Is your city "Internet celebrity"?

Go to Zibo to eat barbecue, go to Changsha to visit Orange Continent, go to Weifang to visit the Kite Museum... During this year's "May Day" holiday, many "Internet celebrity cities" attracted tourists from all over the country to visit, and the tourism consumption market was hot.

The newly promoted "Internet celebrity city" Zibo is popular with tourists. Statistics show that the overall tourism orders of Zibo's "May Day" increased by 2019% compared with 441, of which the "Eight Major Convenience Market" received more than 12,5 tourists on the first day of the holiday. As of 3 o'clock on May 14, Changsha's 27 tourist attractions received a total of 5,194,95 tourists in 9210 days of holidays, with a cumulative revenue of 51.<> million yuan.

For all cities, "becoming popular" is not the ultimate goal, and "long-term red" is the long-term pursuit. How to develop "Internet celebrity cities" in the long term?

"Internet celebrity cities" have their own unique temperament

"Table by table, one oven and one wrap, dipping sauce, rolling meat, putting green onions..." With a unique sense of ritual and eating method, Zibo barbecue has become popular on the Internet. Since this spring, topics such as "forming a group to eat barbecue in Zibo" have frequently appeared on the Weibo hot search list and the Douyin city list, becoming a phenomenal topic. Boosted by social media traffic, Zibo in Shandong Province has become a new "Internet celebrity city".

Online traffic quickly turned into offline enthusiasm – according to the 2023 May Day blowout data report released by WeChat, the average daily consumption of tourism-related industries in Zibo increased by 73% month-on-month during the May Day period, and the average daily spending amount of tourists in local small and medium-sized businesses in Zibo increased by nearly 40% month-on-month.

Zibo is not the first "Internet celebrity city", and previously, many cities in the north and south of the river have stood out among the dividends brought by the Internet. And these cities have unique characteristics.

The fireworks in Orange Island and the light show on both sides of the Xiangjiang River have created the label of "romantic capital" in Changsha, Hunan Province; The leisurely teahouse and diversified and inclusive fashion street circle integrate the comfortable and comfortable atmosphere of Chengdu, Sichuan; The "8D magical" terrain and popular attractions Hongya Cave make Chongqing a "veteran Internet celebrity"... With their unique scenery and food, these cities have gained a lot of traffic on the Internet, ranking among the ranks of "Internet celebrity cities", gaining high attention and strong influence.

The most common symbols in cities often evoke emotional resonance, which in turn promotes appreciation and nostalgia for cities. In an interview with this newspaper, Zhang Zhi'an, a professor at the School of Journalism of Fudan University, believes that "Internet celebrity cities" often have their own characteristics. "When we look at an 'Internet celebrity city', one is traffic, and the other is a cultural or emotional trait that will make today's young people identify. Behind the traffic is a spiritual temperament, such as the spirit of entertainment, which is often connected with the mentality of young people. ”

For example, Changsha. Youthful vitality has become a spiritual trait of the city. Neon and traffic in major business districts; The river breeze at Fisherman's Wharf and the fragrant lobster; Lakeside concerts, live singing and laughter... In Changsha, where traffic is also jammed at three or four o'clock in the morning, people crowd into food stalls at night, enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of the "city that never sleeps". The story of the night of Liberation West in the documentary, the footage of the major night markets in Changsha in the news, and the topic of "4:2022 a.m., the streets of Changsha are crowded" on the hot search many times, formed the urban characteristics of "youth Changsha" in the fine and silent things, attracting people to walk from online to offline, go out of their homes, and check in Changsha. In August 8, the "Report on the Impact of China's Urban Night Economy (2021-2022)" led by Outlook Think Tank was released, and Changsha ranked second among the "Top Ten Night Economies in China".

"This kind of youth culture and youthful vitality is a kind of mark of Changsha. In a sense, Changsha exists for young people. Chen Gang, chairman of the Changsha CPPCC, said at the 5th China Cultural Tourism New Marketing Summit.

Another example is Zibo. This newly promoted "Internet celebrity city" has become a projection and carrier of many people's inner needs. In mobile short videos, people are infected by the simple and appealing culture here. A weekend "just go" ticket can achieve a short emotional release. The "fireworks" in "Zibo BBQ" carry people's pursuit of a better life.

As the locals in Zibo say, the small stove of Zibo barbecue represents temperature, small cakes represent tolerance, green onions represent boldness, and there is no lack of cultural significance in one side of the food.

