HAIKOU /China/, February 19. /TASS/. The popularity of attractions in the southern Chinese province of Hainan has sharply increased during the Spring Festival national holiday (Lunar New Year) recently celebrated in China, the Hainan Daily newspaper reported.

According to the newspaper, which cited China's the leading online travel agency Ctrip, the number of booked tours to Hainan increased by 56% year-on-year, and the attendance of tourist facilities on the island increased by 88% during the Golden Week, week-long national holiday. The number of arriving tourists in the resort city of Sanya, as well as in Haikou (the administrative center of the province) was the highest in the province.

According to Feizhu, a Chinese online hotel booking and ticketing platform, tourists began booking cruise trips to Hainan five times more often compared to the same period last year. The demand for hotels in Haikou was twice as high as in pre-pandemic 2019. As for private guesthouses in Sanya, when compared to the figure recorded five years ago, bookings for accommodation in Sanya rose by more than 80 percent.

Tourists are staying much longer on the island in the current season than in previous years. The authors of the newspaper note that the local tourist market "shows great potential and sustainability." Visitors are interested not only in beaches and tourist facilities near scenic spots, where a record number of vacationers were registered this month, but also in cultural attractions. The Hainan Provincial Museum in Haikou was visited by 164 thousand people in 8 days.

The article noted that the recently built tourist ring highway, which encircles the island, played an important role in the revival of tourist traffic. Experts expect that tourism in Hainan will continue to enjoy high demand after the holidays.

The Lunar New Year fell on February 10 in 2024. China's Golden Week lasted until February 17, but the heavy inflow of tourists began long before the start of the holiday. At this time of year, Hainan traditionally receives a large number of guests, including those from abroad.