Hong Kong Becomes First Outbound Destination of Mainland to Confirm Strategic Partnership on Cultural Tourism Promotion with Xiaohongshu HKTB Partners with Xiaohongshu to Maximise Exposure for Hong Kong

Datum: 12 Apr 2024
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Xiaohongshu, a trending social media platform, boasts a total of 200 million active users, more than 70% of whom were born in the 1990s, and is a constant partner of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). To further strengthen the promotion of Hong Kong tourism in Mainland visitor source markets, HKTB confirmed a strategic partnership with Xiaohongshu to strengthen cooperation on cultural tourism promotion. Xiaohongshu will leverage its edges and resources on its own online platform to help HKTB to promote Hong Kong tourism. HKTB is delighted to see Hong Kong to become the first outbound tourism destination for Mainland tourists to seal a similar strategic partnership agreement with the social media platform.

 

Hong Kong selected as “destination most-loved by users” and tops Xiaohongshu’s search list among Mainland users

Mr Dane Cheng, HKTB Executive Director and an HKTB delegate were invited to Xiaohongshu Cultural and Tourism Development summit in Quanzhou, Fujian on 10 April. In the event, Xiaohongshu announced that Hong Kong was awarded the prize “Destination Most-loved by Users – Highflyer of the Year”, making it one of the most searched travel destinations by Xiaohongshu users.

 

Mr Cheng said, “We are encouraged by the award ‘Destination Most-loved by Users – Highflyer of the Year’. We would like to thank the KOLs for their authentic sharing of their first-hand experience with Hong Kong’s diverse tourism offerings in their posts, which have inspired Mainland travellers to come and explore Hong Kong in depth. Looking ahead, we are excited to confirm the partnership agreement with Xiaohongshu to launch more promotions to boost Hong Kong’s exposure in Mainland and maintain Hong Kong’s top-tier popularity among Mainland visitors.”

 

Boosting reach and exposure for Hong Kong tourism-related topics jointly with Xiaohongshu

HKTB and Xiaohongshu will roll out various joint initiatives in the coming year. HKTB will capitalise on Xiaohongshu’s platform with hundreds of million users to enhance the exposure of its promotions. The two parties will co-curate thematic promotions and share Hong Kong’s unique appeal as an international metropolis, with a diverse culture and year-round mega events, targeting different Mainland segments accurately.

 

HKTB and Xiaohongshu will share and co-create new content by inviting more Mainland and Hong Kong KOLs to experience Hong Kong’s cultural tourism. The KOLs will reveal novel ways and experiences to explore Hong Kong from their original user-generated content and offer Mainland consumers inspiration on fresh ways to explore Hong Kong comprehensively, telling good stories about Hong Kong first-hand.

 

Considering the emergence of various social media platforms, HKTB has taken the initiative in advance to promote Hong Kong tourism (see table below). Last year, HKTB partnered with Xiaohongshu in various projects to promote Hong Kong’s tourism appeal. The partnership has generated more than 10,000 posts on travelling in Hong Kong and 300 million exposures for the campaign. HKTB and Xiaohongshu will roll out more lively and engaging contents to allow Mainland consumers to learn more about the diverse and exciting experiences in the city.

 

HKTB x Xiaohongshu partnerships in 2023

Period Highlights of promotion
Jan 2023 Xiaohongshu launched the “Hong Kong Time Travel Machine (香港旅行時光機)” campaign right after travel resumed between Hong Kong and the Mainland to relive the nostalgic vibes of Hong Kong in different eras.
Mar 2023 HKTB and Xiaohongshu jointly kicked off two major thematic campaigns “Arts in Hong Kong Together (藝起遊香港)” and “Hello Hong Kong – Boundless culture (你好香港藝遊未盡)” to promote Hong Kong’s urban art and culture through push notification of video content and pop-up media placement. The campaign also invited famous KOLs on Xiaohongshu to experience Hong Kong’s cultural offering in town, which was well-received by users.
May 2023 HKTB and Xiaohongshu rolled out “My Hong Kong record (我的香港精彩記錄)” and invited 88 KOLs with various interests to explore Hong Kong in person, covering the arts and culture, family, nature, lifestyle segments and much more. The campaign successfully offered Mainland Xiaohongshu users various authentic travel tips about Hong Kong, while generating massive positive exposure and feedback for local hotels, attractions, and merchants.
Sep 2023 The two parties partnered again in the “Hong Kong Guide to Citywalk (香港漫步指南)” campaign, focusing on the rising travel trend of Citywalk and introducing five itineraries. Renowned celebrities including Laurinda Ho, Bosco Wong, Fiona Sit, Mandy Wong, Hubert Wu and James Ng also participated in the campaign to promote Hong Kong tourism.
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