Dragon Trail International’s Weibo Rankings Report tracks and analyzes performance for national tourism organizations (NTOs), destination marketing organizations (DMOs), airlines, cruise lines, museums & attractions, and hotels. Our quarterly Weibo reports build industry benchmarks and uncover best practices in digital marketing in the travel sector.
Engagement Trends Comparison Across Q2 2022, Q2 2023, and Q2 2024
Looking at the same period in 2022, 2023, and 2024, there were notable changes in engagement across various travel categories. From Q2 2023 to Q2 2024, NTOs saw a substantial increase of 62.1%, rising from 2769.71 to 4494.25. DMOs experienced a remarkable 130.2% growth, from 4296.95 to 9840.12. The airlines category, excluding Cathay Pacific for Q2 2023 due to an outlier incident where engagements spiked following an official apology on May 23, saw a decrease of 39.4%, dropping from 1352.65 to 819.97. Cruise lines’ engagements more than doubled in Q2 2024, increasing by 130.5%, from 621.8 to 1434. Attractions experienced a 78.8% decrease, from 4550.79 to 966.47. Hotels saw a 53.5% increase, from 7490.58 to 11509.68, reflecting a recovery in accommodation demand and increased international travel.
Engagement Trends Comparison Between Q1 2024 and Q2 2024
From Q1 2024 to Q2 2024, there are notable trends in the different travel categories. NTOs saw a significant increase in engagements, rising from 2,836.81 to 4,494.25, which is a 58.4% increase. DMOs experienced a remarkable rise from 1,097.2 to 9,840.12, reflecting an 796.9% increase, primarily due to an increase in engagements from one particular account. The airlines category, however, saw a decline, with engagements dropping from 1,324.07 to 819.97, a 38.1% decrease. Cruise lines showed a increase in engagements, going from 154.75 to 1,434, an 826.8% increase, indicating a resurgence in interest in cruise travel. Attractions also experienced a rise, with engagements increasing from 732.64 to 966.47, a 31.9% increase. Lastly, the hotels category saw a decrease in engagements, dropping from 36,164.63 to 11,509.68, a 68.2% decline. Overall, DMOs and cruise lines experienced the most significant increases, while airlines and hotels saw declines.
NTOs
For NTOs, there are significant changes in the ranking compared to Q1 2024. Visit Denmark rose from 25th place in Q1 2024 to the top of the ranking in Q2 2024, exhibiting a 60-fold increase in engagements, totaling 44,223 engagements. Despite posting only nine times in Q2, the tourism organization generated some of the most popular posts of the quarter. One post about actor/singer Yi Yang Qian Xi’s (a member of the Chinese boy band TFBOYS) revisit to Copenhagen after seven years received a total of 43,733 engagements, making it the most popular post in the NTO category. The most popular NTO post last quarter (from Visit Norway), which generated the majority of the engagements for the account, was also about a member of TFBOYS revisiting a past trip. Tourism Australia secured 2nd place in the ranking by posting celebrity-related content and collaborating with Air China for 6/18 promotions, offering discounted direct flight tickets from Beijing to destinations in Australia.
The only post from the top 10 posts with the most engagements that is not related to a celebrity is Brand USA’s video showcasing breathtaking outdoor destinations in the USA, including but not limited to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Lake Tahoe in California, and Maine. As usual, posts featuring high-quality images, videos, and especially collaborations with influencers and celebrities tend to perform well.
DMOs
Macao Government Tourism Office led this category with the highest total engagements, showing an increase of 183,885 engagements compared to the previous quarter’s rate of 2,543. The drastic rise in Macau’s engagement rate significantly contributed to the increase in the average engagements for the DMO category. Most of Macau’s engagements came from a single post about the “Monsoon Concert” (季风音乐会), which received a total of 182,140 engagements, of which 168,610 were shares. Besides the Monsoon Concert, other posts from Macau featured updates on Macau’s latest attractions, detailed travel itineraries, and event announcements.
