A delegation of journalists from nine major overseas media outlets, including the United States, France, Türkiye, Spain, and the Republic of Korea, recently completed an in-depth tour of China's Hainan Province. The visit, spanning Haikou, Wanning, Lingshui, and Sanya, was aimed at investigating the region's marine cultural tourism, ecological conservation efforts, and innovative consumer models, according to a press release.
The trip comes as 2026 marks the first full year following the island-wide special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), a year designated as the "Marine Tourism Year" with a strategic focus on ocean-themed cultural travel. Leveraging policy dividends such as visa-free access for citizens of 86 countries, expanded traffic rights, and offshore duty-free shopping, Hainan has seen a surge in cultural tourism demand. In the first half of this year, the island recorded over 1 million inbound visits, a year-on-year increase of 48.8%, underscoring the robust growth momentum of the FTP's tourism sector.
The media group experienced firsthand the rapid expansion of Hainan's coastal sports industry at Wanning's Riyue Bay, a world-class surfing destination that attracts more than 500,000 visits annually. A highlight was the nation's first Olympic-standard artificial surf pool, which uses advanced wave-making technology to simulate 23 different wave types, enabling year-round, all-weather surfing. Mr. Guney Isik Ganimgil, a contributor to Turkey's Aydınlık newspaper, remarked that Hainan's cultural tourism development "has far exceeded expectations and holds tremendous investment potential."
Eco-empowered tourism is a defining hallmark of Hainan's development. The Hainan Ocean Paradise Resort adheres to a strict policy against capturing wild marine life; its rescue center has rehabilitated and released over 200 rare marine creatures, including sea turtles and hawksbills, back into the wild. Wuzhizhou Island has pioneered an innovative eco-tourism model, partnering with universities to develop a tropical marine ranch. Through the deployment of artificial reefs and the transplantation of tens of thousands of coral colonies, the island offers visitors the opportunity to participate in coral transplantation, fostering a virtuous cycle between ecological conservation and tourism engagement.
Deepening the integration of culture and tourism has also revitalized Hainan's traditional maritime heritage. The Danjia fishing rafts continue to enrich their authentic marine-ethnic cultural offerings, while Tianya Town, built around a century-old fishing village, has evolved into a coastal leisure landmark with nearly a hundred boutique homestays and specialty cafés. The Sanya International Duty-Free Shopping Complex, housing over 1,000 international brands, has introduced cutting-edge "duty-free + technology" consumption scenarios. The Sanya Yacht Tourism Center, with a complete industrial chain, recorded over 220,000 yacht outings in 2025, cementing its status as a premier destination for high-end coastal tourism.
The four-day exploration revealed a Hainan that is open, green, and vibrantly dynamic. Today's Hainan FTP has transcended the traditional model of seaside tourism, with policy as its backbone, ecology as its canvas, and culture as its soul. By continually energizing the blue economy, Hainan is presenting a compelling new vision of high-quality development to the world.
