Understanding Xiaohongshu’s Influence on Travel Decisions

Xiaohongshu has evolved from its origins as a product review platform into a lifestyle and travel inspiration powerhouse with over 300 million registered users. The platform’s unique combination of user-generated content, social commerce features, and trusted review ecosystem has made it particularly influential in the Chinese travel planning process.

Recent studies indicate that 70% of Chinese millennials and Gen Z travelers use Xiaohongshu as part of their travel research, often prioritizing information found on the platform over traditional travel agencies or websites. This makes Xiaohongshu an essential channel for any brand looking to influence Chinese travelers’ destination and accommodation choices.

What sets Xiaohongshu apart is its emphasis on authentic experiences and detailed, visual content. Users expect comprehensive information about destinations, including specific recommendations, insider tips, and realistic expectations. The platform’s algorithm prioritizes genuine, detailed content over promotional material, rewarding depth and authenticity while punishing obvious advertising.

For Thailand as a destination, Xiaohongshu has become particularly influential, with over 2.5 million notes (posts) related to Thailand travel experiences. These range from detailed itineraries of Bangkok and Phuket to specific hotel reviews, food recommendations, and off-the-beaten-path experiences. Understanding this ecosystem is crucial for any tourism brand looking to capture the attention of Chinese visitors to Thailand.

The Challenge: Capturing Chinese Tourists in a Competitive Market

The Thailand-based travel brand faced several significant challenges in their effort to increase bookings from Chinese tourists:

First, despite offering unique luxury villa experiences and curated cultural tours across multiple Thai destinations, the brand lacked visibility among Chinese travelers. While they had established a strong reputation with Western tourists through traditional digital marketing channels, their presence on Chinese platforms was minimal, resulting in a significant gap in their customer demographics.

Second, the post-pandemic travel recovery brought intensified competition, with numerous Thai travel brands aggressively targeting returning Chinese tourists. Many competitors had already established Xiaohongshu presences, creating a crowded environment where standing out required more than basic platform participation.

Third, the brand faced challenges in understanding the unique content preferences and decision-making factors of Chinese travelers on Xiaohongshu. Initial attempts at content creation had generated minimal engagement, suggesting a disconnect between their content approach and platform expectations.

Finally, measuring and attributing conversions from Xiaohongshu presented technical challenges, as the platform’s ecosystem operates differently from Western social media platforms. Without proper tracking and attribution, the brand struggled to optimize their efforts and demonstrate ROI from their Xiaohongshu marketing investments.

These challenges required a comprehensive, data-driven approach that went beyond simply posting content on the platform. The brand needed a strategic partner with deep understanding of both Xiaohongshu’s ecosystem and the Chinese travel consumer’s decision-making process.

Strategic Approach: Multi-faceted Xiaohongshu Marketing

To address these challenges, Hashmeta developed a comprehensive Xiaohongshu marketing strategy built on three key pillars: content development, KOL partnerships, and AI-powered audience targeting. This integrated approach was designed to build brand presence, establish credibility, and drive conversions within the unique Xiaohongshu ecosystem.

Content Strategy Development

The content strategy began with extensive competitive analysis and SEO research to identify the most effective content formats and topics for Thailand travel on Xiaohongshu. This analysis revealed several key insights:

Content that performed best featured authentic, detailed experiences rather than promotional language. The most engaging posts combined practical information (pricing, logistics, booking details) with emotional storytelling about unique experiences. Visual content showing real experiences, particularly video content showcasing accommodations and activities, generated significantly higher engagement than static images or text-only posts.

Based on these insights, the team developed a content calendar focused on three content categories: detailed accommodation showcases highlighting unique features of the brand’s properties; experiential guides featuring authentic activities and insider tips for various Thai destinations; and practical planning content addressing common questions and concerns of Chinese travelers to Thailand.

