Surge in tourists

In March last year, driven by the allure of barbecue skewers wrapped with small pancakes — a traditional way of consuming barbecue in Zibo — tourists from all over the country flocked to the city. Soon, reports of how travelers stuck in Zibo amid COVID-19 restrictions had been accommodated nicely by the local government and businesses added to its appeal.

With a sudden surge in visitor numbers in less than a month, the industrial city, which was facing challenges in transforming itself, successfully seized the opportunity through the concerted efforts of locals, businesses, and the government, garnering widespread acclaim.

Data released by Tujia, an online accommodation services booking platform, revealed that during last year's May Day holiday, the number of homestay bookings in Shandong tripled compared to the same period in 2019, with bookings increasing 12-fold in Zibo.

For the first time in Tujia's record, Shandong led the nation in homestay bookings during the May Day holiday. On Meituan, accommodation bookings for Zibo surged by 800 percent compared to 2019, ranking first in Shandong.

Zhang Yaojun, a professor at the School of Applied Economics at Renmin University of China, said that Zibo barbecue became hot not only because of its taste, but also because of the positive image of Zibo's businesses and local citizens, as their warm hospitality amid COVID-19 — a phenomenon that went viral on the internet — attracted tourists from across the country, leading to a rapid rise in visitor traffic to Zibo.

The urban services stemming from joint efforts of the Zibo municipal government and its citizens also added to the city's appeal, Zhang said.

For example, the city increased free parking lots and Zibo citizens spontaneously formed volunteer teams to provide services for out-of-town visitors. These efforts enabled Zibo to better cope with the sudden tourist numbers.

Zhang said online promotion has also been a catalyst for the boom. Aside from traditional methods such as television and advertising, many local businesses used various new media platforms and social media influencers for real-time interaction.

However, the fervor for barbecue in Zibo cooled in the latter half of the year, characterized by a decline in the number of new barbecue restaurants. The city saw 69 out of the 839 newly established enterprises in Zibo winding up by November last year, said a report by media Yicai.