How to Choose Between Douyin and Xiaohongshu for Your Tourism Business
Most tourism businesses ask us this in the first briefing call: “Should we be on Douyin or Xiaohongshu?” My honest answer is usually “it depends on where your customer is in the booking process.” Douyin has 700 million daily active users and an algorithm that can push any video to hundreds of thousands of people overnight. Xiaohongshu has 300 million monthly active users but a search behavior that looks more like Google than TikTok. Those two differences define everything.
How each platform works for tourism
Douyin is discovery-first. A user opens the app and the algorithm fills their feed based on watch time, shares, and engagement. They are not searching for anything. Your video can reach someone who has never heard of your destination if the content performs. This makes Douyin the right platform for awareness campaigns. You are planting the idea. You are making them want to go somewhere they had not considered.
Xiaohongshu (RED) works differently. Users search “Tuscany villa stay,” “Kenya safari tips,” or “Greek island hotel recommendation” and browse posts like search results. The platform is heavily used in the research and decision phase. A traveler already thinking about Greece opens RED to find specific property reviews, photo comparisons, and price signals. If you appear here with strong content, you convert at a much higher rate than Douyin because the intent is already there.
Both platforms reward original, high-quality content. Neither tolerates pure advertising copy. Read more about how RED fits into a full strategy on our Xiaohongshu marketing page.
When to prioritize Douyin
Douyin makes sense when your destination is not yet known to Chinese travelers, when you have strong visual content (landscape, activities, food), and when you have budget for consistent posting over 3 to 6 months. The algorithm takes time to learn what works for your account. You will not see strong results in the first 3 weeks unless one video happens to go viral. That does happen, but you can’t plan for it.
Budget matters here. Douyin production requires higher video quality than RED. Native-style content works, but sloppy filming with bad audio kills reach fast. If you can post 4 to 5 videos per week at a reasonable production standard, Douyin can drive real volume. Check our Douyin marketing overview for format and production specifics.
When to prioritize Xiaohongshu
RED makes more sense when your destination is already on the Chinese travel radar, when you want to convert consideration into bookings, and when your content team can produce photo-rich posts with practical detail. RED posts that include specific information, real room photos, meal options, and transport tips perform well. Generic “beautiful view” posts do not.
RED is also better for niche properties: small boutique hotels, wellness retreats, adventure lodges. The platform’s search-based discovery rewards specificity. A post titled “Our 3-night stay at this Jordanian resort: full review with prices” will outperform a generic promotional post every time.
From the field: a Jordanian resort
A luxury desert resort in Jordan came to us with a clear brief: grow Chinese bookings in 12 months. Their visual content was strong but their team was small, 2 people managing all social globally. We had to pick one platform to start.
Wadi Rum and Petra had enough organic search volume on RED that we chose Xiaohongshu first. We built a posting rhythm of 4 times per week: room details, desert experiences, local food, and one “full trip review” style post per month. Within 4 months the account had 8,400 followers and the brand was appearing in top results for “Jordan luxury resort” searches in Chinese. Direct inquiries through the RED DM channel grew from zero to 15 per month by month 6. We added Douyin in month 7 once we had enough content assets to maintain both channels.
What we got wrong at first
We used to recommend both platforms from day one. It sounds like a solid full-coverage strategy. In practice, small tourism teams cannot sustain quality on two Chinese social platforms simultaneously while running everything else. Content quality dropped, posting frequency dropped, results were weak on both. Now we always pick one to build properly first, hit a posting rhythm, and add the second once the first account is generating real engagement. A strong presence on one platform beats a weak presence on two.
What we recommend now
Map your destination’s Chinese search volume on RED before you decide. Use the RED app and search your destination name in Chinese. Count the number of user posts and note the engagement. High volume means people are already looking, which means RED is the right start. Low volume and low awareness means Douyin is the right start to create that interest first.
Set a 90-day trial period on one platform before deciding to add the second. Measure follower growth, post reach, and DM inquiries. Use those numbers to justify the expansion. Our team can run this audit for you as part of an onboarding scope. See our services page for details.
Summary table
| Factor | Douyin | Xiaohongshu (RED) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly active users | 700M DAU | 300M MAU |
| Content format | Short video (vertical) | Photo posts, video notes |
| User intent | Discovery, entertainment | Research, decision |
| Best funnel stage | Awareness | Consideration to conversion |
| Production requirements | Higher (video quality matters) | Moderate (photos + text) |
| Algorithm reach | Very high potential | Search-driven, more predictable |
Not sure which fits your property?
We do a free initial platform assessment for new clients. Reach out here and tell us your destination and your target travel segment. We will give you a clear recommendation within 48 hours. You can also browse our full services to understand the scope of what we cover.
Alex is a project manager at Chinese Tourist Agency, based in Shanghai. She has run platform strategy for tourism clients across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East for over 10 years.
