Proceedings of Business and Economic Studies, 2024, Volume 7, Issue 4

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Online ISSN: 2209-265X
Print ISSN: 2209-2641

The Impact of Short Media Videos on Urban Tourism

Marketing: Taking Zibo and Xi'an as Examples
Limeng Chen*
Nanchang Hangkong University Nanchang City, Nanchang 330000, Jiangxi Province, China

*Corresponding author: Limeng Chen, [email protected]

Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License
(CC BY 4.0), permitting distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is cited.

Abstract: In the era of new media, short videos as an innovative means of communication have led to significant changes
in the promotion strategies of tourist cities. The prosperity of the tourism industry has a significant driving effect on local
economic growth, and marketing strategies are the key to the progress of the tourism industry. Through efficient marketing
methods, the visibility of tourist attractions and cities can be significantly improved, thereby attracting more tourists and
injecting new vitality into the local tourism industry and the overall economy. At present, with the rapid development of
short video platforms such as TikTok and the sharp increase in the number of users, short video marketing has gradually
received widespread attention from industry professionals and the general public. Some cities have achieved good results
in tourism marketing implemented with the help of short video platforms, prompting more cities to use short videos for
marketing activities. However, short videos also negatively impact urban tourism marketing, reducing the appeal of TikTok
marketing to audiences. Therefore, this article conducts in-depth research on the impact of short video media on urban
tourism marketing, elaborates on the advantages, analyzes the impact, proposes strategies for the application, and hopes to
provide a reference for cities to use short videos for tourism marketing.
Keywords: Short video media; City; Tourism marketing; Influence

Online publication: August 26, 2024

1. Introduction
In recent years, China’s social and economic growth has continued to be stable, and people’s pace of life has
gradually accelerated. To alleviate the pressure brought by fast-paced life, tourism has become a choice for
many people. This also brings good development opportunities for the tourism industry. Influenced by the
popularity of the internet and the development of information technology, the media communication mode has
undergone great changes, prompting the tourism marketing mode to focus on short videos. Nowadays, tourists
often search for destination information on the internet before planning their travels. Short videos, with their
rich content, short duration, diverse presentation forms, and high interactivity, have become a major way for the
public to obtain this information. With the rise of short videos, the marketing strategies of urban tourism have
also undergone earth-shaking changes, which have attracted widespread attention and high attention from all
sectors of society.

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2. The advantages of short video media in urban tourism marketing
2.1. Relatively large audience target
Short videos are loved by users, especially young people, due to their simple visual effects, vivid visuals, and the
ability to quickly convey information. The data shows that young people aged 18 to 35 make up nearly 60% of the
short video user group. They are full of vitality, enthusiastic about pursuing new things, and willing to accept various
innovations. Short videos have become an important platform for them to entertain and relax, learn new knowledge,
and communicate with friends. Therefore, in the process of promoting urban tourism, with the power of short videos,
we can effectively reach this huge target audience, thereby providing a huge driving force for market expansion [1,2].

2.2. Accurately pushing short videos to acquire potential customers

Through precise push-through short video platforms, we can more effectively find potential users who are
interested in our tourism products. We need to carefully study the uniqueness and sales highlights of the tourism
destination, while also identifying the types of travelers we want to attract, including their age group, gender
ratio, and potential residential areas. Afterward, we can use the advanced algorithm recommendation function
of the short video platform to accurately push our carefully planned tourism promotional videos to these target
audiences. This method not only makes our marketing more targeted but also increases the success rate of
transforming potential users into real users while saving costs [3–5].

2.3. Building diversified marketing models

Short video marketing has brought a variety of promotion methods to urban tourism. One is to collaborate
with well-known internet celebrities or influential individuals in the industry for embedded promotion. The
main goal is to allow influential internet celebrities to intersperse tourism content in their short videos in an
unobtrusive manner and strengthen the destination’s popularity and user word-of-mouth through their large fan
base. The second is immersive experiential marketing with scenes. By creating videos that are close to daily
life and have a sense of context, consumers can immerse themselves in the experience of tourism destinations
in real environments, thereby stimulating their impulse to try and make purchases. The third is user-generated
content interactive marketing. Interactive marketing is achieved through user engagement and the creation of
short videos related to tourism. For example, interesting challenge competitions or specific tag events can be
held to encourage users to unleash their creativity and create short videos related to their tourism experiences.
Promoting the spontaneous participation and creative content of short video platform users can effectively
promote the word-of-mouth dissemination of urban tourism. The fourth is live-streaming sales and short drama-
style marketing. By live streaming, the host can directly showcase the destination, answer audience questions,
and launch promotional activities to attract consumers to book a tour. In addition, creating short videos with a
short drama style cleverly integrates tourism information into the plot, which not only attracts the audience but
also effectively conveys the characteristics and value of the destination. The fifth is advertising placement and
sponsorship cooperation. Accurately advertise on popular short video platforms, such as patch and information
flow advertisements, while sponsoring popular content creators or official events organized by the platform, to
increase the exposure and influence of tourism in the short video community [7].

