Xiaohongshu’s impact on travel trends: how the Chinese app is reshaping Hong Kong tourism
- Chinese social media platform is blazing a trail for Mandarin-speaking visitors to find hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path ideas
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Mainland Chinese social media Xiaohongshu highlights unlikely tourism spots in Hong Kong
Carrying three lenses, two cameras and a tripod with him, mainland Chinese tourist Wei Jiale arrived at an unassuming basketball court with his girlfriend in search of a photo spot in Hong Kong’s Kennedy Town on a cloudy day.
But why this sports facility in a residential area on Hong Kong Island?
Wei said it provided the perfect vantage point to peek through the court’s fence and capture the city’s historic trams rumbling along a vibrant street against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour.
It was a tip Wei gleaned on Xiaohongshu, an Instagram-like social media platform popular on the mainland.
“I’d rather experience the culture here. Shopping is not of much interest to me,” said the beauty industry professional from Shenyang, the capital city of the northeastern province of Liaoning.
“Honestly, we have what we want to buy on the mainland, the same products might even be more expensive here and we will have to lug them back.”
