Hainan tourism booms during holiday

Hainan province saw a growing number of visitors during the 2018 Spring Festival and raked in more than 13 billion yuan ($2.05 billion) in sales.

Over 5.67 million trips were made during the period, a 10 percent rise compared to last year.

Sales in Haikou and Sanya duty-free shops were about 71.21 and 370.82 million yuan respectively, both up by more than 20 percent year-on-year. 

Seaside leisure is still the first goal of tourists to Hainan. Wuzhizhou Island, Haitang Bay, Yalong Bay, Dadonghai Beach and Sanya Bay were most visited, attracting guests with diving, jet skis riding, and animal shows.

Driving a recreational vehicle (RV) to enjoy the night views along the coast was a hot choice of travelers this year. RVs could be seen nearly everywhere around the attractions.

The province also promoted rural tourism in the holiday. The newly-built national tropical agricultural park in Guilinyang, Haikou and the national rice theme park in Haitang Bay, Sanya, and other countryside venues were all hits. Hainan welcomed about 1.19 million tourists during the festival, and earned revenue of 166 million yuan, a 68.1 percent year-on-year growth.

Hainan has also provided diversified tourism products themed on sports and culture. The first Chinese Sports Temple Fair that opened in Sanyan integrates tourism, athletic competitions, and shopping.

The number of foreign travelers also increased. Bonfire parties and colorful culture events were held to bathe foreign travelers in the local atmosphere of the traditional Chinese festival and the area's ethnic customs.