Sanya Tourism Up Up Up↑

2024 was a crucial year for the operation of Hainan Free Trade Port, holding extraordinary significance for Hainan. In this year, Sanya Tourism Development Bureau fully leveraged the transit visa-free policy to develop more international routes. They also held tourism promotion events in countries and regions such as Japan, Singapore, and Russia, visiting local enterprises and international organizations to build a platform for international tourism exchange and cooperation. They won lasting popularity and benefits through product innovation and quality service, contributing to the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port.

At the same time, Sanya Tourism Development Bureau fully leveraged the leading role of party building. With the "1+2+N" approach, they strengthened the construction of the "One Tourism, One Heart, Shared Mission" party-building brand, promoting the integration of party building and business. The bureau established a "Party Building Alliance" with the Xidao Party organization, providing resources for tourism promotion, hot spot marketing, and other support to the Xidao community, achieving resource sharing and complementary advantages. In 2024, they jointly created the Xidao Eco-Art Festival and launched the "The Story of the Turtle's Return" 2024 Xidao Eco-Art Festival exhibition, attracting many citizens and tourists to visit.

Tourism Market Heating Up with International Platform Construction

Visiting scenic spots, tasting local delicacies, and understanding local culture... In November 2024, a thousand-person tour group from South Korea entered Sanya, starting a 4 to 5-day trip. This thousand-person tour group was the largest South Korean inbound group in recent years. Data shows that in the first 10 months of 2024, the number of South Korean tourists ranked second among the inbound tourists received by Sanya's tourism hotels.

In November 2024, a 1,000-person tour group from South Korea entered Sanya to begin a four- to five-day itinerary

Not only did the South Korean market perform outstandingly, but other inbound tourism markets in Sanya were also accelerating their recovery. In July 2024, more than 1,000 tourists from 8 countries including Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, as well as Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, enjoyed a pleasant trip in Sanya. This was a thousand-person reward tourism group from the Asia region of Italy's Generali Group, and also the largest single inbound tourism group that Hainan had welcomed in recent years.

In 2024, the inbound tourism market in Sanya continued to heat up, with more and more overseas tourists coming. Data shows that in the first three quarters of 2024, Sanya received 500,500 inbound overnight tourists, a year-on-year increase of 2.2 times; the total expenditure of inbound overnight tourists reached 354 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 4.5 times. Behind these achievements, there is the continuous effort of Sanya Tourism Development Bureau to expand the international market.

Sanya Tourism Development Bureau fully utilized the visa-free policy for 59 countries and other entry facilitation policies, actively cooperating with domestic and foreign airlines to open and increase flights, especially those connecting with key inbound tourism markets. At the same time, they attracted more tourists from various countries and regions to travel to Sanya with richer tourism products and more comprehensive services. So far, Sanya has operated 29 international routes, with 21 international destinations, connecting Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Europe, and other regions.

Building platforms, promoting exchanges, and discussing cooperation. In 2024, Sanya Tourism Development Bureau, together with tourism enterprises in the Sanya Economic Circle, went to Singapore, Dubai, South Korea, Japan, and other places to carry out tourism marketing and promotion activities. They showcased Sanya's tourism resources and development prospects comprehensively, expanded the global tourism partnership network, and enhanced the brand awareness and influence of Sanya city, injecting new momentum and vitality into Sanya's efforts to become an international tourism destination.

Foreign Tourists Enjoying Surfing Fun in Sanya

In addition to organizing tourism promotion events, Sanya Tourism Development Bureau has made efforts in various aspects such as promoting the opening of routes, innovating tourism products and services, and deepening cultural exchanges and cooperation. They also innovated the joint marketing promotion model abroad, cooperating with overseas media platforms to build an international marketing promotion media network. This has allowed them to better voice their message to the overseas market, creating a good international tourism publicity effect and helping to expand a broader range of inbound tourism markets, achieving continuous and coherent cooperation.

The development of the Singapore tourism market is a typical case. In March 2024, Sanya Tourism Development Bureau, together with tourism enterprises in the Sanya Economic Circle, carried out a series of 2024 Sanya tourism marketing and promotion activities in Singapore. At the promotion event, Sanya Tourism Development Bureau introduced in detail the tourism resources, investment environment, and development plan of Sanya, and invited Singaporean enterprises to explore in-depth cooperation in various fields of Sanya. This move not only enhanced Sanya's reputation in Singapore but also laid a solid foundation for future cooperation between the two sides.

In order to better promote Sanya's tourism image in the Singaporean market, the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau has reached a year-long promotional cooperation with Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). Through SPH's media platforms, Sanya showcases its unique tourism resources and cultural heritage to the Singaporean public, further attracting the attention of Singaporean tourists. The Sanya Tourism Development Bureau has also collaborated with Singaporean travel agencies to launch a series of "Qiong-Lion Cultural Linkage" activities. These activities aim to tell the beautiful story of Sanya to the Singaporean and Southeast Asian markets through the deep integration of "tourism + culture." This initiative not only enriches the tourism experience of Singaporean tourists but also promotes cultural exchanges between Sanya and Singapore.

