Why Has Sanya Become Young People's "Beloved Paradise"?

Sanya, once the top choice for many middle-aged and elderly people seeking warmth and pleasant scenery to escape the cold, has seen a significant shift in its tourist profile in recent years. Increasingly, young people are listing it as a must-visit travel destination.

CCTV Finance's 2025 "Quality Life Survey" revealed that Sanya topped the list of "Prefecture-Level Cities Most Coveted by Young People," earning the title of the "Most Coveted Prefecture-Level City Tourism Destination by Young People."

Amidst the backdrop of intense competition ("juan") and heightened rivalry in the national cultural and tourism market, what exactly is drawing young people's hearts to Sanya?

Young People Become the Driving Force of Sanya Tourism

"It turns out humans really can look down on the earth like birds."

Wang Zi, a tourist born after 1995 ("post-95s"), said that the moment she leaped out of the airplane cabin, the wind at 4,000 meters intertwined with her heartbeat, and the vast blue expanse of Sanya Bay unfolded beneath her. She celebrated her 30th birthday with this special activity—skydiving.

Young people like her are becoming the main force driving Sanya's tourism.

Screenshot from CCTV Finance's "Quality Life Survey".

Unlike traditional sightseeing, young people prefer personalized and in-depth experiences. "Before, coming to Sanya was mainly about seeing the sea and checking off scenic spots. Now, I'm more interested in experiencing activities like diving, skydiving, and beachcombing," said tourist Tang Yanyi, echoing the sentiments of many young visitors.

Skydiving, dubbed "the game of the brave" by many netizens, has gained popularity among young people in recent years. One netizen commented, "The moment you jump out of the cabin door, all anxiety is torn apart by the wind." Zhang Enming, who previously worked overseas, "sensed" the business opportunity in this youth travel market.

Tourists experiencing skydiving. Source: Sanya Tourism Development Bureau

In 2020, Zhang Enming returned to China to prepare for establishing a skydiving base. Where to choose? After traveling across the country, he ultimately set his sights on Sanya and founded the Sanya Tahe Skydiving Base. In his view, the good climate and large number of tourists make it an ideal place for skydiving.

Zhang Enming was proven right: in its opening year of 2021, the Sanya Tahe Skydiving Base received 4,000 visitors; by 2024, that number surged to over 10,000.

Zhang Enming also found that most participants were young people. "In the first quarter of 2025, the base received over 4,000 visitors, with those aged 21 to 35 accounting for more than 80%, and 60% of them were female," he said. Catering to the young demographic's emphasis on ritual and ceremony, the base also launched special services like "Couple Tandem Skydiving" and "Graduation Commemorative Skydive," transforming skydiving from just an adventure into a cherished memory.

Source: Sanya Tourism Development Bureau

The rejuvenation of the tourism market is evident across all aspects of Sanya——

In the first quarter of this year, passengers aged 18 to 35 accounted for 31.8% of arrivals at Sanya Phoenix International Airport, an increase of 2.8 percentage points year-on-year. From February to March, this group reached 36.3%, up 4.7 percentage points compared to the same period last year.

From the bustling Sanya International Duty-Free Shopping Complex to the artistic boutique B&Bs, and the thrilling land, sea, and air sports venues, young people are visible everywhere. They are driving the constant innovation and upgrading of the city's tourism landscape.

The ‘secret to youth traffic’ from resources to services

Why do young people love going to Sanya? The answer is simple: it's fun.

"I came specifically for diving," said Tang Yanyi. She saw diving guides for Sanya on social media, noting the good water quality, abundant fish, and suitability for beginners, so she booked a flight to Sanya.

 Tourists experiencing diving. Source: Sanya Dadonghai Tourism Area

Unlike Tang Yanyi's "active" approach, Chen Hong, a tourist from Beijing, chose to "slow down," flying to Sanya for a weekend to simply "holiday in the hotel." "Escaping the office building and just 'lying flat' in Sanya is so relaxing," she said. Young people are reshaping vacation logic with the concept of "the hotel is the destination."

By building a tourism product system that caters to both "fast" and "slow" paces, Sanya precisely meets the diverse needs of young tourists. "Whether it's thrilling activities like skydiving, wake surfing, and marine sports, or leisurely pursuits like 'hotel lounging,' duty-free shopping, travel photography, or immersive experiences like music festivals, concerts, and exhibitions... young people can find their own way to vacation in Sanya," said Li Hui, Dean of the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Sanya University.

March 30: Jay Chou's 2025 "Carnival" World Tour concert, Sanya stop, third show at Sanya Egret Stadium, Sanya Sports Center. Photo by Feng Shuo, Hainan Daily All-Media Reporter

In the view of Qi Yuan, Assistant to the President of Sanya University and Director of the Hainan Tourism New Formats Research Center, Sanya is not just a traditional tourist destination for young people; it's an integrated space combining leisure, socializing, self-expression, and trendy living. Its appeal lies in offering both a "lie-flat style vacation" and fulfilling adventurous and personalized desires. Simultaneously, leveraging social media to amplify its reach, it has become the "island alternative to overseas travel" in the minds of young people, providing ample emotional fulfillment.

The market also needs cultivation. As early as 2020, Sanya targeted the young demographic with the "Sanya New Youth Wonder Island" themed marketing campaign. It personified the new youth travelers into five animal dimensions, corresponding to five travel experiences: shopping, travel photography, cultural exploration, outdoor sports, and hotel vacations.

"Sanya New Youth Wonder Island" personifies the new youth travelers into five animal dimensions, corresponding to five travel experiences. The five new youth species include: Octopus Youth, Seal Youth, Squirrel Youth, Shark Youth, Koala Youth.

