Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – With seven days to go before the Hainan Free Trade Port officially launches its island-wide customs closure, Hainan's tourism market is booming. Data from the Chinese online travel platform Tongcheng Travel shows that during the first weekend after the official launch of the island-wide customs closure (December 20-21), popular hotel room types in several cities, including Sanya and Haikou, were sold out, with family rooms and sea-view suites being the most sought-after.
The Hainan Free Trade Port will officially launch its island-wide customs closure on December 18. The more favorable "zero-tariff" policy for goods after the closure will further enhance Hainan's attractiveness in the winter travel and shopping tourism markets. Among these, the Hainan tourism boom during the first holiday after the closure, the 2026 New Year's Day holiday, is attracting significant attention.
Tongcheng Travel data shows that as of December 10, 2025, searches for Sanya hotels during the 2026 New Year's Day holiday have increased by over 200% year-on-year. In terms of holiday flight popularity, the top ten departure cities from Sanya Phoenix International Airport are Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Harbin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Changchun, and Jinan.
With the improved facilitation of inbound tourism brought about by the full island closure of the Hainan Free Trade Port, Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, Melbourne, and Moscow are expected to be the top five source cities for tourists entering Hainan from Sanya Phoenix International Airport between December 18th and December 31st. (End)