How to build an "Internet celebrity city"

From the veteran Internet celebrities Chongqing, Changsha in Hunan and Xi'an in Shaanxi, to Ganzi and Suizhou, Hubei, which were led by local cultural and tourism bureau directors, to Jiangmen and Dali, Yunnan, Guangdong, which became popular due to the hit TV series, to Zibo, Shandong, which always dominates the hot search on Weibo, the "Internet celebrity city" has not only characteristic symbols, but also cultural elements and urban heritage.

How to build a "net red city" has become a topic of interest to more and more cities. Some cities hold special seminars, some cities rush to Zibo to study, and some cities write them into urban planning...

From past experience, the emergence of "Internet celebrity cities" is indeed inseparable from local efforts.

For example, in order to further promote the integration of culture and tourism, Jiangmen City, where the TV series "Crazy" was filmed, has produced a VR panorama and check-in point signs for the attractions of the Long Beach Historical and Cultural District, and visitors only need to scan the code to understand the attractions of "Crazy" and the cultural history behind it, follow the plot to stroll through the century-old street, and deeply feel the old time here.

For another example, in the Changsha Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall located in the Orange Island Scenic Area, a number of intangible cultural heritage items such as Xiang embroidery, face molding making skills, and Xiang opera face painting provided visitors with in-depth cultural experience; Various light and shadow art venues, youth centers, cultural and creative spaces, exhibition halls, etc., allow visitors to have an in-depth understanding of the local history, culture and humanistic charm.

For example, the "2021th Five-Year Plan for Chongqing Municipal Culture and Tourism Development (2025-<>)" issued by the Chongqing Municipal People's Government clearly pointed out that it is necessary to establish and improve the collaborative innovation mechanism of cultural and tourism integration IP, formulate and introduce support policies for original intellectual property rights, further implement cultural and creative alliances, promote culture-enabled tourism, and fully tap all kinds of cultural relics, literature and art, intangible cultural heritage and other human resources.

When it turns red, it is not only the glamorous side of the city that is tested, but also the supporting safeguard measures. Once it does not match the word of mouth, or quickly goes out of shape, the "Internet red city" will face the risk of "red" turning "black".

In Zibo, after "out of the circle" through barbecue, the local government immediately launched a series of measures to facilitate the people and benefit the people. In order to cope with the large passenger flow, the local area adjusted the bus route in time and launched a barbecue map to divert the flow; The government took the lead in standardizing accommodation prices and opened a case for investigation on hotels that increased prices by 1.5 times; scenic public toilets intimately prepared sanitary napkins and gastrointestinal anti-inflammatory drugs for tourists; local men, women and children went into battle as volunteers to provide services for tourists from other places, and opened their arms to the whole country with a sincere attitude... Zibo, a small city, has won praise for its integrity and enthusiasm. Meituan data shows that Zibo's "May Day" accommodation bookings this year increased by 2019% compared with 800, ranking first in Shandong, and word of mouth has remained at a high level.

Some netizens commented, "You think that people are promoting barbecue, but in fact, people are promoting the quality of residents, the ability of the administrative team and a good business environment" and "Zibo barbecue is not on skewers, but about revitalizing people's livelihood, promoting popularity, promoting consumption, living the economy, building image, creating culture, and increasing confidence."

In Chongqing, promoting the improvement of the tourism environment has become an important task. As Qin Dingbo, deputy director of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of Culture and Tourism, said, the city has paid attention and the tourism environment is also improving at an accelerated pace, and the next step is to make what kind of products to attract tourists to stay. Relevant authorities in Chongqing said that the next step will continue to promote the quality of product supply. In addition to upgrading a number of popular scenic spots such as Hongya Cave, Liziba Light Rail, and Ciqikou Ancient Town, a number of boutique tourism routes will be launched around red tourism, urban tourism, Three Gorges tourism, rural tourism, etc., and strive to create a number of iconic, driving and original tourism brands.

Let the city move from "Internet celebrity" to "long red"

A city becomes an "Internet celebrity" by virtue of the spread of an attraction or event. But to achieve the state of "long red", it is necessary to provide a good experience and feeling for a long time.

In Zhang Zhi'an's view, "Internet red city" and "long red" need to have planning, marketing, scenes, shareable, disseminated, and connected. He believes that the "Internet celebrity city" that can be sustained for a long time is composed of many factors: the first is a developed industrial economy, so as to attract more young people to work here; The second is a livable living environment, where people can have a good consumption experience; The third is a certain cultural accumulation, and the city has its own spiritual symbols and spiritual characteristics. "A short-term popular city does not mean that it must be a city that continues to exude charm, but also needs to effectively transform this traffic into a sustainable development driving force for the city."