3. The impact of media short videos on urban tourism marketing

3.1. Positive impact
3.1.1. Quickly enhancing the city’s visibility
In recent years, short videos have become a popular emerging form of media. Its efficient dissemination

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speed and broad audience coverage provide a brand-new platform for cities to showcase their unique charm
and culture. Taking the rapid rise of Zibo barbecue as an example, the driving force behind it is the powerful
dissemination ability of short video platforms. Zibo barbecue has received enthusiastic attention from the
general public, mainly due to the local government’s meticulous care for isolated college students during the
pandemic. At that time, the government provided these college students with a delicious barbecue as their
last meal, which left them with unforgettable memories. Subsequently, college students widely shared their
wonderful experience of enjoying a barbecue in Zibo in spring through the internet, especially through short
videos. This kind of close-to-the-public, authentic, and natural sharing quickly aroused a warm response from
netizens, thus making Zibo Barbecue famous in a short time. The positive response and cooperation between
the Zibo Municipal Government and citizens not only significantly improved the overall satisfaction of visiting
tourists, but also successfully shaped the image of Zibo as a warm and friendly city with rich cuisine [7-9]. In
this process, the word-of-mouth effect of short video platforms played a crucial role, helping Zibo quickly rise
to become an “internet celebrity” city. This positive urban image, in turn, attracts more tourists to come and
experience it, forming a virtuous cycle that continues to promote the city’s reputation and tourism industry
development.

3.1.2. Stimulating people’s desire to travel

Short video media utilizes audio-visual effects to vividly present the unique charm of urban landscapes, culture,
and cuisine. This form of expression not only brings a strong visual shock to the audience but also stimulates
their curiosity and desire to explore the unknown. These videos also delve into and tell the unique historical
background and cultural stories of each city, allowing the audience to feel the local customs and traditions,
thus creating emotional resonance. In addition, short video content is easy to share on various social media
platforms, and viewers can enhance the visibility and public evaluation of relevant cities through various
interactive methods such as likes and comments. Simultaneously, it also provides detailed travel information
for the audience, making it easier for them to arrange travel plans and providing more thoughtful personalized
services, thereby further enhancing the willingness of tourists to travel [10].

3.2. Negative impact

3.2.1. Commercial packaging causing tourist aversion
Although short video marketing has significant effects in rapidly increasing city awareness and exposure,
if city managers overly rely on commercial packaging to attract tourists, this approach may backfire. Some
cities may over-emphasize or beautify their cultural characteristics and historical background to meet market
demand and tourist expectations. However, when tourists personally visit the city based on these promotions, it
is easy to feel disappointed and dissatisfied if they find a significant difference between reality and promotion.
Additionally, excessive commercial transformation may not only destroy the original charm of the city but
also erode its profound cultural heritage, leading to the loss of its unique charm and historical and cultural
value. Therefore, when conducting short video marketing, cities must carefully balance commercialization and
maintaining the unique charm of the city to ensure that while attracting tourists, they can also truly showcase
the city’s characteristics and historical culture [11,12].

3.2.2. Following travel trends leads to diminished quality of travel experience

There is a phenomenon of following the trend on some short video platforms, for example, many tourists
who are not interested in short video marketing in a certain city will leave a large number of comments and
reposts on social media, which will trigger other users to also “check-in”. This phenomenon of following the

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trend has led to a rapid increase in the number of urban tourists, often resulting in vehicle congestion and
crowded pedestrian flow. When shopping and participating in entertainment projects, there are long queues,
which reduces the travel experience of tourists. Moreover, short video platforms belong to the space of
free communication. Many cities will produce videos of tourist attractions and publish them on short video
platforms. However, some cities will optimize and package tourist videos. These false promotions can easily
lead to the audience of short videos not being able to obtain the expected experience during the subsequent
tourism process, resulting in disappointment with tourist cities and scenic spots, and thus affecting the
development of urban tourism [13].

3.2.3. Insufficient exploration of urban cultural connotations

Although short video marketing can vividly and interestingly showcase the uniqueness and charming scenery
of a city, it often focuses more on the external image and visual landscape of the city and fails to fully showcase
and explore the deep cultural connotations of the city. This situation may limit tourists’ understanding of the city
to its appearance and prevent them from deeply experiencing the unique cultural charm and profound heritage
of the city. Taking Zibo as an example, although short videos can vividly showcase its famous barbecue culture
and various specialty foods, if the rich historical culture, unique folk customs, and other deeper connotations
of Zibo are not deeply explored and introduced, tourists’ understanding of this city may only remain superficial
[14]
. Therefore, when using short videos for urban promotion, we should pay more attention to exploring and
disseminating the deep connotations of urban culture. In this way, tourists can fully experience the unique
charm and profound cultural heritage of Zibo.