This fun classification successfully attracted tourists to "find their match," allowing young people to discover their preferred way of traveling in Sanya and fostering a strong sense of identification.

Furthermore, tourists seek a two-way journey of "happy consumption" and "consuming happiness." While pursuing personalized, diverse, and in-depth travel experiences, they also demand higher standards for tourism service quality.

From "advance compensation" and "hassle-free refunds" ("Wuyou Tui") to give tourists peace of mind when spending, to luggage storage services freeing their hands to explore the city, to the city-wide distribution of coconuts during the May Day holiday to warmly pamper guests... Through this series of measures, tourists have also felt Sanya's sincere dedication.

May 1: At Sanya Dadonghai Tourism Area, volunteers offer free coconuts to tourists from all over. Photo by Wang Chenglong, Hainan Daily All-Media Reporter

More recently, Sanya designated this year as the "Tourism Service Quality Enhancement Year," aiming to systematically address service shortcomings through "Ten Major Actions." Sixty-one tourism-related departments and 120,000 tourism-related enterprises will make every effort to enhance tourism service quality. Concurrently, the Digital Cultural Tourism Innovation Association was established to integrate resources from smart technology companies and cultural tourism enterprises. Utilizing digital technology resources (such as big data, VR/AR, artificial intelligence, etc.), it will promote the implementation of innovative scenarios like smart tour guides and intelligent scenic area management, using digital innovation to improve service quality and shape the city's cultural tourism brand.

What More "Fan-Attracting" Paths Can Be Explored Around Young People?

In the Teng Hai community after dark, the sound of waves blends with music. "Diving to see the underwater world during the day, and then heading to a bar for drinks with friends at night—Sanya really understands young people," said Tang Yanyi.

Young tourists becoming the driving force not only signifies a consumption upgrade in the tourism market but also propels the city's cultural tourism transformation from "resource-driven" to "experience-driven."

Source: Sanya Tourism Development Bureau

Looking across China, cities like Changsha, Chongqing, and Chengdu are also popular hotspots favored by young tourists. How have these cities "gained countless fans" among the youth? What are the similarities and differences between Sanya and them?

"Young tourists pursue fresh, diverse, and personalized travel experiences. Sanya, Changsha, Chongqing, and Chengdu all understand this well," said Li Hui. "Changsha is renowned for its unique food culture and night economy; Chongqing attracts a large number of novelty-seeking young people with its magical 8D terrain, spicy hotpot, and unique mountainous cityscape; Chengdu draws young travelers with its leisurely slow pace of life, rich history and culture, and adorable national treasure pandas."

May 1: Tourists experience water sports at Sanya Dadonghai Tourism Area. Photo by Wang Chenglong, Hainan Daily All-Media Reporter

In Li Hui's view, compared to these cities, Sanya's greatest unique advantage lies in its tropical coastal scenery. Sunshine, sandy beaches, blue seas, and clear skies are elements lacking in inland cities. Sanya should fully leverage its marine advantages to create internationally competitive coastal resort tourism products. For instance, in high-quality tropical coastal resort areas like Yalong Bay and Haitang Bay, further product innovation targeting the youth and family travel markets is needed. Service quality and facility standards should be enhanced to build a cluster of more youthful and fashionable high-end coastal resort hotels, providing top-tier vacation experiences for young people seeking quality experiences. Simultaneously, more marine-related specialty tourism projects should be developed, such as sea entertainment, underwater sightseeing, marine biology science education, etc., to satisfy young people's curiosity and desire to explore the ocean world.

Source: Sanya Tourism Development Bureau

During this year's May Day holiday, a heartwarming video titled "Sanitation Worker Gifts Coconuts" unexpectedly went viral online. In the video, sanitation workers trimming coconut trees proactively cut open fallen coconuts and gave them to tourists. This touching moment sparked widespread resonance. The Sanya cultural and tourism department responded swiftly, launching the "City-Wide Coconut Gifting" fan-pampering campaign, transforming the city's warmth into an excellent vehicle for emotional marketing. Data showed that the search popularity for "Sanya coconut" surged by 300% compared to the previous period, becoming the second hottest keyword after "duty-free shopping."

Source: Sanya Tourism Development Bureau

This practice provided new ideas for Sanya's youth-oriented marketing.

"The power of social media lies in its ability to transform city features into transmittable, interactive emotional connections," said Li Hui. "It's not just about showcasing Sanya's beautiful scenery; it's about upgrading from 'landscape marketing' to 'emotional marketing.'"

"'Emotional marketing' requires local governments to tell good stories, and good stories need to be deeply integrated with local culture," suggested Qi Yuan. In terms of cultural excavation and integration, Sanya can combine Li ethnic culture, Danjia (boat-dweller) culture, etc., with modern tourism projects to create culturally rich tourism products. "For example, developing Li cultural experience tours where tourists can participate in traditional Li handicrafts like brocade weaving and pottery making, taste Li specialty cuisine, and experience the unique folk customs of the Li people."

Consumers shopping at the China Duty Free Group store in Sanya, Hainan. Photo by Zhang Liyun, Xinhua News Agency Reporter

"Young people are the main force of the consumer market. Although their preferences are changeable and their needs diverse, as long as they can be accurately captured, the 'code' to driving consumption can be mastered. To remain the 'prefecture-level city most coveted by young people,' Sanya still needs to continuously understand the pain points and needs of young consumers, keep pace with the times, expand the boundaries and space of the consumer market based on local conditions, and build a full-chain, multi-layered youth-oriented tourism ecosystem," concluded Li Hui.