How ‘China’s Instagram’ is transforming the travel industry

Chinese travelers don't discover hidden destinations by accident. Many are avid users of the Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book)

Xiaohongshu has managed to dominate the market and change the way people travel in Asia and beyond. The app's users have turned lesser-known destinations, rarely visited by Western tourists, into popular spots for Chinese travelers.

Key takeaways

• Chinese travelers took 7.6 million trips during the holiday period, up 33.2% from the previous year, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Many likely relied on Xiaohongshu to plan their trips;
• The platform is largely responsible for the rise of unexpected destinations, which are almost exclusively visited by Chinese tourists;
• Because most users are Chinese and post in their native language, much of the content remains within the Xiaohongshu community;
• Some European businesses, such as Lobos, a tapas restaurant with two locations in London, are starting to take advantage of this trend.

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