Provinces wage cutthroat competition to woo visitors

Pop stars among celebrities recruited to promote local attractions

Numerous short-video clips posted by local authorities on social media platforms are attracting widespread attention from netizens across China.

The footage is aimed at turning online engagement into tourism revenue.

Hashtags such as "local culture and tourism bureaus going crazy, trying to outperform each other, and open to online suggestions to promote themselves" are trending on several platforms.

The cutthroat competition began as authorities attempted to copy the success story of Harbin, the capital of the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, which has become an internet sensation and a must-visit destination this winter.

The unprecedented influx of tourists, captivated by the stunning icy landscape in Harbin and the warm hospitality of local people, has resulted in the city becoming the most talked-about and sought-after travel destination in China this winter.

In the first four days of this year, 55 topics about tourism in Harbin trended on Sina Weibo, generating more than 1 billion views. Douyin, the name TikTok uses in China, and Xiaohongshu have also witnessed numerous trending hashtags related to how Harbin has "spoiled" travelers, along with the hospitality shown to them by local people and the authorities.

During the three-day New Year holiday, Harbin attracted more than 3 million visitors, generating a record-breaking 5.9 billion yuan ($830 million) in tourism revenue, with both figures setting records.

Harbin's success has spurred other areas to compete for online attention on the Douyin platform.

The battle began with the Department of Culture and Tourism in Henan province posting 23 videos on Douyin on Jan 9. Over a four-day period, the department posted 112 videos to promote the province's tourist attractions.

The footage attracted nearly 1 million new followers, with the hashtag "How many videos have the Henan culture and tourism authorities posted on Douyin?" trending on the platform. Netizens joked that the authorities in Henan were attempting to attract visitors with the sheer number of videos they posted.

Meanwhile, footage of bare-chested male models at the Yuntai Mountain scenic spot in Henan has been posted on a local tourism account run by people born after 2000. The videos have become popular with netizens who joke about visiting the province to see "the hot guys".

With the authorities in Henan showing their muscle, other areas do not want to be left behind.

In Shanxi province, the culture and tourism authorities posted 57 videos on Douyin between 8 pm on Jan 11 and 6:35 am the following day. At the peak, they posted two videos in one minute and 12 in an hour.

In Hebei province, the authorities have termed themselves "King of the competition", and vowed to fight to the end to attract visitors.

On Jan 12, they changed their name on Douyin from "Hebei tourism" to "Hebei culture and tourism", as "culture and tourism" has become a popular catchphrase on the platform. They also declared a "war" with other provinces to attract visitors, and vowed to win.

Next day, they posted 75 videos, all with the hashtag "Hebei is king of the competition".

The authorities were even told by Douyin to "take a rest", as they had posted too many videos, to which they responded that 75 a day is the platform's limit, not Hebei's.

The authorities in Shandong province have joined the competition in a way that has proved a little embarrassing for some locals.