CBN Friday Special丨Citywalk: Discovering the unexplored in cities may lead to unexpected gains

地方资讯

2023-10-15 14:29:46

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In the past week, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day once again converged to form an eight-day "Super Golden Week"holiday.

This is not only a long holiday for family gathering plans, but also an excellent opportunity for people to make plans for sightseeing tours.

A total of 826 million domestic passenger trips were made in China during the eight-day holidays, generating 753.43 billion yuan ($104.68 billion), up 130% year-on-year, official data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed.

Behind this phenomenon is a trend of people caring more about tourism qualities. The eight-day holidays have made "in-depth"tours the top choice for many tourists. Among them, a new niche market is gaining traction, especially with younger people. It’s the so-called “Citywalk”.

With both domestic and foreign travel at record highs during this extended holidays, some seeking a more relaxing time are opting to roam around a city browsing shops, taking photos, and doing whatever they wish to, according to a set route or without one.

In contrast to conventional travel methods popular among Chinese travelers, which typically sees them “checking-in” at notable tourist hotspots, the “Citywalk” has as its goal the immersion into a local culture and lifestyle rather than hitting certain “must-see” spots.

Data from Tongcheng Travel shows that travel searches related to "Citywalk" increased by 108% in July from the previous month. Walking routes in popular destinations such as Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Suzhou and Changsha have attracted great interest from young travelers.

What’s Citywalk?

Gather together a couple of good friends and take a leisurely stroll through the streets— this is what many youngsters in China enjoy doing when they visit a new city.

To them, Citywalk means "roaming around the city" on foot. Walkers get away from internet famous hotspots and commercial hubs, instead they follow a distinctive urban route, soaking up the atmosphere, exploring old buildings, browsing boutique shops, sipping a cup of coffee, or indulging in authentic local snacks.

Hashtags and keywords for Citywalk are trending across multiple Chinese social media platforms, as more and more people look to share their experiences and thoughts online.

On Gen Z trend bible Xiaohongshu, blogs and hashtags “Citywalk” have 2 million and 4.5 million views respectively. An official page dedicated to the trend called “Strolling the Street to Eat Delicious Food” can also be found when searching for Citywalk on the platform.

Even though Citywalk is relatively niche and new, many see a huge potential in it, as tourists nowadays are paying more attention to personalized travel services. Many tour guides also try to expand their influence online, sharing their experiences in a bid to attract potential customers.

The "China Travel Consumption Trends Insight White Paper (2023 Edition)," jointly released by Tencent Marketing Insight and Tongcheng Research Institute, states that "travel trends are transitioning towards relaxation, freedom, unknown surprises, and immersiveness."

New gateway to city cultural rebranding

According to DTCaijing, a data research media based in Shanghai, culture, scenery, food and urban life are among the most attractive aims for city walkers.

Exploring the history and culture of a city is one way for walkers to deepen their understanding of an urban surrounding. Personal experience is more direct and leaves a deeper impression than watching videos or reading books.

Beijing, a city that blends tradition and modernity, has become one of the hottest destinations for city walk enthusiasts. Exploring the historic hutongs allows walkers to immerse themselves in the charm of the city's history while experiencing the bustling life of its inhabitants. Meanwhile, it also offers a plethora of gastronomic delights, creative boutique shops and fashionable destinations.

If you enjoy the scenery of the romantic and poetic atmosphere of the West Lake in Hangzhou, while watching athletes score medals at the Asian Games, then scrolling around Hangzhou will sure get you up and going.

Boosted by the doubling effects of the sports event and extended holidays, Hangzhou’s tourism orders during the Asian Games witnessed a staggering increase of 280% compared to the previous year. This has propelled Hangzhou to the position of one of the top three popular destinations for National Day holiday tourists.

Potential of Citywalk still in question

Citywalkers inadvertently opened up new consumption scenes, as many walkers prefer routes that link local specialties, beverage shops, cultural and creative stores, bookstores and more, capturing the attention of shopkeepers, travel agencies, and others who have introduced small-scale tourism products.

Some scholars believe the renewed interest in urban environments is largely due to the COVID-19 epidemic, which forced city dwellers to notice what is happening in the vicinity of their homes.

Places that may have been only a few kilometers away from residents' homes were suddenly of interest after being ignored for a long time. In the post-pandemic era, areas where people live are being paid attention to again.

Although Citywalk represents an opportunity for tour guides and travel service providers to offer a more tailored and professional service, many participants maintain that they are only willing to pay two-digit prices, regarding costs exceeding a hundred yuan as disproportionate.

Citywalk is still an emerging industry in China.

For Citywalkers, the new trend is often regarded as social activities for exploring and disseminating urban culture, making new friends with similar interest and sharing feelings with fellow walkers. And it inevitably becomes pointless to have to pay big money for such a personal experience, thus making it harder to directly cash in on the new trend.

