Next internet celebrity city emerges amid China's cultural tourism boom

Amidst a surge of social media buzz, China has seen several tourist attractions gain popularity in the past year before Tianshui.

During the five-day May Day holiday last year, tourism bookings for Zibo in Shandong province known for its barbecue increased some 20 times from the same period of the previous year, according to the local culture and tourism bureau.

The "ice city" of Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, embraced a tourism boom with its dazzling ice-and-snow theme park. It received over 10.09 million visitors during the Spring Festival holiday, marking an 81.7 percent year-on-year increase.

The phenomenal popularity of Zibo and Harbin, whether it be their local delicacies or signature tourism scenes, was just the beginning.

Beyond the allure of popular dishes, the old industrial city of Zibo attracted visitors with its high hospitality standards and quality of service.

Harbin demonstrated its attention to every nuanced travel experience for visitors and implemented a variety of innovative strategies to attract them. Similarly, Tianshui is trying to follow suit to embrace the opportunity for a tourism boom.

As of March 13, "Tianshui Malatang" has become the most widely searched hashtag across China's major social media platforms, with related short videos garnering over 1 billion views. Searches for "Tianshui Malatang" on the Chinese lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu have resulted in over 30,000 relevant notes.