Hainan spotlights marine tourism as 2026 inbound visits jump

China's Hainan province has consistently enhanced its openness to the world, fuelling a surge in cultural tourism demand, with 2026 designated as the "Marine tourism year" and a strategic focus on ocean-themed cultural travel.

This strategic focus follows the first full year of island-wide special customs operations at the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). The FTP has transcended the traditional model of seaside tourism, using policy as its backbone, ecology as its canvas, and culture as its soul. By continually energising the blue economy, Hainan is presenting a compelling new vision of high-quality development to the world.

Coastal sports tourism has become one of Hainan's biggest selling points. Wanning's Riyue Bay, a surfing hotspot, receives more than 500,000 visits a year, attracting travellers from as far as Australia and Southeast Asia. Adding year-round capacity is an artificial surf pool, engineered to generate 23 distinct wave profiles independent of natural weather conditions. For brands, this represents a clear opportunity to engage with younger travellers through adventure-focused campaigns, sport-themed events, and experiential partnerships that appeal to Gen Z consumers across the region.

Eco-empowered tourism and sustainability have become core hallmarks of Hainan's development. Hainan Ocean Paradise Resort runs a marine wildlife rescue programme that has rehabilitated and released over 200 endangered marine animals, including sea turtles and hawksbills. Wuzhizhou Island has built an innovative eco-tourism model with academic partners, operating a tropical marine ranch with artificial reefs and tens of thousands of transplanted coral colonies. Tourists can join in hands-on coral restoration activities, creating shareable moments that support a positive cycle between conservation and tourism.

Deepening the integration of culture and tourism has also revitalised Hainan's traditional maritime heritage. Danjia fishing rafts are scaling immersive marine ethnic cultural offerings to diversify visitor product portfolios. Tianya Town, transformed from a century-old fishing village, has grown into a coastal leisure landmark populated by nearly one hundred boutique homestays and specialty cafés.

On the retail front, Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex houses over 1,000 global labels and rolls out innovative "duty-free + technology" consumption scenarios, delivering high-impact touchpoints for international brands to reach inbound shoppers. Meanwhile, Sanya Yacht Tourism Centre's complete industrial chain delivered more than 220,000 yacht departures in 2025, cementing Hainan's positioning for premium, high-net-worth coastal tourism marketing.

To promote tourism awareness worldwide, Hainan has invited a delegation of journalists from nine major overseas media outlets, including the United States, France, Türkiye, Spain and the Republic of Korea, to visit Hainan Province for an in-depth tour across multiple cities including Haikou, Wanning, Lingshui and Sanya. The mission was to investigate the region's marine cultural tourism, ecological conservation efforts and innovative consumer models, and to witness firsthand the renewed dynamism of Hainan's "ocean economy."

MARKETNG-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Hainan department of tourism for more information.

This pivot toward marine tourism is backed by the independent customs operations launched at the FTP, which have given Hainan regulatory flexibility to experiment with open-border tourism models.

Complementing this are powerful policy dividends, including visa-free access for citizens of 86 countries, expanded traffic rights, and offshore duty-free shopping. In the first half of this year alone, the island recorded over one  million inbound visits, a year-on-year increase of 48.8%, underscoring the robust growth momentum of the FTP's tourism sector.

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