The Sanya Tourism Development Bureau has also invited Singaporean media and tourists to participate in international golf competitions. These events not only showcase Sanya's world-class golf facilities but also enhance Sanya's reputation and influence in the international tourism market through media coverage. Additionally, during the competition period, events such as Sanya tourism resource promotion were held, providing Singaporean tourists with more opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of Sanya.

Moving forward, the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau will focus on building friendly cooperation platforms and creating replicable international marketing and promotion models to tell the story of Sanya to the world. It will actively promote exchanges and cooperation with various places in the fields of culture and tourism, exhibitions, and conferences, and share the prosperity opportunities of the free trade port.

Playing a Bridging Role to Promote Qiong-Hong Kong Exchange and Cooperation

In September 2024, the 2024 Tropical Coastal City Exchange was held in Sanya. Ye Jialin, Director of the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau, joined representatives from the governments and tourism departments of countries and regions such as Thailand, Fiji, Mauritius, and the Maldives, as well as representatives from six international tourism organizations, friendly city governments within the country, and numerous domestic and foreign tourism enterprises to discuss the sustainable development of tropical coastal cities.

Ye Jialin is actively involved in various domestic and international tourism promotion and exchange activities. As a high-end management talent recruited globally for Sanya, Ye Jialin was appointed as the Director of the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau in 2021. He leads his team to actively carry out diversified tourism marketing activities, strengthen cooperation with international tourism organizations, expand Sanya's tourism market, enhance the reputation of Sanya as an international tourism destination, and promote the quality upgrade and transformation and efficiency improvement of Sanya's tourism industry.

"Sanya is a desirable holiday paradise. Under the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port, it has unlimited prospects and vitality in the future. For me, being able to participate in the development and construction of Sanya is a rare opportunity," said Ye Jialin. Coming from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, he fully plays a bridging role, combining the tourism resource characteristics of Hainan and Hong Kong, and promotes comprehensive exchanges and cooperation between Hainan and Hong Kong through various means such as policy communication, tourism cooperation, economic and trade cooperation, talent exchange, and cultural exchange, achieving the goal of mutual benefit and win-win.

"Sanya Cup" International Golf Challenge, Competitors Swing Clubs

Ye Jialin and his colleagues have increased efforts to develop the Hong Kong tourism market, providing more and richer products to offer high-quality vacation experiences for Hong Kong tourists. As a sport that combines competitiveness and leisure, golf is loved by Hong Kong tourists. The Sanya Tourism Development Bureau has invited Hong Kong tourists to play golf and vacation in Sanya by collaborating with travel agencies to offer "flight + hotel + golf" discount packages and introducing and organizing international golf sports events, while showcasing Sanya's rich golf tourism resources.

In May 2024, a golf group composed of 24 Hong Kong tourists went to Sanya Luhuitou Golf Club as soon as they got off the plane. After a brief rest, they took to the course in groups to start playing. The Hong Kong golf group experienced three different types of golf courses in Sanya, spending four days and three nights on a golf trip. "The golf courses in Sanya are very beautiful, with green grass adjacent to the blue sea. Playing golf here is very relaxing," said a Hong Kong tourist.

In August 2024, the first Asian Golf Alliance was held at Sanya Luhuitou Golf Club, attracting hundreds of well-known representatives from the domestic and foreign golf industry. The "Asian Golf Alliance" was also announced to be established in Sanya during the competition. Sanya will continue to introduce large-scale international competitions and focus on developing "tourism + sports" products that integrate leisure, sightseeing, and sports.

"For Sanya, developing golf tourism not only enriches the tourism product line and improves the quality of tourism, but also attracts more high-end and international tourists to experience it, promoting the internationalization process of Sanya's tourism industry and adding a diversified and high-quality label to Sanya's international tourism market image," said Ye Jialin.

Ye Jialin actively builds a talent exchange platform between Qiong and Hong Kong, promoting information sharing and interactive communication between talents in the two places. He takes "tourism + study" as a breakthrough, introduces activities such as the "Love My Motherland" Youth Gathering in Sanya for study and inspection, and guides more Hong Kong youth to deeply understand the development opportunities and policies of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

He also organized Hong Kong merchants to come to Hainan for inspection and exchange, introduced the opportunities of the free trade port to them, and united and led Hong Kong merchants to develop in Qiong with the bond of hometown friendship. "In the future, more activities will be held to strengthen the cooperation between Qiong, Hong Kong, and Macao in tourism and culture, mutual delivery of tourists, and economic and trade exchanges, and actively explore new ways, directions, and levels of Qiong-Hong Kong tourism and culture cooperation, bringing Hong Kong and Hainan closer together," said Ye Jialin.

