No matter where you look in Hainan these days, you're bound to find evidence that the island province is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international travelers.
At the surfing hotspot of Riyue Bay in Wanning, overseas visitors ride the waves, their cheers blending with the sound of the sea.
In China's only "medical special zone", Bo'ao Lecheng, international patients access traditional Chinese medicine therapies, from acupuncture and cupping to personalized wellness treatments.
At the shopping mecca that is Haikou International Duty-Free City, different languages fill the air as international visitors browse stores and leave with bags full of purchases.
From January to July, Hainan welcomed more than 1.15 million overnight inbound tourists, an increase of 46.6% year-on-year. Over 1 million of them visited in the first half of the year, marking the first time Hainan has surpassed 1 million in a six-month period.
For international visitors, Hainan is becoming more than its sunshine and beaches. With greater policy convenience, a wider range of tourism products, and increasingly accessible services, the island is offering opportunities for deeper, more immersive experiences.
International content creators explore Haikou's
Qilou Historical and Cultural Quarter.
Greater Accessibility and Active Tourism Promotion Expand Hainan's Global Reach
Clutching his boarding pass and passport, Carlos, a travel industry professional from Spain, landed in Hainan on the newly launched Haikou–Chongqing–Madrid route.
He, alongside other Spanish tour operators, had arrived on the island to learn more about its tourism offerings.
They visited Haikou's Qilou Historical and Cultural Quarter, where they sampled the city's traditional laobacha — a local-style tea-drinking experience — while exploring the area's century-old Nanyang-style architecture. In Sanya, they toured high-end resort hotels and purchased local specialties, including coconut powder and coffee beans, as souvenirs. "I never expected it to be so easy to experience so many different sides of Hainan," Carlos said.
By the end of June, Hainan had expanded its international passenger and cargo route network to 89 routes, connecting the province with Hong Kong and Macao and with 50 cities in 28 countries.
Foreign tourists enjoy a seaside vacation at Dadonghai Bay in Sanya.
Hainan is also shifting from waiting for tourists to arrive to actively seeking them out around the world. Tourism promotion campaigns have reached cities in major source markets, including Moscow, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Seoul and Hong Kong.
Russia remains one of Hainan's biggest sources of inbound tourists. In the first seven months of the year, more than 445,000 Russian tourists visited the island, up 69% over the same period last year. In Southeast Asia, Hainan has adopted more targeted approaches, with tourist arrivals from Malaysia doubling and those from Indonesia increasing by more than 60 percent.
From visa-free access for citizens of 86 countries to the regular operation of seventh-freedom air services and tailored tourism services, Hainan is steadily making the first leg of an international visitor's journey to the island easier and more convenient.
From Surfboards to Study Tours, Hainan Reinvents the Island Experience
At Riyue Bay in Wanning, Amir, a student from Malaysia, follows an instructor through a surfing lesson. As a wave approaches, he rises steadily onto his board, carving a smooth line across the water. "I used to come to Hainan just to see the sea. Now I want to become part of it," he said.
Tourists surf at Riyue Bay in Wanning.
One of Asia's top surfing destinations, Riyue Bay now receives more than 500,000 visitors a year, with overseas visitors mainly coming from Australia and Southeast Asia.
To appeal to younger travelers, Hainan is developing coastal experiences that include activities such as surfing and diving, allowing them to get stuck in rather than watch from the sidelines.
International visitors explore Wuzhizhou Island in Sanya.
"Simply visiting an island, taking a boat and sightseeing is not enough to generate significant tourism spending," said a tourist from South Korea surnamed Kim, while visiting Wuzhizhou Island. "Hainan combines these experiences with scenic attractions and recreational facilities. It offers a wide range of family-friendly activities while continuing to draw in younger travelers."
Chen Hong, head of the corporate management department at Wuzhizhou Island Tourism Zone, said the attraction received 44 percent more overseas visitors in the first half of the year. Its international visitors are mainly young travelers from Southeast Asia and outdoor enthusiasts from Europe and North America, among whom diving, via ferrata, and other outdoor activities have proven particularly popular.
Foreign visitors try a via ferrata experience at Wuzhizhou Island.
The way international visitors experience Hainan is changing. Increasingly, travelers are moving beyond hotel pools and beach chairs to explore the island's tropical rainforests and discover its aerospace technology.
Educational tourism has also emerged as a new growth area this year. Hainan has partnered with online travel platforms to launch four themed study-tour itineraries focused on aerospace technology, tropical rainforests, marine ecology, and other topics, catering to students of different ages and families traveling with children.
Teens from other countries visit Mission Hills Movie Town in Haikou.
In recent days, a team of bilingual guides led groups of young visitors from countries such as the Philippines and India on a tour through Movie Town at Mission Hills Resort in Haikou.
There, the teens watched traditional acrobatics and bian lian, the Sichuan opera art of rapid face-changing, while exploring the film-themed streets. The combination of traditional culture, modern technology, and everyday street life is becoming another way for international visitors to experience Hainan.
TCM Treatments and Duty-Free Open Up New Horizons in Wellness and Retail Therapy
More diverse experiences are encouraging visitors to stay longer, while distinctive products are unlocking new potential for tourism spending.
At the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, Russian visitor Anna lies on a treatment bed as a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner performs acupuncture and cupping. A while later, she gets up and moves her shoulders. “The pain has eased a lot. It's amazing,” she said.
With the launch of island-wide special customs operations and the continuation of its visa-free entry policy, the Hainan Free Trade Port continues to attract more international visitors. The repackaging of healthcare as a tourism offering is emerging as a new competitive advantage for Hainan's inbound tourism sector.
As China's only medical special zone, the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone leverages policies covering specially approved medical treatments, research, business operations, and international exchanges, attracting innovative medicines and medical devices from around the world while bringing together high-quality medical services. From January to June, the zone received 7,678 international medical tourists, an increase of 572.92 percent year-on-year.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is also winning over international visitors. The Sanya TCM Hospital has served more than 100,000 overseas visitors from more than 40 countries and regions, while the city of Sanya is developing dedicated traditional Chinese medicine wellness itineraries that are attracting an increasing number of visitors from Europe and Central Asia.
Wellness is not the only draw. Duty-free shopping remains a signature attraction for international consumers.
Following the introduction of China's new departure tax refund policy, convenient measures such as immediate refunds and one-stop payment services are being rolled out more widely, further improving the shopping experience for overseas visitors.
One month after the new policy took effect, the results had begun to show. According to Haikou Customs, in July 2026, it processed 6,770 departure tax refund applications from overseas travelers, a 23.4-fold increase from the same period last year. The value of tax-refunded purchases reached 8.85 million yuan, up 28.2% year on year.
Following the launch of island-wide special customs operations, the combination of duty-free shopping and coastal holidays is emerging as an increasingly enticing hook for international visitors, with the idea of “vacationing in Hainan while shopping from around the world” becoming the new normal.
A foreign travel vlogger experiences a traditional bamboo dance in Maona Village, Wuzhishan.