HAIKOU /China/, December 25. /TASS/. The resort city of Sanya on the southern coast of Hainan Island held a beauty pageant this week with young women from all over China taking part. The Sanya Daily newspaper reported that 36 supermodels were competing in the finals.

The contest was held among beauties who belong to the so-called Generation Z, meaning they were born between 1990 and 2010. "Sanya is an international tourist mecca where global trends are concentrated," said Zheng Yi, head of China's leading modeling agency Esee. "It's the perfect place to put forth the essence of Chinese aesthetics."

He noted that the contestants are not only beautiful in appearance, but also intellectually gifted. Zheng Yi expressed his hope that Sanya will play an even greater role in the modeling industry and allow many of China's supermodels to become internationally popular

According to Wu Xiaolin, Secretary of the Local Tourism Development Party Committee, such large-scale modeling events should attract more young people, famous brands and companies to Sanya. She said the younger generation is "the main force driving the development of tourist consumption."

Sanya is a leading resort with more than 1 million people. In 2021, its gross product reached 83.5 billion yuan (about $13.2 billion), an increase of 12.1%. The city has an average annual temperature of 25.4 degrees Celsius and a coastline of more than 200 kilometers. There are 19 bays and about 40 recreational islands in the surrounding waters, all of which enable the local government to successfully develop yacht tourism and beach holidays.