Daring to Innovate and Enriching Sanya's Tourism Industry

In the past, tourists preferred sightseeing tours, but now they are more interested in immersive travel experiences. How to attract and retain tourists has long been a challenge for Sanya. "With the impetus of Hainan Free Trade Port policies, we have made many breakthroughs and attempts in the tourism industry, making Sanya's tourism industry more diverse," said Ye Jialin.

In recent years, Ye Jialin has led his team to innovate and explore new models for route development. By implementing incentive-based fiscal subsidy policies for overseas routes, they have effectively motivated domestic and international airlines and charter companies to launch flights to Sanya. They actively participate in international aviation and tourism conferences, such as the World Route Development Conference, to promote cooperation and development related to the fifth freedom rights. In December 2023, the "Phnom Penh ⇌ Sanya ⇌ Singapore" route was launched, marking the first regular passenger route with fifth freedom rights opened by the Hainan Free Trade Port. "The opening of the fifth freedom rights can establish closer connections between Sanya and the international market in various aspects, including tourism consumption, trade, and cultural exchanges," said Ye Jialin.

In terms of inbound tourism, in addition to consolidating traditional Russian-speaking markets, the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau actively expands into emerging markets such as Central Asia. The bureau collaborates with multiple tourism-related enterprises to hold overseas promotion events in Central Asia, introducing Sanya's tourism resources, favorable policies, and the rapid development of inbound tourism. They also actively understand the aviation and tourism market conditions and preferences of local tourists in Central Asia, exploring the development of "one trip, multiple stops" tourism products and advancing the creation of innovative products such as "tourism + traditional Chinese medicine therapy" and "tourism + culture" to meet the diverse needs of international tourists.

Sanya to Tashkent Route Launch

To cater to different regional and types of tourists, the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau offers differentiated tourism products. For example, golf is promoted as a "star product" for tourists from South Korea, Singapore, and other regions, while "tourism + wellness" and "tourism + culture" products are provided for tourists from Europe, America, and Russian-speaking areas.

The Sanya Tourism Development Bureau's engagement, cooperation, and various exchanges with international organizations have played a crucial role in promoting the international development of Sanya's tourism industry. These international collaborations have not only enhanced Sanya's international reputation but also facilitated the implementation of a series of international events and exhibitions, bringing rich tourism resources and economic benefits to Sanya.

For instance, the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PATA, initially agreeing to host three consecutive Tropical Coastal City Exchange activities in Sanya from 2024 to 2026. This event invites members of the Pacific Asia Travel Association and tropical coastal cities to Sanya for tourism resource inspections and experiences of intangible cultural heritage fashion shows, providing an important platform for promoting the international development of Sanya's tourism industry.

By participating in the Asia-Pacific City Tourism Promotion Organization (TPO), the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau has not only strengthened exchanges and cooperation with other tourism cities in the Asia-Pacific region but also successfully introduced the 9th Global City Tourism Promotion Organization Forum (TPO Forum) through this opportunity. This forum fully showcased Sanya's high-quality tourism resources and cultural tourism projects, enhancing the reputation and influence of Sanya's cultural tourism resources. Additionally, the forum provided a platform for Sanya to exchange with experts, scholars, leading enterprises, and professional management talents in the global tourism field, laying a solid foundation for future international cooperation.

Sanya Tourism Development Bureau Director Ye Jialin Signs Memorandum of Understanding with PATA CEO Noor Ahamd Hamid

In addition, the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau actively engages in exchanges and cooperation with international aviation hubs and well-known tourism enterprises to continuously expand the international tourism market. For example, Sanya uses the transit visa-free policy to cooperate with international aviation hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong to create multi-stop tourism products in one city, enhancing the level of international services and attracting more international tourists. At the same time, Sanya also participates in international tourism exhibitions and hosts international food festivals to fully showcase its unique tourism resources and cultural charm, further enhancing its reputation and influence in the international tourism market.

The Sanya Tourism Development Bureau has also worked with various tourism-related enterprises to launch multiple distinctive tourism route products. These products cover various fields such as cultural exploration, rainforest walking, sailing experiences, family growth, and educational travel, allowing international tourists to deeply understand Sanya's cultural heritage and unique charm while enjoying the coastal scenery. The bureau also hosts various high-end conferences, exhibitions, and incentive travel activities to showcase Sanya's international, modern, and high-end city image, attracting more high-end tourists.

The year 2024, filled with abundant achievements, has been recorded in history, and the year 2025, brimming with goals and hope, is striding forward. Standing at a new historical starting point, the Sanya Tourism Development Bureau will forge ahead with courage and determination, focusing on innovation in tourism products with greater passion, a more pragmatic approach, and stronger steps. By combining target orientation, market demand, and consumer guidance, the bureau will continue to refine and enhance traditional tourism industries. It will also continuously introduce new products such as cruise tourism, yacht tourism, low-altitude tourism, wedding tourism, educational travel, and wellness tourism, enriching the tourism product system. By doing so, the bureau aims to improve the attractiveness of Sanya as a tourism destination and contribute to the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port.