Move over, traditional travel guides—social media is now the ultimate tour planner! Shanghai is seeing a spike in Thai tourists ditching cookie-cutter itineraries to chase ‘viral spots’ curated from TikTok reels and Instagram posts.
Forget the Great Wall tours—young Thai travelers are crowdsourcing their adventures, hunting neon-lit alleyways, ‘Buddha-jacket dumpling’ eateries, and pop-up art exhibits tagged #ShanghaiHiddenGems. The Bund’s skyline still dazzles, but locals say visitors are spending just as much time snapping aesthetic tea ceremonies or browsing qipao fashion markets.
Why the DIY boom? Thai influencers are fueling FOMO with clips of Shanghai’s futurism meets tradition vibe—think holographic temples and robot bartenders. Plus, China’s upgraded e-visa process for Thailand residents is smoothing the path.
Travel apps like WeChat Pay are bridging language gaps, letting tourists book bubble tea deliveries or K-pop cafe reservations with ease. One Bangkok student told us: ‘I came for the sci-fi metro stations… stayed for the midnight hotpot parties!’
Cultural exchange is thriving too—look out for Thai night markets in Shanghai parks and Mandarin-Thai language swaps. As Lunar New Year approaches, cross-border wanderlust shows no signs of slowing!
NewspaperAmigo – Your Global News Buddy 
