Special goose draws tourists to Chongqing

Tourists line up at a government cafeteria in Rongchang district, Chongqing, on Thursday. The canteen opened to the public during the May Day holiday. (ZHOU YI/CHINA NEWS SERVICE)

Rongchang district, a once-quiet corner 100 kilometers west of central Chongqing, has become an unexpected star of this year's May Day holiday after going viral on social media for its signature braised goose recently.

To manage its first major tourism surge, authorities have rolled out several initiatives — from opening a government cafeteria to providing free shuttle services — to handle the influx.

Data from travel platforms Tongcheng and Fliggy confirm Chongqing has remained one of the top 10 domestic destinations during this year's five-day holiday.

Fliggy reports that reservations for car rentals and private tours in Chongqing have more than doubled year-on-year. In addition, ticket and airport-transfer bookings are up over 40 percent, and domestic flight reservations have increased 30 percent compared with last year.

The latest boom can be traced to Lin Jiang, affectionately nicknamed "Uncle", whose relentless social media promotion — amplified during his recent China trip with YouTube star Darren Jason Watkins Jr, also known as IShow-Speed — propelled both the local delicacy and Rongchang into the national spotlight.

According to local media citing Trip.com data, Lin's efforts helped drive a 193 percent year-on-year jump in Chongqing's inbound holiday bookings.

Faced with record visitor numbers, Rongchang's authorities have left no stone unturned. They opened the district government cafeteria to the public and launched four free tourist-shuttle routes from Rongchangbei Railway Station — three serving ancient towns and scenic areas, and one dedicated to the braised-goose trail.

They also added an average of 10 high-speed trains per day between April 30 and May 7, chiefly linking Rongchang with central Chongqing and neighboring megacity Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province.

To further ease crowds, from Thursday to Monday, the government canteen is offering small dishes for 3 to 18 yuan ($0.41 to $2.48).

Furthermore, as announced by the district's Party Secretary Gao Hongbo on April 11, people can park for free in all government, public institution and municipal parking lots.

"If there's nowhere to park, tourists can even stop by the roadside without fear of fines," Gao said.

Visitors seem to agree that these measures are working.

"Rongchang's crowds are huge but orderly, and prices haven't skyrocketed like in other holiday hot spots, which has really impressed me," said Li Yangran from Chengdu, who has been touring Rongchang with her daughter for two days.

"My 5-year-old, Lezhen, loves the braised goose. She even made a short video with 'Uncle' and tried local pottery-making. She had a blast," Li added.

Another tourist posted on social media platform Xiaohongshu that volunteers offered free pickup at the railway station and that the streets are buzzing with activity.

"Everywhere you turn ... the welcome has been warm and friendly. This city has managed its moment in the spotlight beautifully," Li said.