HAIKOU, February 26. /TASS/. During the Lunar New Year holiday season (Spring Festival) which took place on February 15-23, China’s southernmost province of Hainan welcomed 12.32 million tourists, marking a 28.9% increase from the same period of 2025, the Hainan Daily reported, citing the province’s Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports.
Over that period, total tourism revenues amounted to 18.37 billion yuan, showing a 30.7% rise, the department said. The nine-day holiday, coupled with measures to develop the free trade port, as well as the advantages offered by the tropical island resort resulted in high demand and a rise in consumer activity in the tourism sector.
Duty free trade and inbound tourism made a significant contribution to the positive trend. According to the Immigration Authority, the arrivals of foreign tourists, residents of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao as well as Taiwan to Hainan reached 20,000 people, an 82% increase year-on-year.
The province organized more than 260 cultural, tourist and sporting events, and launched more than 40 new projects in tourism. Increased tourist flows were reported not only in traditionally popular resort zones but also on the island’s western coast.
As many as 18 cities and counties in Hainan recorded an increase in tourist arrivals and tourism revenues, the statistics showed. The figures grew at double-digit rates in 13 administrative districts.
During the holiday season, the tourist infrastructure operated normally, the newspaper writes. However, a local consumer rights protection platform received 778 applications filed for preliminary compensation payments totaling 1.72 million yuan over recorded flaws in service provision.