Each piece of content was created using the platform’s preferred formats, with particular emphasis on the “Red” (long-form content with multiple images) and video formats that performed best for travel content. All content was created in Mandarin by native speakers with travel expertise, ensuring authentic language usage and cultural relevance.

Strategic KOL Partnerships

Recognizing the crucial role of trusted voices on Xiaohongshu, Hashmeta leveraged its AI Influencer Discovery platform to identify and engage key opinion leaders (KOLs) whose audiences and content styles aligned with the brand’s offerings and target demographics.

Rather than focusing solely on follower count, the selection process prioritized engagement rates, content quality, and audience demographics. This approach identified three tiers of partners: top-tier travel KOLs with 500,000+ followers for maximum reach; mid-tier Thailand specialists with 100,000-500,000 followers for credibility and detailed content; and micro-influencers with highly engaged communities interested in luxury travel and cultural experiences.

Each KOL partnership was structured around authentic experiences, with influencers experiencing the brand’s accommodations and tours firsthand. Rather than providing rigid content guidelines, the brand provided key information while encouraging KOLs to maintain their authentic voice and perspective. This approach resulted in more genuine content that resonated with followers and aligned with Xiaohongshu’s preference for authentic experiences.

AI-Powered Audience Targeting

To maximize campaign effectiveness, Hashmeta employed its AI marketing capabilities to analyze and target the most receptive audience segments. This approach went beyond basic demographic targeting to identify users based on their content interaction patterns, search behaviors, and expressed travel interests.

The AI analysis identified several high-value audience segments: luxury travelers specifically researching Thailand destinations; users actively planning trips to Southeast Asia within a 3-month window; and users who had previously engaged with content related to similar accommodations or experiences.

This targeting information was used to optimize both organic content distribution through hashtag and keyword strategies and paid promotion efforts within the platform. The AI systems continuously analyzed performance data to refine targeting parameters throughout the campaign, improving efficiency and reducing cost-per-acquisition over time.

Additionally, the team implemented advanced GEO and AEO strategies to ensure the brand’s content appeared prominently in relevant searches and recommendations, particularly for users actively researching Thailand travel options.

Implementation & Execution

The campaign implementation followed a phased approach over a six-month period, allowing for continuous optimization based on performance data. The execution began with foundation-building activities before progressing to full-scale implementation.

In the initial phase (months 1-2), the team focused on establishing the brand’s presence on Xiaohongshu through consistent organic content posting. This included creating a comprehensive profile that highlighted the brand’s unique value proposition and began building a content library focusing on the most searched Thai destinations. During this phase, the team also initiated relationships with selected KOLs, arranging initial experiences and content planning.

The growth phase (months 3-4) saw the implementation of the full KOL program, with influencers from all three tiers experiencing and documenting the brand’s offerings. This phase generated a significant increase in content volume and reach, with KOL content supplemented by ongoing organic posting from the brand account. The team also implemented a limited paid promotion strategy to amplify the highest-performing content.

In the optimization phase (months 5-6), the campaign leveraged data from earlier phases to refine targeting and content approaches. This included scaling successful content formats, adjusting messaging based on engagement data, and expanding partnerships with the best-performing KOLs. The team also implemented a more aggressive paid promotion strategy, with budget allocated based on performance data from earlier phases.

Throughout the implementation, Hashmeta’s SEO consultants continuously monitored performance metrics and user feedback, making real-time adjustments to optimize results. This agile approach allowed the campaign to adapt to emerging trends and opportunities within the Xiaohongshu ecosystem.

Results & Performance Metrics

The integrated Xiaohongshu marketing campaign delivered exceptional results across both brand awareness and conversion metrics:

In terms of platform engagement, the brand’s Xiaohongshu account grew from under 1,000 followers to over 85,000 followers during the six-month campaign period. Content engagement metrics showed similar growth, with average engagement rates increasing from 0.8% to 4.2% – significantly above the platform average for travel content (1.7%). The campaign generated over 15 million total impressions across organic and KOL content, with an average view duration of 76 seconds for video content – indicating strong audience interest and engagement.

