HAIKOU /China/, January 5. /TASS/. The resort city of Sanya, on the southern coast of China's Hainan Island was among the ten most popular holiday destinations in China last New Year's weekend (December 31 - January 2). This is stated in a report published by Lvmama, a Chinese website promoting travel products.

The authors of the analytical study noted that the main advantage of Sanya is its excellent climate conditions. They attracted many tourists from all over the country, especially from the northeastern region of China, which borders with Russia.

Hainan's guests preferred this resort not only because of its well-known beach locations such as Yalong Bay or Wuzhizhou Island, considered a scuba diver's paradise. Many visitors decided to celebrate the New Year in fashionable hotels on the shores of the South China Sea. The occupancy rate of five-star hotels in the most popular areas of Sanya was about 80%, some of them even didn't have free rooms. In this case there were a lot of fans to stay in cozy cottages, designed for rent.

In addition, the 7th China International Cultural Industry Fair, held in the city this week, attracted the attention of tourists. More than 260 specialized companies, organizations and enterprises from many countries, governmental exhibition delegations from 14 regions of China participated in the large-scale event. Visitors got acquainted with more than 40 thousand items of expositions organized in five thematic sections.

According to the report, Sanya saw more solo tourists than group tours this year for the New Year holidays. More than 90% of visitors came to the resort individually. Many tourists preferred shopping and visiting local duty-free stores, while others came for surfing and diving.

Sanya is China's leading resort, home to 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 in the surrounding waters and about 40 islands suitable for recreation. All this allows the local administration to successfully develop yacht and beach tourism.