Notably, Nice rose to 4th place in the ranking from 27th place in Q1 2024. Its most popular post announced the appointment of Chinese actress Xiaotong Guan as the Cultural Tourism Ambassador for the French Riviera in Greater China, celebrating the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations and the China-France Year of Cultural Tourism.
Other highly liked content was celebrity-related, including Lay Zhang’s new music video ‘Psychic’ filmed in Dubai, Chenyu Hua’s concert in Hong Kong, the Chinese original online series ‘To the Wonder’ featuring Shi Yu and Yiran Zhou making it into the Long Form Competition at this year’s Canneseries, and Yifei Liu’s ad campaign for Abu Dhabi.
Top NTO posts from Macau, Nice, and Dubai
Airlines
Qatar Airways rose to the top of the ranking from 15th place in Q1 2024, increasing its total number of engagements by 936.12%. The top two posts from Qatar Airways were giveaway posts for different sports events—one offering an Inter Milan signed jersey, and the other a luxurious travel package for the F1 Qatar Grand Prix 2024. Lufthansa, which was ranked 1st in Q1 2024, dropped to 14th place in Q2 despite nearly tripling its posting frequency. Other top posts that received a high number of likes were mostly related to special discounts on flights, travel tips, and user-generated content featuring travel experiences. On June 11th, Cathay Pacific premiered its self-produced documentary ‘Feels Good to Move’ (由心起动), which narrated the stories of Cathay Pacific’s flight attendants. The documentary series received a decent number of engagements and sparked discussions.
Qatar Airways’ posts about sports events and giveaways
Cruise Lines
Similar with Q1 2024, only four cruise line accounts were active in Q2. The average engagements for the cruise line category increased drastically in Q2 2024 compared to the previous quarter, marking an 826.8% rise. This surge was largely driven by a specific post from Viking Cruises about a luxury cruise promotion featuring actor Yunlong Zheng, which highlighted an exclusive onboard experience. The post received a total of 5,265 engagements, accounting for 91.79% of the category’s total engagements. Non-celebrity-related content was less popular, receiving fewer likes and comments.
Museums and Attractions
Hong Kong Disneyland regained its position at the top of the ranking in Q2. The park generated high engagements by consistently sharing updates on upcoming events, ‘Friendversary’ celebrations for Duffy and Friends characters, and Disney-themed merchandise. Notably, the top two posts from Disneyland were about Olu Mel’s 4th anniversary celebration from June 10-16 and the Disneyland 10K Weekend 2024 on November 2-3. In the museums category, the V&A Museum garnered wide attention with its merchandise posts, with two posts ranking among the top five most popular. Each of V&A’s merchandise posts included a giveaway, encouraging fans to participate by sharing the post, thereby boosting the brand’s engagements.
Hotels
The hotels category experienced a significant decrease in average engagements in Q2 compared to the previous quarter. Marina Bay Sands Singapore, which generated the majority of engagements in Q1, saw a 69.3% drop, decreasing by 484,300 engagements. Bulgari Hotels also exhibited a decrease of 91.66% in Q2, resulting in a significant drop in engagement rate as well.
The top post came from Marina Bay Sands Singapore, featuring singer Xukun Cai’s stay at Marina Bay Sands last year. The second most popular post was about singer Yizhou Luo’s stay at the Sofitel Hotel in France. The third most popular post detailed actor Yecheng Zheng trying out the Michelin 1-star restaurant, Il Ristorante-Niko Romito, at Bulgari Hotel Beijing. High engagement in the hotel category was primarily driven by celebrity-related content, focusing on their experiences at specific hotels, along with accompanying photos and videos. These posts often included hashtags of the celebrity’s name and “Super Topics,” enabling the hotel brand to quickly generate discussions and attract Weibo users to join interest-based content communities.
Top hotel posts from Marina Bay Sands Singapore, Accor Hotels, and Bulgari Hotels