Tropical Sanya keeps tourism humming

Sanya, Hainan province, has embraced a golden season of tourism, according to travel and tourism industry experts.

"Usually the golden week of Sanya's tourism is Spring Festival, but this year it has grown into a golden month, and has now extended to a golden season," said Wang Yi, general manager of Sanya Luhuitou State Guest House & Resort. "We had an all-time high occupancy rate in the first quarter, with daily occupancy reaching nearly 80 percent."

Xie Chuanying, hotel manager of Banyan Tree Sanya, said, "The daily occupancy rate in our hotel has reached 70 to 80 percent, and 80 percent of our 49 pool villas have been booked for the upcoming May Day holiday. This year, we expect an increasing number of guests to hold beach weddings and parties, and enjoy our hotel's customized high-end services."

Atlantis Sanya, an ocean-themed resort, had 1.8 million visitors in the first quarter, an increase of 61.9 percent year-on-year, and revenues hit 527 million yuan ($78 million), rising 38.7 percent over the same period last year.

In total, the city received 7.33 million overnight visitors in the first quarter, an annual increase of about 30 percent. Total revenue for overnight tourism was 27.49 billion yuan, up 40.52 percent year-on-year.

In the first two months, Sanya welcomed nearly 1.2 million tourists for camping, yachting, low-altitude flying, sky-diving, ocean diving and surfing, with a market penetration rate of 17.4 percent, making them important growth points for tourism.

The city recently held its 2023 Boating Sanya and Sanya International Wine and Spirit Fair from last Thursday to Monday. Digital Paradise, an immersive art-tech experience exhibition, opened on Friday, and Hainan's first Strawberry Music Festival will be held in Sanya on May 13 and 14.

These activities are expected to connect and introduce quality event resources, further enrich the connotation of Sanya culture and tourism and enhance the city's popularity and reputation, the Sanya Tourism Promotion Board said.

In the post-epidemic era, to maintain its tourism peak, the board launched the first of the 2023 "Easy to Sanya" tourism vouchers on online booking platforms. Tourists can use the vouchers for airline tickets originating from Sanya and for accommodations in the city.