Connecting with the World through Hong Kong Hainan–Hong Kong Tourism Cooperation Brings New Momentum to Sanya’s Inbound Tourism
As the Hainan Free Trade Port enters a new stage with the launch of island-wide special customs operations and ties between the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port continue to deepen, cooperation between Hainan and Hong Kong is moving rapidly from strategic alignment to concrete initiatives. The vision of a “One-Hour Travel Circle” between Hainan and Hong Kong is steadily taking shape. From August 3 to August 5, a delegation from the Sanya Tourism Board visited the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China to advance cultural and tourism cooperation, building on the outcomes of earlier visits to Hong Kong by provincial and municipal leaders. Through strategic media partnerships, joint development of cross-border tourism products and stronger cooperation mechanisms, Sanya is exploring a new model built around multi-destination travel, two-way visitor flows and joint expansion into global markets—turning the “One-Hour Travel Circle” into an increasingly tangible travel proposition.
A Window to the World: Bringing Sanya to Global Audiences
Effective communications are an essential first step in taking a destination to the world. On August 3, the Sanya Tourism Board signed a strategic agreement on international tourism communications with Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group (HKTKWW), establishing an ongoing, multi-channel platform for promoting Sanya internationally.
Based in Hong Kong with a global reach, HKTKWW operates across newspapers, digital media and overseas platforms. Its flagship newspaper, Ta Kung Pao, founded in 1902, is the world’s oldest Chinese-language newspaper still in publication. HKTKWW also initiated an international network of Chinese-language media organizations that brings together more than 100 Chinese-language media outlets worldwide, providing an important platform for reaching overseas Chinese communities. Rather than relying on isolated promotional campaigns, the partnership will enable Sanya to communicate its tourism offering on a sustained and systematic basis to Hong Kong residents, overseas Chinese communities and international audiences, showcasing experiences ranging from coastal holidays and contemporary culture and tourism to wellness and educational travel.
During the visit, the Sanya Tourism Board also met with representatives of the South China Morning Post. Founded in 1903, the South China Morning Post is one of Asia’s most internationally recognized English-language news organizations, reaching influential audiences across global political, economic and business communities. The two sides will explore opportunities to promote Sanya tourism to international English-speaking audiences, extending the destination’s communications beyond Chinese-language communities and further into the global English-language media landscape.
By leveraging Hong Kong’s role as an international communications gateway, Sanya is presenting its coastal tourism story through an increasingly professional and international lens, giving the “One-Hour Travel Circle” greater visibility on the global stage.
A Gateway for Two-Way Travel: Turning Connections into Journeys
At the heart of the “One-Hour Travel Circle” is the two-way movement of visitors. During the Hong Kong visit, Sanya focused on translating the concept of multi-destination travel into bookable cross-border products and accessible distribution channels.
In discussions with the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC), the two sides reached consensus on several areas of cooperation. Drawing on the complementary tourism strengths of the two destinations, they plan to jointly develop multi-destination cross-border itineraries combining Sanya’s tropical mountains and coastline with Hong Kong’s distinctive urban culture and experiences. On August 4, the Sanya Tourism Promotion Liaison Office (Hong Kong SAR, China) officially opened at Wing On Travel. The new liaison office will provide Sanya with an established local presence in Hong Kong and a platform for reaching wider international markets, supporting ongoing visitor-market development, joint product development and market research.
Major events also offer new opportunities to encourage travel between the two destinations. The Sanya Tourism Board held dedicated discussions with Kai Tak Sports Park to learn from its end-to-end approach to major concerts and international sporting events, including strategies for extending visitor spending beyond the events themselves. The two sides agreed to explore multi-destination packages combining “Hong Kong events + Sanya holidays”, designed to extend the economic impact generated by event attendance. In the arts and cultural sector, the delegation held in-depth discussions with M+ on the cross-sector development of museum and cultural intellectual property and the exchange of distinctive exhibitions across destinations. Initial plans include reciprocal exhibitions of selected artworks from Hainan and Hong Kong and the joint curation of exhibitions featuring the intangible cultural heritage of Hainan’s Li ethnic group, creating new opportunities to bring Hainan’s maritime culture to international audiences through a globally connected platform.
From joint product development to distribution, multi-destination travel experiences are emerging as one of the most tangible expressions of the “One-Hour Travel Circle”.
A Hub for Long-Term Cooperation: Building Connections That Last
For cooperation to deliver lasting results, effective mechanisms are essential. On August 5, the Sanya Tourism Board visited the Hong Kong Tourism Board, where the delegation met with Executive Director Mr Anthony Lau and his team for in-depth discussions on overseas visitor-market development, international cruise tourism and cooperation at international travel trade events. The discussions placed particular emphasis on jointly developing Russian-speaking source markets, with plans to generate additional inbound visitor growth through joint participation in international travel events, targeted marketing and other collaborative initiatives. The two sides also agreed to work toward signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU), providing a more structured framework for jointly pursuing international opportunities and marking a new stage of institutionalized, ongoing tourism cooperation between Hainan and Hong Kong.
Reliable air connectivity provides the foundation for two-way visitor flows. Hong Kong Airlines and HK Express currently maintain regular services between Sanya and Hong Kong, providing a combined 11 flights per week. Market data further reflects the growing momentum. In the first half of 2026, Sanya welcomed nearly 50,000 visitors from Hong Kong and Macao, an increase of more than 15% year on year, pointing to a steady recovery and continued growth in these visitor markets.
From jointly developing source markets and strengthening air connectivity to establishing an MOU and mechanisms for ongoing cooperation, the “One-Hour Travel Circle” is gaining the institutional foundations needed for sustainable growth.
Closer ties between Hainan and Hong Kong form part of broader efforts to advance national development priorities and support the Hainan Free Trade Port’s continued opening-up at a high level. Through three complementary pillars—international communications, cross-border tourism products and long-term cooperation mechanisms—Sanya’s latest engagement in Hong Kong is accelerating the “One-Hour Travel Circle” from vision to reality while unlocking greater synergies between the two destinations. Looking ahead, Sanya will continue to draw on Hong Kong’s strengths as an international gateway, deepen cross-border tourism collaboration, diversify its inbound tourism offerings, enhance international visitor services and broaden its global communications channels. Through a more open and internationally connected approach, Sanya aims to welcome more visitors from around the world while contributing to the high-quality development of the Hainan Free Trade Port’s cultural and tourism industries.