Hangzhou's approach is worth learning. In this southern city, Wulin Road in the city center is always lit up with bright lights and tourists, and the prosperous night economy lights up the night; A number of interesting landmarks such as "The Most Beautiful Runway", "Big and Small Lotus", Hangzhou's Gate, and Internet of Things Street continue to appear; China Animation Museum, China Internet Writers Village and other national brand IPs have settled one after another; E-commerce, Internet of Things, Internet finance and other emerging industries are booming, providing people with a new track for development... Under the organic combination of various elements, the charm of Hangzhou has continued to increase for a long time.

In an interview with this newspaper, Liu Nan, associate professor of the Communication Research Institute of Communication University of China, said: "A truly long-term 'Internet celebrity city' must be able to generate economic and emotional links with the local area. The growth and development of 'Internet Red City' is a process of activating internal motivation, integrating external resources, and then external resources can drive internal motivation, and finally form a unity community, the core driving force is the power of people. ”

Some analysts believe that the "Internet celebrity city" focuses on highlighting its characteristics, not only learning from the success of other cities, but also combining its own historical inheritance, regional culture and the requirements of the times to create its own urban spirit, establish an image externally, and unite people's hearts internally.

From "Internet celebrity" to "long red", "Internet red city" combines its own advantages and constantly explores the path of urban industrial transformation and upgrading.

For example, Weifang High-tech Zone. Focusing on the metaverse digital cultural tourism industry, it has laid out professional parks such as the Metaverse Future Innovation Valley and Liandong U Valley, gathering 8 backbone enterprises such as Goertek and Concentric Vision, focusing on the construction of a number of projects such as the Kashgar Metaverse Cultural Tourism Base and the Metaverse Digital Technology R&D to shape the advantages of the cultural tourism industry. The relevant person in charge of Weifang High-tech Zone told the author that in the next step, it will rely on parks such as the Metaverse Future Innovation Valley to build an industrial platform, cultivate and introduce a number of leading enterprises and high-quality projects, and explore the application of "metaverse + cultural tourism" scenarios.

Looking at Changsha, the Malanshan Video Cultural and Creative Industrial Park has gathered more than 4000,5 upstream and downstream enterprises in the video cultural and creative industry chain, and has scientific and technological innovation forces such as HUAWEI CLOUD audio and video innovation, Volcano Engine, Malanshan Computer Media Research Institute, and 2023G Key Laboratory, which has promoted the competitiveness and influence of Changsha's cultural and creative industry. At the <> National Cultural and Tourism Industry Development Work Conference, Malanshan Video Cultural and Creative Industrial Park was awarded the "National Cultural Industry Demonstration Park".

Maintaining the strength of "Changhong" is inseparable from the power of talents.

In this regard, Xi'an continues to make efforts. In January this year, Xi'an issued the "Implementation Opinions on Further Strengthening Talent Work to Promote the High-quality Development of Xi'an", proposing to strengthen talent work to promote high-quality development, implement a more active, open and effective talent policy, and strive to build Xi'an into an innovation source, industrial integration and talent first choice where all kinds of talents gather, have broad development space and first-class ecology.

"I especially hope that most Chinese cities have 'Internet celebrity genes'." Zhang Zhi'an told the author, "I hope that different cities can find their own personalities, find different ways of development, and eventually let people choose in so many different cities." ”

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Constantly iterating "Internet celebrity city"

"Internet celebrity" was originally an abbreviation of the term "Internet celebrity". Nowadays, everything that has high traffic on the Internet and is widely followed is often called "Internet celebrity". Internet celebrity campus, Internet celebrity food, Internet celebrity landmark... The scope of "Internet celebrity" continues to expand, and "Internet celebrity city" came into being.

What are the types of "Internet celebrity cities" and what stages do they go through? In this regard, the media and academia are inconclusive, and the classification methods are different.

Some observers believe that the development of "Internet celebrity cities" has gone through three generations. Before the popularization of the Internet, Xiamen, Lijiang and other cities consciously placed image advertisements on the media, which can be called "Internet celebrity cities" and "elders". The second generation, represented by Xi'an and Chongqing, exploded on short video platforms. In the third generation, the image of the city is closer to the aesthetics of young people, and Changsha is one of them.

Some scholars have analyzed that the "Internet celebrity city" has developed to the 4.0 era. In the 1.0 era, it was mainly cities famous for their natural scenery, such as Lijiang and Dali. In the 2.0 era, the artificial urban landscape is out of the circle, and the typical representatives are Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi'an and other cities. In the 3.0 era, "eating, drinking, and having fun" is the key word, such as Changsha's "Super Wen Heyou" has attracted much attention; The 4.0 era is the "industrial era", and Zibo, which relies on the "consumer service industry", is a typical representative.

(Compiled by Xu Yujie) (Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition)