What types of Chinese cultural and tourism images resonate with overseas audiences? A computational communication perspective

Abstract This study explores the intercultural dimensions of China’s cultural tourism promotion on YouTube, focusing on the challenges and opportunities of conveying cultural offerings to diverse global audiences. By combining computational topic modeling with quantitative analysis of engagement metrics, we analyzed 4,655 YouTube videos related to Chinese cultural tourism posted between June 2023 and June 2024. The research aims to identify key topics in Chinese cultural and tourism content on YouTube and examine how these topics correlate with global audience engagement (e.g., views, likes, comments). The findings indicate that content related to cuisine, diplomacy, history, and gaming consistently generated high engagement, while content focused on natural scenery, modernization, and traditional cultural elements showed negative engagement trends. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of intercultural communication in digital spaces and provides practical insights for tourism promotion strategies.