4. The application strategy of media short videos in urban tourism marketing

4.1. Expanding the age range of the target audience and strengthening precise marketing of
video content
With the rapid development of the social economy, the living standards of Chinese residents continue to
improve. People are no longer satisfied with material needs and are beginning to pursue spiritual satisfaction.
For the tourism industry, to attract more target audiences, it is necessary to broaden the age range of the target
audience. According to a survey, the age group of 15 to 25 is the largest and currently the most popular user
group in the short video platform market. This group is characterized by youth, vitality, active thinking, and
easy acceptance of new things, which are crucial in short video content marketing. Therefore, in urban tourism
marketing, it is essential to understand the age group and consumption characteristics of the target audience and
develop marketing strategies that align with their preferences.
To design targeted urban tourism products, it is necessary to analyze the age group of users on short
video platforms. Currently, users are mainly between 20 to 30 years old. Hence, urban tourism marketing can
be tailored to this age group. For example, for users aged 25 to 30, products can be designed as travel guides,
attraction introductions, and similar content. Concurrently, the behavior of users such as comments, likes, and
shares on short video platforms can be analyzed to determine which content is more attractive to these users.
This approach can greatly enhance the marketing effectiveness of short video content [15].

4.2. Strategic cooperation with short video platforms to improve promotion and publicity
effectiveness
If scenic spots and tourist cities want to achieve better publicity effects on short video platforms such as
TikTok, they can try various strategies to attract netizens’ attention. They can make more people understand the

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characteristics of scenic spots and the charm of cities through localized advertising on the platform. In addition,
establishing strategic partnerships with short video platforms and jointly organizing unique events is also an
effective way to enhance the influence of events and increase online exposure. Through these measures, tourist
attractions and cities can more effectively promote themselves and attract more tourists to come and experience
for themselves. Take Xi’an City as an example. Together with the TikTok platform, Xi’an jointly launched
the theme activity of “Xi’an Year - Most Popular in China.” This event revolves around the highly anticipated
hot topic of “The Tang Dynasty City of Eternal Night,” attracting users to actively participate by showcasing
fascinating content such as “internet celebrities,” “wonderful song and dance performances,” “Xi’an authentic
cuisine,” and “spectacular aerial street scenes of the Tang Dynasty City of Eternal Night.” We encourage you to
publish relevant videos on TikTok, or forward short videos of Xi’an tourism promotion, so that these wonderful
moments can be seen by more people and further expand the influence of the event. Additionally, we encourage
users to re-create existing video materials and share their works on the platform. This approach not only
enriches the content of the event but also forms a virtuous cycle of content, constantly attracting new users and
maintaining the sustained popularity of the event.

4.3. Establishing a professional short video marketing team to improve the quality of content
To more effectively showcase the beautiful scenery of tourist attractions and the unique charm of tourist
cities to more people, it is particularly important to form a short video marketing team composed of industry
experts. Such a team should gather professionals from various fields such as directors, planners, actors, video
editors, photographers, and operations. They can capture and showcase the highlights of tourist attractions and
the characteristics of tourist cities from different perspectives and dimensions, to produce high-quality and
attractive short video content. Such content can not only expand the influence of tourist attractions and cities,
attract more attention and fans, but also deepen interaction and communication with fans, and create a closer
fan community. Meanwhile, for tourists, these carefully crafted short videos will become an important window
for them to obtain travel information and travel advice. By watching these videos, tourists can easily learn about
the characteristics, travel routes, accommodation and catering, and other practical information of various scenic
spots, to better plan their travel plans, avoid unnecessary troubles, and ensure a pleasant and smooth journey.
Therefore, a professional short video marketing team is undoubtedly the key to improving the promotion effect
of tourist attractions and cities and attracting more tourists.

5. Conclusion
Short video media, as an emerging marketing tool, has had a profound impact on urban tourism marketing. It
not only increases the exposure and popularity of urban tourism, but also enhances the attractiveness of tourism
products, expands the target tourist group, and increases the willingness to book a tour. Meanwhile, through
short video marketing, urban tourism brands are also able to stand out in fierce market competition. Therefore,
urban tourism operators should fully recognize the importance of short video marketing and actively utilize this
innovative approach to promote the development of the tourism industry.

Disclosure statement
The author declares no conflict of interest.

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