Dragon Trail International’s Weibo Rankings Report tracks and analyzes performance for national tourism organizations (NTOs), destination marketing organizations (DMOs), airlines, airports, cruise lines, museums & attractions, and hotels. Our quarterly Weibo reports build industry benchmarks and uncover best practices in digital marketing in the travel sector.
NTOS
The top-ranking NTO accounts in Q1 2025 differed significantly from those in Q1 2024, which had featured four European NTOs in the top five. In Q1 2025, Tourism Australia led the ranking with 75,746 total engagements, accounting for 38.96% of all engagements. It was followed by the national tourism boards of Spain, Japan, the United States, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) – Chengdu Office. Notably, Tourism Australia rose from 10th place in Q1 2024 to 1st place in Q1 2025, representing a 1,341% increase in total engagements.
Four TAT accounts appeared in the rankings at 5th, 6th, 29th, and 39th place. Meanwhile, TAT’s Kunming and Beijing offices, which had ranked 12th and 14th in Q1 2024 respectively, dropped out of the top rankings in Q1 2025—likely due to a decrease in posting frequency, which may have contributed to reduced engagement levels.
The most popular post in Q1 2025 came from Tourism Australia and featured a vlog by actor Yu Shi (Yosh) documenting his trip to Queensland. The post received 60,864 engagements and included the hashtags #于适的昆士兰假期 (Yosh’s vacation in Queensland) and #和于适在澳大利亚 (With Yosh in Australia), which together generated over 14.57 million views and 771,000 discussions on Weibo. Tourism Australia’s collaboration with Yosh and their frequent related posts drove significant engagement throughout the quarter. The second and third most popular posts were both from the Spain Tourism Board, featuring content about hidden gems in southern Spain’s Andalusia region—highlighting unique towns and regional cuisine—and a vlog from actor Li Xian documenting his second trip to Spain, respectively.
Tourism Australia posts featuring Yosh
DMOS
The DMO category saw a significant surge in total engagements, rising by 304.65% from 48,401 in Q1 2024 to 195,888 in Q1 2025. Queensland, Australia led the rankings with 54,608 engagements, climbing from 9th place in Q1 2024. It was followed by Macao, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles. Notably, the Region of Valencia Tourism Board, which ranked third in Q1 2024, dropped to 26th place in Q1 2025 after a sharp 82.71% decline in posting frequency. Macao, in contrast, recorded a dramatic 1400.81% increase in engagements—from 2,722 to 40,840—despite maintaining a similar posting frequency.
Queensland’s leading post featured Yosh’s vacation on Hamilton Island, offering a brief destination introduction and showcasing must-do experiences such as driving a golf buggy and watching the sunset at One Tree Hill. Other widely engaged posts included Macao and Hong Kong promoting Chenyu Hua’s new song, Allen Ren’s trip to Los Angeles, and Hendery Huang’s visit to Macao. As in previous quarters, celebrity-related content remained the most effective driver of engagement in the DMO category.
Airlines
AirAsia dominated the Airlines category with 105,383 engagements, accounting for 78.73% of the category’s total engagements. Despite posting less frequently, AirAsia’s engagements surged by more than 60 times.
The top four most popular posts were all from AirAsia. This dramatic increase in engagements was primarily driven by a single post, which teased a collaboration with mysterious celebrities, sparking widespread attention and speculation about their identities. The subsequent three posts followed, announcing Bo Yuan as AirAsia’s brand partner. Other popular posts included promotional videos, cabin crew introductions, travel guides, giveaways, and route promotions.
AirAsia’s marketing campaigns featuring Bo Yuan as its brand partner
Airports
Compared to other categories, airport accounts were generally less active in Q1 2025, with Istanbul Airport being the most active, publishing 55 posts. Despite a lower posting frequency, Hong Kong International Airport led the category in engagements, achieving 9,674 total engagements and accounting for 58.37% of the category’s total. Singapore Changi Airport ranked second with 5,098 engagements.
Eight of the ten most engaged posts were from Hong Kong International Airport. These included a giveaway campaign in collaboration with the show This is Transit (《这就是转机》), a Chinese New Year giveaway, souvenir recommendations, information on the airport’s free 24-hour shower facilities, and seasonal highlights such as the blooming yellow trumpet trees. Much of the airport’s engagement was driven by giveaway campaigns that encouraged users to share and comment, significantly boosting interaction. Another high-performing post featured Singapore Changi Airport’s Chinese New Year Shopping Festival, which showcased exclusive promotions, luxury brand pop-ups, lucky draws, and limited-edition products.
Cruise Lines
Despite cruise accounts generally achieving fewer engagements compared to other categories, they experienced surprisingly low engagement in Q1 2025. The six cruise accounts collectively generated only 89 total engagements, averaging 14.83 engagements per account and 0.24 engagements per post. The most popular post from Princess Cruises promoted its 60th anniversary special voyage, which will depart from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera on December 6, 2025.
Attractions & Museums
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort led the attractions category by a narrow margin, rising from seventh place in Q1 2024 to first place in Q1 2025. On average, each account received approximately 1.63 engagements per post.
The post that garnered the highest number of engagements came from Ocean Park Hong Kong, announcing the public debut of twin baby pandas named “Jiajie” and “Sailo.” The Louvre Museum ranked second with its post about The Exorcism of Charles VI’s Madness by François-Auguste Biard—a dramatic oil painting notable for its intense contrasts of light and shadow. The third most popular post also came from the Louvre, exploring the mystery of the missing arms of the Venus of Arles.
Similar to the Louvre, other museum accounts—such as the V&A Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, etc. —frequently share artworks currently on display, accompanied by historical context or background stories. For attractions in general, common content themes include festival announcements, upcoming events, and scenic imagery.
Hotels
Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts led the hotel category, accounting for 57% of total engagements. Overall, the category experienced a significant decline in performance, with total engagements dropping from 871,192 in Q1 2024 to just 14,323 in Q1 2025—a decrease of 98.36%. Average engagement per account per post also plummeted, from 71.01 to 1.01. This sharp decline was likely driven by a drop in engagements from Marina Bay Sands Singapore and Hilton, which previously contributed the majority of the category’s total engagements.
The most engaged post came from Marriott Bonvoy, featuring a photo of international supermodel Xiaowen Ju at a Marriott Hotel, along with a hyperlink encouraging users to explore Marriott properties across China. The next six most popular posts were all from Bvlgari Hotels, highlighting its Michelin-starred restaurant, luxurious spa treatments, elegant afternoon teas, and promotional teaser videos. This trend underscores the importance of celebrity collaborations, as accounts without such content saw significantly lower engagement levels, illustrating the vital role of a strong fan base on Weibo.
Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts promoting its facilities and hotel experiences
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