SINGAPORE - A light noon drizzle did not dampen the enthusiasm of over 20 people, mostly tourists from China, who were queueing at the Fort Canning tree tunnel on Oct 17.

Among them was Jiangxi native Liu Mei Feng, a 25-year-old content creator better known as Wanzi on social media, waiting for her chance to pose for photos at the spiral staircase.

Here for the first time, she followed the recommendations on the popular Chinese app Xiaohongshu, or Little Red Book, to the picture-perfect spot.

Xiaohongshu, which has more than 300 million monthly active users, has turned less-sought-after locations all over the world into must-visit attractions for Chinese tourists.

Such user-generated travel advice and itineraries are taking them off the beaten track to places such as Dusseldorf, Germany, for Chinese food; Ijen volcano in eastern Java, Indonesia, for crater rim pictures; and Kennedy Town in Hong Kong for romantic neighbourhood vibes.

Da ka, or punching the card tourism, a trend popularised by social media, involves planning an itinerary around photogenic attractions and showing off the pictures on the platforms.

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