Standing at the pedestrian crossing outside McDonald’s in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, reveals how modern travel is influenced by digital platforms. While locals see just another city junction, Chinese tourists often pause to capture scenes highlighted by the Chinese lifestyle app Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote in Mandarin.
Xiaohongshu has become the primary itinerary planner for a generation of Chinese outbound travelers, handling 600 million searches daily. Last year, the platform recorded 130 million monthly active outbound travel users, with over 90% actively searching for travel content.
Malaysia’s vibrant culture, including its colorful mosques, Mandarin-speaking locals, durian stalls, and photogenic roti tisu, has made it a popular subject on Xiaohongshu’s feed. According to Sienna Parulis-Cook of China-focused marketing consultancy Dragon Trail International, the app’s potency lies in its ease of use and massive user base.
This shift marks a new geography of Malaysian tourism, increasingly shaped by digital content on Xiaohongshu rather than traditional guidebooks or travel agents.
Loading comments.