However, for local governments, Citywalk is likely an alternative way and opportunity to showcase the city’s charisma, excavate the uniqueness of local culture and history, and eventually promote the recovery of the consumption market.

Experts propose continual innovation and responsiveness to the diverse demands of consumers to ensure that Citywalk drives the upgrade of consumption, by fine-tuning local tourism infrastructure, digging deeper in the quintessential beauty of urban landscape, rather than treating it just as a fleeting fad.

In fact, prior to the Golden Week holiday, major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi’an and Jinan have launched official “Citywalk” maps and routes offering tourism and consumption tips.

For instance, Shanghai has established Citywalk routes using public bus routes to help day-trippers reach more far-flung districts by public transport and continue on foot. Local officials in the southern city of Haikou had also held a “Citywalk” event along with folk and cultural activities.

从“日行三万步的特种兵”到“蹭老年旅行团的黄昏游”，再到最近Citywalk式城市漫步风起，这届中国年轻人的旅行方式可谓花样百出。

大约从今年“五一”假期开始，一股“城市漫步”（Citywalk）热潮就随着初夏的脚步迅速走遍全国，成为年轻人的旅游新宠。与“精心计划”“高强度”“打卡式”的特种兵旅行大相径庭，Citywalk强调的则是“随心所欲”“慢节奏”，以及“沉浸式”的体验。

刚刚过去的中秋国庆黄金周，Citywalk热度不减。携程数据显示，黄金周期间，Citywalk搜索量年增七倍多。北京、杭州、上海、西安、苏州等城市成为Citywalk热门城市。

此外，北京三源里、上海鸟中集市等菜市场成为热门地。美团、大众点评数据显示，近一个月，“菜市场”搜索量较上期增幅超120%，相关攻略笔记数增幅超110%，评价数增幅超170%；大众点评数据显示，近一个月，搜索“菜市场”的用户中，20-35岁的年轻用户占比超过70%，其中超六成为女性用户。

Citywalk：这届年轻人的旅游新宠

打开小红书，你会发现无论在哪个city，都有人在尽心尽力walk。

有探店博主饱含热泪：“毫无目的就是目的，在城市漫无目的地走。”

也有读书博主谆谆教诲：“如果说一个人散步就是在和地球约会，那citywalk就是在和地球对话。”

在城市漫步，走到路口随意向左向右，遇到绿灯就直行，红灯就拐弯。

不打卡网红店，漫无目的地穿梭溜达，用脚步记录和丈量，就像开一座城市的盲盒……

Citywalk是一种新潮、小众的深度旅行方式，通常由领队精心策划路线和主题，带着10人左右的小团队，以观察体验历史、文化、建筑等为目的，在城市中漫步休闲。

“城市漫步”在欧洲、日本等城市兴起，近年来慢慢在中国一、二线城市流行开来，并逐渐扩展至二、三线城市。北京、山东等地已将其列入促进文化旅游休闲的行动方案，上海专门开设公交巴士组成的Citywalk路线。

目前，不少旅行社、研学机构都会举办Citywalk活动，费用从十几元到过百元不等，大多包含路线设计并配备向导，也有旅游博主和社区免费举办。

小红书数据显示，截至目前，关于Citywalk的笔记已超过200万篇，相关话题阅读量高达448万。DT财经和DT研究院联合发布的《2023旅游调研报告》中显示，在几种新型旅游方式中，82%的人想尝试Citywalk，远远超过了其他的旅游方式。

Citywalk走红的背后离不开平台的助推，记者在一些旅游平台上发现，不仅有大量Citywalk的路线分享，还有专门的组织者发布相关活动，甚至有不少网友寻找伙伴，结伴漫游城市，共享一段旅途。

Citywalk人群画像特征也十分突出，年轻人占大多数。相关数据显示，性别方面，女性超过八成；城市等级分布方面，一线城市占42.77%，新一线城市占28.11%。

打造城市文艺“新名片”

数据显示，在热度城市方面，历史文化底蕴深厚、街景丰富的城市是年轻人Citywalk的首选，荣登热门Citywalk城市榜首的上海正是这两种特性的集大成者。除了“文艺、出片、小资”等关键词，上海街角随处可见的特色咖啡店，也对年轻人有着强大的吸引力。值得关注的是，除历史文化之外，“烟火气”也成为越来越多年轻人城市漫步的理由，同期上榜的贵阳、重庆、成都是深受年轻人喜爱的“烟火气”城市代表。

一方水土养一方citywalk。抖音上，上海#City walk、#武汉City walk、#北京City walk、#西安City walk、#长沙City walk等话题量上榜top5。

比如，在北京漫步总有一种时空交错的穿越之感。一边是华夏文明的古城印记，另一边是时尚摩登的现代之都。专注在北京举办Citywalk活动的商家介绍，整场活动没有固定路线，参与者可集体商议选定方向出发，在领队的带领下漫步城市，有喜欢的沿途风景可自行停留拍照，每40分钟寻找地点休息15分钟，活动总时长约2.5至3小时。

