HAIKOU, May 11. /TASS/. Hainan's Sanya plans to increase the flow of tourists through tourism products, allowing to plunge into the exotic life of small nations, reported the Sanya Daily.
According to the newspaper, a sharp increase in the popularity of individual tourism in China has led to a boom in car travel near Sanya, where a large group of national minorities, which have retained many features of the traditional agrarian society, lives. At the same time, camping sites, small bungalows and villas located far from busy areas became in demand.
"During the May holidays, we have been visited by more than 1,000 cars with tourists," said an employee of the traditional village of Damao. According to him, last week, local residents rented out all the available premises intended for tourists, many of whom have not come to Sanya for the first time.
According to travel agencies, trips to plantations, where bananas, mangoes and other tropical fruits grow in large quantities, have become especially in demand recently. During such visits, the locals get the opportunity to sell off stocks of souvenirs and shanlanjiu alcoholic drink made from a rare variety of rice called "orchid". Tourists are also offered fascinating wildlife tours, and lovers of aesthetics — artistic performances with a unique national touch.
Sanya's tourist potential
Sanya is a leading Chinese resort with a population of about 670,000 people. The average annual air temperature in this city is 25.4 degrees Celsius, and the length of the coastline exceeds 200 km. In the coastal area, there are 19 bays and about 40 islands suitable for recreation. All this allows the local administration to successfully develop yacht tourism and beach holidays.
Approximately 36% of Sanya residents are representatives of the Li people, who inhabited the island more than 3,000 years ago. They speak a language belonging to Tai Kadai family, which includes Thai and Lao. This ethnos has preserved many customs and traditions rooted in the Neolithic era.
According to official statistics, tourism in Sanya is steadily recovering from the pandemic. In the first quarter of 2021, the resort was visited by 6.96 million holidaymakers, which is more than three times the figure for the same period last year. The revenues of the local tourism industry for the past January-March amounted to 22.27 billion yuan ($ 3.46 billion at the current exchange rate), an increase of 5.2 times in annual terms.