Chongqing - During the recent Golden Week, which coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day celebrations, Chongqing emerged as a hub of vibrant tourist activity and consumer spending. Throughout the eight-day holiday, the city showcased its strengths in areas such as catering, travel, and accommodation, securing its spot among China's top five in consumption. The consistent tourism growth has not only boosted the city's reputation but has also placed several of its indicators among China's top three, a testament to Chongqing's enduring appeal and energy.
Chongqing dazzled with its impressive performance during the Golden Week period. (Photo provided to iChongqing and Bridging News)
However, Chongqing must carefully recognize and address its hidden challenges and shortcomings to transition from a temporary hotspot to maintaining lasting popularity. To ensure enduring appeal, the city must strategically examine its current issues and potential enhancements in tourist and consumer services.
Examining Chongqing's tourism spending leads to questions about the industry's dominant themes and innate challenges. The central question remains: how can Chongqing hold onto its public interest and ensure continued engagement in the coming years? Experts weighed in on this.
Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street (Photo provided to iChongqing and Bridging News)
Liao Chenglin, a Chongqing University's School of Economics and Business Administration professor acknowledged that Chongqing attracted considerable attention during the recent Golden Week, deserving commendation for its achievements. However, he noted that the city presents both strengths and weaknesses. Although certain attractions like Hongyadong and cultural staples like hot pot are popular, they have not evolved enough to resonate with modern times and foresee future demands, lacking innovative breakthroughs. Thus, Chongqing's popularity might decline rapidly once its current charm diminishes.
Kang Zhuang, Director of the Fiscal and Financial Institute at the Chongqing Academy of Social Sciences, emphasized that many of Chongqing's venerable tourism resources have yet to realize their full experiential potential. Several iconic brands perfectly capture the city's essence and haven't adeptly blended modern consumption trends into their tourism and marketing strategies. Moreover, the city has not sufficiently bolstered the recognition and marketing of its standout tourism offerings.
Tourists in Hongyadong Scenic Spot (Photo provided to iChongqing and Bridging News)
Chongqing must amplify its tourism efforts to transition from temporary popularity to enduring appeal. The city's strategy should encompass three main initiatives: capitalizing on its existing strengths, addressing and rectifying its weaknesses, and skillfully promoting its offerings to spark discussion.
With its rich tourism resources, unique landscape, and deep cultural heritage, Chongqing should meticulously leverage these attributes. It will be crucial to prioritize critical projects and continuously refine its expertise in select areas. This targeted approach will boost visitor loyalty and highlight this mountainous city's unique tourism features.
Kang Zhuang suggests that Chongqing can harness its historical industrial sites to bolster industrial tourism. He recommends tapping into the legacy of Chongqing's venerable brands and traditional streets, thereby driving growth in the "Chongqing Imprints" tourism segment. Additionally, innovative events like exhibitions and contests can be central to promoting tourism festivals and activities. The city can elevate its tourism culture by melding Chongqing's unique characteristics with contemporary consumer trends and creative elements. This includes enhancing its culinary offerings to boost its standing in food tourism and establishing prominent tourism hubs that offer captivating experiences, ensuring the combined growth of the service and tourism sectors.
The heaven for foodies in Jiefangbei (Photo provided to iChongqing and Bridging News)
Historically, rural tourism has been a notable weakness in Chongqing's tourism offerings, particularly when compared to its urban aspects. Though the Golden Week data suggests that even lesser-known spots retain their charm, the dynamic of a thriving central region versus a quieter outskirts persists.
For Chongqing's tourism sector to evolve, a comprehensive approach is needed. This includes broad-based planning, year-round experiences, engagement from all sectors of society, robust industry growth, extensive services, and consistent regional management. The goal is to transition from isolated tourist spots to a broad, regional strategy. Key to this is improving service quality, enhancing visitor experiences, and regularly updating both digital and physical assets to turn occasional visitors into regulars.
Tourism is intrinsically linked to public perception and media buzz. Chongqing, often a hot topic on social media, needs to magnify its online presence and engagement further. A consistent public presence is vital. As Liao Chenglin notes, "A single catchy slogan can catapult a city to fame. An innovative and trendy tagline boosts the city's image and popularity."
Liao also proposes that organized events for locals and tourists, especially during peak times or holidays, can be a major draw. Well-planned events, such as this year's New Year's Eve fireworks, tap into Chongqing's strength in community gatherings, amplifying its appeal.
As Chongqing pushes to become an International Consumption Center City, the hope is to leverage the recent tourism boost from the Golden Week. By effectively executing the three strategic moves, the aim is to transform Chongqing into an International Consumption Destination with unique Bashu features, gaining worldwide recognition and ensuring ongoing tourism growth.