Chongqing - Just over a year after its launch, "Majestic Landscape, Dynamic Chongqing" has transcended its origins as a tourism slogan to become the city's definitive global identity - a transformation that offers a masterclass in place branding.

The eight-character slogan was born from a public solicitation launched in December 2024. Culled from more than 100,000 submissions and shaped by input from over 3.5 million participants, the phrase distills the city's essence: the resilience of its mountains, the vitality of its waters, the mission of a new era, and the promise of a vibrant future.

Since its official unveiling on July 21, 2025, the slogan has become a defining motif for Chongqing's high-quality tourism development - featured everywhere from drone light shows over the Yangtze to international travel fairs in Berlin.

The numbers tell a compelling story. In 2025, Chongqing ranked sixth among 338 Chinese cities in the 2025 Comprehensive Index for Overseas Online Communication of Chinese Cities - its seventh consecutive year in the top ten. That same year, the city made its debut on the International Exchange Centers Index 2025, ranking 47th globally. In May 2026, Chongqing was named one of the "China Loved by Foreigners" at the "Charming and Lovable China" series press conferences.

Perhaps most significantly, the State Council recently approved the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's 15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Tourism Powerhouse, which designates Chongqing as both a tourism hub city and a key city for inbound tourism development. The plan calls for strengthening the hub functions of 32 cities including Chongqing, and using 24 cities - Beijing and Chongqing among them - as anchor points for a national inbound tourism network.

Professor Hu Chuandong of Chongqing Normal University's School of Geography and Tourism observes that the slogan has evolved into something far more significant than a marketing tool. "After a year of wide circulation," he notes, "it has established a highly differentiated urban tourism positioning that integrates resource preservation, product development, market promotion, and urban renewal - enabling Chongqing to transition from passively describing the city to actively defining it, and ultimately to co-sharing it with residents and visitors alike."

The phrase has demonstrated remarkable cross-sector utility, unifying efforts across tourism, commerce, foreign affairs, and urban planning - a testament to its elevation from marketing catchphrase to city-wide strategic asset.

The city is now pivoting from chasing visitor numbers to cultivating deeper engagement. The recently released draft of Chongqing's Action Plan for Elevating the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor (2026-2028) sets explicit targets: increasing the proportion of overnight visitors to 30% and extending average stays by 20%. The message is clear: Chongqing wants visitors not just to come, but to stay, explore, and spend.

Looking ahead, Hu said Chongqing can sustain the momentum of “Majestic Landscape, Dynamic Chongqing” by focusing on four areas: strengthening tourism industries, deepening cultural integration, applying digital technologies, and improving urban experiences.

In terms of industry development, Hu suggested creating world-class tourism product clusters, including upgrading Three Gorges cruises into “mobile cultural pavilions,” developing Wulong into an international outdoor adventure and wellness destination, and building a “Wuling Mountain Residences” cultural tourism belt across southeastern Chongqing.

He also emphasized the importance of transforming local cultural resources into immersive experiences. Distinctive cultural elements, including the Red Rock spirit and Ba-Yu heritage, could be further developed into tourism products that allow visitors to better understand the stories and traditions behind Chongqing’s landscapes.

Technology will also play a growing role in enhancing tourism experiences, Hu said. Digital twin technology for the Three Gorges could allow visitors to explore historical inscriptions and cultural sites through interactive platforms, while smart tourism systems could provide personalized itineraries, multilingual AR navigation, and integrated digital services.

At the urban level, Hu highlighted the importance of maintaining Chongqing’s unique character through organic renewal of old neighborhoods and backstreets. He suggested developing shared cultural spaces such as “Mountain City Homes,” “Riverside Tea Stalls,” and “Cave Cafés” that allow residents and visitors to experience the city’s distinctive lifestyle.

The leap from slogan to signature is not an endpoint but a beginning. As Chongqing positions itself as a world-class cultural tourism destination, "Majestic Landscape, Dynamic Chongqing" invites the world to discover not just a city, but a way of life - where ancient mountains meet future visions, and every vista tells a story of renewal.