Travel bloggers transport people staying at home to beautiful places around the world in a virtual manner

For many Chinese travel enthusiasts who currently are advised against traveling abroad amid the COVID-19 pandemic, videos and pictures shared by travel bloggers on social media platforms have served instead to create an immersive travel experience. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, travelling around the world by following in the lens of travel bloggers has become a new travel trend.

Statistics indicated that the number of travel bloggers who become active on a short-video platform at the end of last year underwent a six-fold increase compared with the beginning of the year, which is an indication of the latest tendency wherein the tourism industry is gradually going online nowadays.

Travel blogger with the nickname of "Unique" posted a video he filmed during a previous stay at the foot of the Alps, the location where the film Heidi was shot. (Screenshot of Sino Weibo account of "Unique")

A travel blogger with the nickname of "Unique" has aroused the interest of many users on social media after he shared pictures he had taken and videos he had filmed while travelling in the regions of Antarctica, Switzerland, South Africa, Tahiti, Paris, and the Alps, among others.

The man once posted videos he filmed during a previous stay at the foot of the Alps, the location where the film Heidi was shot, without expecting that the videos would spark discussions among net users. "I once stayed at a hotel like this one where I made tomato egg noodles for foreign friends. I always remember the moment when a lovely little girl with curly hair holding an empty plate in her hands, waited for me to put food on it," a net user commented under a video filmed by "Unique".

People who haven't been to the Alps but have watched the film Heidi expressed that the video by "Unique" reminded them of some touching moments in the film, and that they would be thrilled to be there to experience the idyllic lifestyle themselves one day.

In reaction to the videos shared by "Unique", some net users said they were a feast to their eyes, while others expressed that they felt as if they were "traveling around the world" by following the blogger's lens.

Another travel blogger surnamed Yang Xiaochun shared pictures and videos he had taken while travelling abroad prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of which were relatively less-visited scenic spots. The moments captured in the pictures and videos have a healing effect for many. Underneath Yang's videos, many commented that they were eager to travel abroad when the pandemic is finally contained around the world.

Chinese students studying overseas are also helping people appreciate the natural landscapes and culture of overseas tourist destinations by sharing their own travel experiences on social media platforms, reaping a large number of followers on the platforms.