HAIKOU /China/, February 11. /TASS/. The volume of global hotel bookings at online travel agencies of the resort city of Sanya on the coast of South China's Hainan Province surged by 120% year-on-year during the Golden Week of the Spring Festival holidays (which fell between January 28 to February 4 in 2025), Sanya Daily reported.
According to the paper, due to the intensive influx of foreign visitors, the occupancy rate of hotels in the area of beaches popular with Russians, such as Dadunhai and Sanya Bay, rose sharply. In some hotels, the proportion of foreigners exceeded 40%.
Phoenix International Airport was noted to have added multilingual signage to assist foreign visitors. The airport adorened its lobby with decorations and special music for the Lunar New Year celebration (which fell on January 29 in 2025) and streamlined and facilitated entry procedures.
Those arriving in Sanya on overseas flights over the weekend received New Year's gifts and treats, as well as the opportunity to experience a special festive atmosphere on board. The city hosted a series of public events that combined traditional culture and modern tourism programs.
Sanya has also developed new special products for tourists in cooperation with international travel agencies and airlines. This includes vouchers and other packages offered by Selfietravel and Merryhainan, which specialize in serving Russian-speaking and South Korean tourists, with sales for the week exceeding 10 million yuan and 1 million yuan, respectively ($1.4 million and $140,000 at current exchange rates). According to the local tourism development authority, the Spring Festival is a "starting point" for the introduction of innovative marketing models and deeper integration between cultural and tourism projects in 2025.
Sanya is China's leading resort city and home to more than 1 million people. According to official estimates, its gross product exceeded 100 billion yuan (about $14 billion) in 2024, growing by 5%. Its average annual temperature reaches 25.4 degrees Celsius, and its coastline is about 260 kilometers long. There are 19 bays and about 40 islands suitable for tourism in the adjacent waters, allowing the local government to successfully develop yachting, cruise tourism, beach and family holidays.