In 2025, Sanya set its sights on becoming a core area of the International Tourism Consumption Center and an international tourist destination, emancipating the mind, innovating and working diligently to promote high-quality development of the tourism industry. From January to November, the city received 32.606 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 6.46%; the total expenditure by tourists reached 92.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.8%. It is expected that in 2025, the city will receive over 36 million tourists and the total expenditure by tourists will reach 102.5 billion yuan, representing year-on-year increases of 6.6% and 8.7% respectively. The total tourism revenue will achieve a historic breakthrough of over 100 billion yuan. The industrial development presents a good momentum of "a tiger's head at the beginning, a plump body in the middle, and a leopard's tail at the end", demonstrating the vigorous vitality and exuberant vigor of Sanya's tourism industry in its high-quality development.
Revitalize tourism with "quality" and facilitate a "tiger-like start"
In early 2025, Sanya fully launched the "Tourism Service Quality Improvement Year" campaign, with the participation of 56 tourism-related units and 120,000 tourism-related enterprises across the city. Focusing on five major directions: institutional innovation, integrity supervision, brand building, cultural and tourism integration, and talent cultivation, the campaign launched 128 specific measures to systematically strengthen the foundation of quality, with the focus on enhancing service warmth.
From the "Sanya Tour with Confidence" integrated platform that achieves "3-minute acceptance and 24-hour resolution" of consumer disputes, to the digital supervision of "one person, one code" and "one yacht, one code" in the fields of diving and yachting; from the "Easy Tour in Sanya" luggage delivery service linked by 121 hotels and core scenic spots, to the themed express boxes printed with city elements, multi-departmental and multi-enterprise collaboration ensures standardized and professional services throughout the entire tourist journey. "Sending luggage at the airport, enjoying a relaxing trip, and picking it up directly at the hotel - this is the true vacation experience," praised Mr. Qiao, a tourist from Hubei, which serves as a powerful testament to the improvement of service quality.
Under the institutional guarantee, the kindness originating from the common people makes the city feel more warm and approachable. "Uncle Bao", a photography volunteer at the Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area, carefully captures beautiful moments for tourists. The driver of the sightseeing bus on Wuzizhou Island integrates ecological knowledge into his humorous explanations. The Party member service team on West Island introduces the "luggage seat direct access" service... These thoughtful details make the city's brand as a "city that cherishes its fans and a city that warms its guests" even more vivid.
To enhance the experience, safety is the bottom line. For the high-frequency consumption area of water tourism, Sanya has innovatively introduced "four checklists" for business entities, public bathing beaches, offshore current risks, and emergency rescue teams. It has disclosed risk information about 248 compliant enterprises, 7 bathing beach areas, and 18 key sea areas. Seven professional rescue teams are equipped with drones, high-speed rescue boats, and other equipment, laying a solid foundation for tourists to "surf with peace of mind". At the same time, the "Five Measures for the Standardized Management of Tourism-Related Operations Along Sanya's Beachfront" was released, establishing a "district government + comprehensive law enforcement.
The relevant person in charge of the Tourism and Culture, Broadcasting, Television, and Sports Bureau of Sanya City stated that they will continue to deepen comprehensive market rectification, improve systems, strengthen technology empowerment, and enhance services, in order to promote the high-quality development of the tourism industry with higher standards, provide high-quality experiences for every tourist, and contribute to the quality improvement and efficiency enhancement of the core area construction of the International Tourism Consumption Center.
"Promoting tourism through festivals, boosting the 'mid-term boom'"
"I came here especially for the concert, and not only did I enjoy the wonderful performance, but I also experienced the shuttle bus service and extended night market hours, and even had the opportunity to shop at the duty-free city. This 'performance + vacation' trip was absolutely exhilarating!" Ms. Chen, a tourist from Chongqing, shared on social media. The TF Family's Spring Festival Concert attracted over 98,000 in-person attendees. Sanya closely followed the needs of the audience and simultaneously launched a series of heartwarming services to strengthen its "customer-centric and warm-hearted" brand image.
