An aerial view of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. [Photo/Hohhot news network]

Hohhot, capital city of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has been ranked third-tier city on the "2023 City Commercial Charm Ranking" recently released by the China Business News New First-Tier Cities Research Institute.

The report evaluated 337 cities across the country based on nearly 200 brands, 17 internet companies, and data agencies, using big data to focus on five dimensions: the degree of commercial resource aggregation, the city's hub status, the activity level of its residents, the diversity of its lifestyle and, finally, its future development plasticity.

Hohhot city during nighttime. [Photo/Hohhot news network]

The ranking aimed to provide merchants and investors insight into which cities evaluated would be most worthy of investment in the future. The ranking measured the number of retail stores and restaurants per capita, traffic, subway coverage, GDP per capita, and the number of high-tech industries in the city.

Despite not being regarded as a first or second-tier city, Hohhot's commercial charm was nonetheless recognized, and the ranking aims to draw attention to the potential of third-tier cities to become the following prominent destinations for investment and development.

Overall, the report highlights the importance of developing commercial charm in cities as a means of attracting investment and suggests that third-tier cities have the potential to compete with their more established counterparts.