Thailand is a quintessential destination for Chinese tourists, whether they’re sampling Bangkok’s street food, heading to the beach, or chilling out in Chiang Mai, which has surprisingly emerged as a hub for alternative Chinese culture. However, since March this year, when China and Thailand announced a bilateral visa-free travel policy, an increasing number of Thai tourists have also been heading to China. While cities like Beijing and Shanghai are continuing to attract visitors, Thai tourists are increasingly heading to the somewhat unexpected destination of Chongqing, an architectural and geographic marvel located along the banks of the Yangtze River, deep inland.

Chongqing is just a three hour flight from Bangkok, making it conveniently accessible for Thai tourists. Its proximity has also made it a popular spot for Thai celebrities to visit or host fan events (generating promotional material of course). For example, in May, Thai singer and actor Pop Pongkool documented a visit to Chongqing with an hour-long vlog, which has gained more than 400,000 views. In the video, he explores major tourist attractions and shares why Thai travelers love the city.

On TikTok, Chongqing is often celebrated as China’s most “cyberpunk” city. As a mountain metropolis with the Yangtze River running through it, the city’s unique urban design features buildings constructed on different levels of steep slopes, along with multiple bridges. This leads to surreal experiences like entering a building on the 22nd floor and exiting through another entrance on the ground floor. Hongya Cave, a 11-story traditional-style commercial building that lights up at night, and Liziba Station, where a monorail line goes through an apartment building, have become must-visit destinations for international tourists.

Another major draw for Thai visitors is Chongqing’s connection with actor Xiao Zhan, who was born in the city. Xiao Zhan gained massive popularity in Thailand following his breakout role in 2019 drama The Untamed. His Thai fanbase is known to plan meticulously curated travel routes based on his favorite spots, taking photos to recreate images of the actor in his hometown.

Chongqing’s renowned spicy food is yet another reason for its popularity in Thailand. Thai cuisine is no slouch when it comes to heat, making visitors from Thailand eager to test their spice tolerance in a city sometimes called the spiciest in China. After all, Chongqing is the birthplace of spicy hot pot. Móyù shuǎng (魔芋爽), a local snack consisting of spicy jelly made of konjac, a root vegetable, is even gaining popularity in Thailand and is available in 7-Eleven stores there. 

Thanks to viral videos documenting Chongqing’s mind-boggling urban design, the city’s profile seems to be on the rise internationally these days. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Thai people — who live only three hours away by plane, and already love spicy food — are heading there in growing numbers.

Banner image via PONGKOOL24 on Youtube.