Nighttime tourism has gradually become an important means of driving regional economic development. This study takes Hongyadong, a landmark nighttime tourist attraction in Yuzhong District, Chongqing, as a case study. Based on the theory of tourism destination image, the study constructs a research framework consisting of image perception diagnosis, core issue identification, and optimization path proposal. By crawling 352 tourist reviews from Ctrip and employing web text analysis methods, the study analyzes the tourism image of Hongyadong from three dimensions: cognitive, affective, and overall image. The findings reveal that tourists have formed a composite cognitive image centered on “nightscape + architecture + culture + commerce”, with a predominantly positive affective orientation. However, issues such as superficial experience modes and overcrowding persist. Based on these findings, optimization paths are proposed, including creating culturally immersive experiences, introducing intelligent management, and diversifying business formats, to promote the high-quality development of Hongyadong and similar nighttime tourist destinations.