More importantly, these engagement metrics translated into significant business impact. Website traffic from Chinese IP addresses increased by 320% compared to the pre-campaign period, with Xiaohongshu identified as the referral source for approximately 65% of this traffic. The average booking value from Chinese customers increased by 28%, suggesting that the platform was particularly effective at attracting higher-value travelers.

The campaign’s most significant achievement was a 175% increase in direct bookings from Chinese customers compared to the same period in the previous year. Attribution analysis indicated that approximately 60% of these bookings were influenced by Xiaohongshu content, either through direct link clicks or through users searching for the brand after seeing content on the platform.

The return on investment was equally impressive, with every $1 invested in the campaign generating $7.80 in booking revenue – a 680% ROI that significantly exceeded initial projections. This performance established Xiaohongshu as the brand’s most cost-effective marketing channel for the Chinese market, prompting an expansion of the program beyond the initial campaign period.

Key Learnings from the Campaign

The campaign yielded several valuable insights that can benefit other travel brands looking to leverage Xiaohongshu for destination marketing:

First, authentic content significantly outperforms promotional material on Xiaohongshu. Content that honestly portrayed both the highlights and practical considerations of travel experiences generated 3.7x more engagement than polished, advertisement-style content. This reinforces the importance of maintaining authenticity even when working with professional content creators and KOLs.

Second, the data revealed that conversion paths on Xiaohongshu differ significantly from Western social platforms. Chinese travelers typically consumed 7-9 pieces of content about a destination or accommodation before making booking decisions, compared to 2-3 touchpoints on platforms like Instagram. This highlights the importance of comprehensive content strategies that address multiple aspects of the travel experience rather than focusing solely on promotion.

Third, the campaign demonstrated that content marketing and influencer marketing must be tightly integrated on Xiaohongshu. The highest conversion rates came from users who had been exposed to both brand-created content and KOL experiences, suggesting a complementary relationship between these approaches. Brand content established information and details, while KOL content provided social proof and emotional connection.

Finally, the results underscored the importance of localization beyond mere translation. Content created by native Mandarin speakers with cultural understanding of Chinese travel preferences consistently outperformed translated content, even when the visual elements were identical. This reinforces the need for truly localized approaches when targeting Chinese travelers.

These insights have informed the brand’s ongoing Xiaohongshu strategy and provided valuable guidance for other Hashmeta clients looking to tap into the Chinese outbound tourism market through this influential platform.

Conclusion

The Thailand travel brand’s Xiaohongshu marketing campaign demonstrates the significant potential of this platform for destination and accommodation marketing to Chinese tourists. By combining strategic content development, carefully selected KOL partnerships, and AI-powered audience targeting, the brand was able to transform their position in the Chinese market and achieve substantial booking growth.

The success of this campaign highlights several critical factors for effective Xiaohongshu marketing: the importance of platform-specific content strategies that prioritize authenticity and detail; the value of working with the right influencers rather than simply focusing on reach; and the power of data-driven optimization throughout the campaign lifecycle.

For travel brands looking to capture the attention and booking decisions of Chinese tourists, Xiaohongshu represents an increasingly essential channel. However, success on the platform requires more than simply establishing a presence – it demands a sophisticated understanding of the platform’s ecosystem, content preferences, and user behaviors.

As demonstrated by this case study, brands that approach Xiaohongshu with strategic insight and platform-appropriate content can achieve remarkable results, turning social engagement into tangible business outcomes. In an increasingly competitive market for Chinese tourism, this level of platform expertise may well be the differentiating factor between success and obscurity.

Ready to transform your brand’s performance on Xiaohongshu and other Chinese platforms? Hashmeta combines deep platform expertise with data-driven strategies to help travel brands capture the attention and booking decisions of Chinese tourists. Contact our team today to discuss how we can help you achieve similar results for your destination, accommodation, or travel experience.