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Sanya Wins Two CUMTA 2026 Tourism Awards

 

Influential Cultural Tourism Destination of the Year & 2026Popular Inbound Tourism Destination of the Year 2026
The CUMTA 2026 Culture and Tourism Cross-Media Co-Creation Initiative recently launched under the guidance of Zhejiang Daily Press Group. Organised by Tide News and Qianjiang Evening News, it brings together more than a dozen leading media organisations across China, including Beijing Youth Daily, Xinmin Evening News, Yangtse Evening Post and Qilu Evening News.At this industry gathering, the Sanya Tourism Board stood out for its achievements, securing two major annual honours:

🏆 Influential Cultural Tourism Destination of the Year 2026

🏆 Popular Inbound Tourism Destination of the Year 2026

These awards mark more than a moment of recognition. They showcase how Sanya, a core area of the Hainan Free Trade Port’s international tourism consumption centre, is bringing culture and tourism together to reshape the visitor experience.

Letting the world discover Sanya’s beauty reflects the initiative’s message: “Culture makes travel more rewarding.” The city’s appeal extends beyond sunshine and beaches to distinctive cultural creations and the emotional connections sparked by a performance, an educational journey or a visit from overseas. The two awards recognise Sanya’s efforts over the past year while expressing confidence in its future.

Strong Growth in Inbound Travel Supports Two Deserved Honours

Behind the awards lies a strong performance in Sanya’s inbound travel market. As of the reporting date, the city had recorded more than 950,000 inbound and outbound passenger movements in 2026, with visa-free entries accounting for over 97% of inbound arrivals.

Building a Global Communications Network to Strengthen International Reach

Sanya is pursuing a coordinated approach to international promotion. It is building a global communications network that connects official social media channels, businesses’ overseas accounts and 27 overseas tourism promotion liaison offices.

By aligning campaign themes, sharing high-quality content, jointly developing stories and coordinating promotional activities, the network enables multiple partners to reach international audiences more effectively.

Meanwhile, @VisitSanya places particular emphasis on telling the city’s stories through international visitors’ perspectives. Its overseas social media channels now have a combined following of more than 1.1 million. Sanya regularly invites overseas travel trade representatives and travel bloggers to explore duty-free shopping districts, coastal greenways and traditional Chinese medicine wellness centres. Content created through these first-hand experiences helps turn online interest into visits.

The Passport Friendly Programme: Turning Online Interest into Visitor Spending

The Passport Friendly programme is an innovative effort to connect international promotion directly with spending by inbound visitors. Launched in July 2026 under the theme “Go China In Sanya”, the programme runs until July 2027.

Inbound visitors can publish an original post about Sanya on an overseas social media platform, such as TikTok or Instagram, using the official hashtag #GoChinaInSanya. They can then collect a complimentary package of exclusive benefits from participating businesses, including additional savings on existing offers at duty-free shops, hotels, attractions and shopping centres.

By mid-September, the programme had attracted 58 partners, comprising: Nine retail and commercial partners, covering 113 participating outlets: four shopping complexes—Sanya Joy City, Sanya MixC One, SANYA ONE and No.1 Harbour City—alongside Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex, CNSC Sanya Duty Free, Hainan Tourism Duty Free Shopping Complex, Sanya Summer Station and Sanya Summer Mall. Eight tourism businesses: five attractions—Wuzhizhou Island, Phoenix Hill, Daxiao Dongtian, Tianya Haijiao and Sanya Romance Park—plus RosaRosa, Papaji and DramaPark. 41 hotels: 24 branded properties, including those associated with Marriott, IHG, Hilton, Park Hyatt, Hyatt, Rosewood and Aranya Sanya, together with 17 domestic and local-brand hotels. Thirteen partners joined in September, and the network continues to expand.

Tourism Brand Partnerships: Expanding the Media Network

Alongside its work in international visitor markets, Sanya is extending its communications network in key cities across China. In August 2026, Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group was formally designated Sanya’s first tourism brand communications partner outside mainland China. Sanya had previously established tourism brand co-creation partnerships with Chengdu Media Group, Xinhua Daily Media Group and Zhejiang Daily Press Group.

These partnerships draw on the media groups’ reach across multiple platforms to support ongoing tourism promotion in Hong Kong, Macao, overseas markets and key visitor-source cities in mainland China. Joint international campaigns and travel experiences for influential content creators will further expand the network and strengthen awareness and appreciation of Sanya at home and abroad.

Looking ahead, Sanya will continue to enrich tourism through culture and share its culture through travel, welcoming visitors from around the world with better experiences and more thoughtful service.

A city that cherishes its visitors and welcomes every guest with warmth—Sanya is always ready to welcome you!