不少城市的相关部门还向公众推荐免费的Citywalk路线。以北京为例，市政府推荐了一条全长7.8公里的漫步路线，从鼓楼开始，经万宁桥、故宫、太庙、社稷坛、端门、天安门、正阳门，一直向南直至永定门，并建议采用“公交+地铁+骑行+步行”的组合游览方式，感受不一样的风景。

如果把关键词换成“上海”，那简直是一场“街景，咖啡厅，白墙，美女”的连连看游戏。潮人恐惧症立刻被治好，仿佛《爱情神话》里的爷叔拿着咖啡和你隔空招手，灵啊灵啊。

值得一提的是，今年恰逢亚运会叠加八天长假，杭州从众多城市中脱颖而出，吸引国内外游客前去旅游。银联数据显示，长假期间杭州涉旅消费193.289亿，按照可比口径较去年增长64%，较2019年增长16%。其中，外来涉旅总消费金额为57.9亿元，按照可比口径较2022年同期增长34%。从全国旅游收入来看，江苏8天吸金907.59亿元，在25省份中名列第一。银联商务数据显示，假期前7天(9月29日-10月5日)，江苏文旅消费总额175.55亿元，占全中国的10.62%，占比继续保持全国第一。

除了感受赛事气氛，漫步西湖边、感受京杭大运河、闲逛塘栖古镇……都是Citywalker的心水路线。据统计，长假期间游客在杭人均停留3.3天，相比以往节假日游客平均停留时间提升一倍，赛事对假日旅游市场消费拉动效应明显。

Citywalk的走红与年轻人的消费习惯变化有关。同程研究院与腾讯营销洞察联合发布的《中国旅行消费趋势洞察白皮书（2023年版）》显示，2023年旅行消费的四大新趋势是小众独特、自在松弛、未知惊喜、深度在地。同时，距离近、花销少、不拥挤、美食多也是年轻人选择旅行方式的重要参考因素。

马蜂窝发布的《当代年轻人旅行图鉴》报告中也曾提到，越来越多的年轻人在旅行中的自我定位已从过去的“参观者”变成了如今的“体验者”，他们希望亲身融入当地，感受写进城市街巷中的人文历史，以及最地道的风土人情和生活方式。

除了个人、情侣或亲子游，Citywalk也是绝佳的社交场景，在专业人士带领下，和同好们一起体验一次玩法与知识兼备的Citywalk，也能够满足年轻人追求个性与兴趣社交的双重需求，其背后蕴含着巨大的市场潜力。

马蜂窝旅游研究院院长冯饶认为，Citywalk走红出圈，与近年来年轻人旅行消费偏好的变化密切相关，疫情期间长途旅行受限，也让更多人转而开始发掘身边的“小确幸”。这一习惯延续至今，去往其他城市旅行的年轻人，也开始将目光放在景点之外的其它城市空间，古建筑、设计感十足的书店、有格调的咖啡厅、特色小酒馆、甚至菜市场都可以成为他们漫游其中，感受一座城市气息的绝佳场所。

变现之路仍有待探索

尽管Citywalk在社交平台上讨论得“热火朝天”，付费参与这项活动的群体数量却仍处于增长初期，旅游平台推出的相关产品价格也多在百元左右。除人文爱好者之外，如何让Citywalk吸引更多群体，冯饶认为，从业者可以考虑将Citywalk与年轻人感兴趣的“主题”相结合，为不同兴趣圈层提供精准的产品与服务。

尽管Citywalk在社交平台上讨论的“热火朝天”，但付费参与这项活动的群体数量却仍处于增长初期，旅游平台推出的相关产品价格也多在百元人民币左右。

多位业内人士预测，Citywalk或将成为本地游的新“爆款”。追求个性化、差异化的旅游体验，并且希望以更深入的方式走进自然风光、街头巷陌、建筑古迹，正好契合了当代人们想要用体验加深城市印象的想法。但当前Citywalk虽然有破圈趋势，但从市场认知度和接受度来看，还远远不够，仍属于小众旅行产品。

概念是抽象的，生活不是。年轻人更乐意接受的，是概念之外的增值。Citywalk的精髓或许并不在Walk，而是在于Walk过程中的体验感与获得感。因此，当年轻人的社交、精神需求与松弛感占据了上风，这些“新奇的旅游概念股”的变现之路也就道阻且长。

也得看到，在这个过程中，地方政府其实有着很大的建设空间。毕竟，是走马观花地过，千篇一律地拍，还是能够在限定的时间里成为街巷生活的一部分，很多时候便取决于当地的建设。如何挖掘区域的独特性，在不破坏原本风格的基础上做好其他设置建设，是一个值得认真考量的细致活儿。