China Travel

Hot-aired TV drama boosts set-jetting tourism in south China's Jiangmen City 2023/2/24 source: International Daily Print

The hot-aired TV series "The Knockout" have boosted set-jetting tourism in south China's Jiangmen City, which has seen streaming flocks of visitors in recent weeks as the blockbuster TV drama sparks huge attraction in the time-honored city where many scenes of the drama were shot.


The 39-episode drama featured numerous scenes filmed on Jiangmen's historic streets lined with traditional arcade houses, or qilou. The city is also hometown of several delicacies frequently spotted being eaten by characters in the drama, such as steamed rice rolls, or Changfen, and pig's feet noodles.

Hordes of TV fans have been drawn to the iconic places they see on their screens and enjoy the local cuisines as the characters do.

"I decided to come here after watching the 'The Knockout.' I think it's a place with an antique beauty," said a tourist.

Local businesses also flourish with tourists pouring in.

"There are more clients and more orders. A three- to five-fold increase. Now I must work overtime every day to replenish the stock," said a cafe owner.

Data from travel booking services provider Ctrip.com show online searches for "Jiangmen" for tourism purpose jumped 163 percent in the past 15 days, with tourism-related orders increasing 121 percent from the previous month.

"Jiangmen is not that well-known as a tourist city. But it still registered a 160-percent growth. The data indicates that both a film and a TV drama can give a boost to the tourism of their filming locations," said Chen Linan, director of Ctrip's public affairs department.

Local authorities are also capitalizing on the popularity of "The Knockout" to develop tourism.

"Jiangmen is deeply involved in the film and television industry. There have been more than 100 films and TV dramas ever filmed in Jiangmen since the reform and opening-up [in 1970s]. Travel agencies are also working to promote related tour routes. Our cultural and tourism industry will experience a boom with the popularity of 'The Knockout'," said Kuang Jikang, head of Jiangmen Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports.


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