How ‘cyberpunk’ Chongqing became China’s tourism hotspot

As a municipality that sits directly under China's central government, like Beijing and Shanghai, Chongqing has more autonomy and resources than many second-tier cities.

Local authorities also offer performance-based incentives to travel agencies.

Dan Wang, China director at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, said while Chongqing's scale may be hard to match, aspects of its playbook can be replicated.

"It's not that hard to replicate what Chongqing is doing to improve the living environment and ecosystem when it comes to tourism," she said.

"So when we think about the convenience of getting to the city, for example, the high-speed railway, the waterway, they're quite clean, very convenient," she said.

Wang noted that other cities are already following suit.

"Even for places in Shandong, such as Yantai and Zibo, they're investing a lot to improve local transportation and the cleanliness when it comes to the local food scene. So I can see this positive spillover effect from Chongqing."

Social media buzz may have put Chongqing on the map, but officials are betting that the strong branding – combined with improved services and connectivity – will keep tourists coming back.