HAIKOU /China/, January 6. /TASS/. The number of foreign tourists who visited South China's Hainan Province under the visa-free policy in 2024 increased by a staggering 238%, Xinhua News Agency reported citing the local immigration authority.
The total number of tourists in the province reached 2.14 million in 2024. Among them, the proportion of foreign tourists visiting the province was 47.5%. According to the local immigration bureau, most of the overseas visitors used the visa-free policy to come to Hainan.
The visa-free policy was originally introduced in 2000. At that time, it applied to tourists from 21 countries. Since May 2018, the list of countries has been expanded to 59. The period of visa-free stay in the province has also been increased from three to ten days. Currently, travelers from 40 European countries, including Russia, 11 Asian countries, 6 countries in North and South America, as well as Australia and New Zealand, can visit Hainan without a visa.
Hainan's three main airports in Haikou, Sanya and Qionghai currently serve 70 international routes, connecting nearly 40 cities around the world.
By 2025, the authorities aim to make Hainan an "international tourism and consumption center." The Chinese island is often referred to as "Eastern Hawaii": its natural landscapes, tropical forests, a developed hotel network as well as its numerous beaches and a coastline of more than 1.9 thousand kilometers attract guests from the most remote parts of the world.