To facilitate fans, Sanya has opened shuttle bus routes connecting venues, business districts, scenic spots, and hotels, covering key areas in Haitang Bay, Yalong Bay, and the urban area. The buses depart regularly and stop at locations such as the International Duty Free City, Atlantis, and Haichang Dream City. Audiences can take the shuttle for free with their tickets, seamlessly connecting their viewing experience with consumption, and attracting a large crowd to the surrounding business districts and night markets. In addition, measures such as extending the operating hours of night markets and offering discounts at scenic spots and duty-free shops with ticket stubs have been introduced to further amplify the consumption-driving effect of the event.
Major sports events have also become powerful engines. The 2025 Hainan (Sanya) Marathon attracted 14,000 runners from nearly 20 countries and regions, with the romantic "Run Together to the Ends of the Earth" couple category catching the eye.
In 2025, Sanya will leverage large-scale cultural and sports events as the "golden key" to activate the market. From Zhang Jie's New Year's Eve concert to special performances by singers such as G.E.M. and Travis Scott, and then to the TF Family's Spring Festival concert, a total of 200 cultural and tourism events, amounting to 840 performances, will be staged throughout the year. The number of events has increased by 70.6% year-on-year, driving a cumulative passenger flow of approximately 2.607 million people and generating approximately 9.367 billion yuan in tourism consumption.
"We have established a normalized support mechanism for large-scale events, and set up 11 special working groups to provide full-process services from event introduction, approval to implementation. In particular, we have innovatively launched a 'one-stop approval' mechanism for large-scale performances, significantly shortening the approval cycle. We have also launched a platform for matching service providers and demand, making it more efficient for organizers to handle affairs," said the relevant person in charge of the Sanya Tourism and Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports Bureau.
The night economy adds unique charm. The "See Sanya Immersive Night Tour Tribe" in Haitang Bay, with the Li ethnic group's "March 3rd" culture as its core, has created ten themed tribes. More than 170 local NPCs interact deeply with tourists, making night tours a participatory and experiential cultural feast.
"Offering 'Free' benefits to travelers, helping to 'wrap up' the year with a bang"
On December 18, 2025, the full-island closure and operation of Hainan Free Trade Port officially commenced, marking a strong and satisfying conclusion to the Sanya tourism and consumption market and ushering in a new chapter of development.
On the first day of the closing, the sales of Sanya Duty Free Shop reached 118 million yuan, setting a new record for the same period. From December 18th to 28th, the city's duty-free shops achieved consecutive daily sales exceeding 100 million yuan, accumulating to 1.19 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 42.7%. The number of visitors reached 1.037 million, a year-on-year increase of 19.4%. The soaring data and surging crowds confirm the strong appeal of the policy.
On December 22nd, the "Sanya-Prague" route was officially launched, marking the operation of China's first passenger route with seventh freedom rights. This not only directly expands the European tourist market but also significantly enhances Sanya's "accessibility" and "choice" in the global tourism landscape. The inbound tourism market is expected to usher in a new round of growth.
The "synergistic resonance" between the dividends of the closed-border policy and the shopping experience of tourists continues to stimulate the vitality of the consumer market. "Now, after payment, I can directly pick up the goods. The variety is more complete, the price is cost-effective, and it saves me the trouble of queuing at the airport." At Sanya International Duty Free City, Ms. Zhou, a tourist from Chongqing, was full of praise for the convenience of shopping.
The policy dividends brought by the operation of the new airport and the continuously expanding route network of Sanya have created a synergistic effect, further opening the door to the international market. Data shows that from December 18th to 26th, Sanya received 1.0135 million domestic and foreign tourists, a year-on-year increase of 13.25%; among them, the number of inbound tourists reached 38,200, with a year-on-year increase of 36.11%.
Government and enterprises collaborate to jointly tap into the benefits of border closure. The relevant person in charge of the Sanya Municipal Bureau of Commerce stated that after the implementation of border closure, the duty-free sales on Sanya's offshore islands have continued to shine, which not only reflects the market vitality and consumption potential brought by border closure, but also demonstrates the synergistic effect of Hainan Free Trade Port's policy advantages and the proactive actions of business entities.
Fan Weizheng, Deputy Mayor of Sanya Municipal People's Government, stated that Sanya will continue to deepen the integration of culture and tourism, optimize the international tourism service environment, and fully promote the construction of the core area of the international tourism consumption center, making the city brand of "Beautiful Sanya, Romantic Horizon" even more dazzling on the world stage.