travelers dress up in traditional outfits, have also blown up on social media, fueling demand, Yap said. Foreign and local tourists alike post photos of themselves on social media, dressed up in the traditional Han clothing, complete with a wig and heavy makeup, all of which are included in the service that tourists purchase.
Another popular example is "gong yan," a multi-course banquet meal and show, during which customers can dress up in traditional outfits. It's "a lot more dynamic," with "high level cultural arts" performances combined with the dining experience at an affordable price, Yap said, citing the strength of the Singapore dollar against the yuan.
But social media isn't the only factor — hospitality in China has also improved, with more attractive services offered in hotels and attractions, he added.
"The other countries in Asia have to watch out for the level of competition that China hospitality institutions are providing," Yap said.