Yesterday morning, the Provincial Tourism Commission reported on the province’s tourism performance during this year’s Spring Festival. According to the report, from February 9 to 15, the province received a total of 1.9048 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 40.85%, with total tourism revenue reaching 5.651 billion yuan, up 32.57% year-on-year. Of these, overnight visitors numbered 1.1122 million, an increase of 15.66%. During the Spring Festival, the province experienced no traffic congestion, scenic spot overcrowding, price hikes, or major tourism safety incidents. Reporter Liu Zefei, text/photos
Hainanese traveling within Hainan becomes a new highlight
According to reports, thanks to a series of targeted tourism promotion campaigns conducted by the Provincial Tourism Commission before the holiday, coupled with the cold weather in most parts of China and smog conditions in the north, Hainan—with its pleasant climate and fresh air—became one of the hottest domestic tourist destinations for the Spring Festival holiday. In addition, efforts by the industry and commerce and pricing departments around Spring Festival tourism further boosted visitor confidence in Hainan’s tourism market. As a result, there was a significant increase in the number of tourists visiting Hainan for vacation during the holiday. Over the seven days of the Spring Festival, the province received a cumulative total of 1.112 million domestic and international overnight tourists, a year-on-year increase of 15.66%. Moreover, Hainanese traveling within Hainan emerged as a new highlight, with 792,600 one-day visitors received over the seven days, marking a year-on-year increase of 102.81%.
Tourism market prices remain stable and orderly
Last year during the Spring Festival, Sanya’s tourism market pricing issues briefly became a national focal point. This year, according to arrangements by the provincial government, the pricing department implemented government-guided pricing management for hotel room rates, stipulating that the maximum price for standard rooms in all types of tourist hotels in Hainan be capped at 5,000 yuan per room per day. Overall, tourism accommodation prices across the province dropped compared to last year, with some seeing price reductions of more than 10%. The Sanya Administration for Industry and Commerce kept all its staff on duty without taking holidays, establishing a tourism market emergency response team to handle consumer complaints and emergencies during the holiday. Sanya also actively guided seafood restaurants to install electronic price display screens and promote the use of electronic ordering systems. These systems connected merchant ordering systems with the backend of regulatory authorities, effectively preventing occurrences of “exorbitant seafood prices” and ensuring that tourists could make informed and worry-free choices. Thanks to the joint efforts of city and county governments, as well as tourism, industry and commerce, and pricing departments, Hainan’s holiday tourism market did not see abnormally high prices during the Spring Festival. Overall, tourism prices remained stable and orderly, even showing a slight decline.
Duty-free shop sales hit 160 million yuan
The Year of the Snake’s Spring Festival Golden Week was the first such period following the implementation of the offshore duty-free policy in November last year. The peak in visitor traffic combined with the policy’s effects led to even greater enthusiasm for duty-free shopping, which had already been booming. According to preliminary statistics, from February 9 to 15, the Haikou and Sanya duty-free shops sold approximately 160 million yuan worth of duty-free goods.
A total of 229 tourism-related complaints received
To further improve tourism consultation and complaint services, during this year’s Spring Festival, the Provincial Tourism Commission produced the “2013 Spring Festival Holiday Tourism Public Information Guide,” publishing contact numbers for tourism, pricing, quality, food safety, public security, and transportation departments, as well as websites for tourism, meteorological, maritime, traffic police, and airport authorities, plus the Weibo accounts of relevant departments, making it convenient for tourists to seek advice or file complaints. The Provincial Tourism Commission also printed Hainan Tourism Service Supervision Cards, distributed in high-traffic areas such as airports and ports, informing tourists of complaint channels. On February 1, the official mobile app of the Sanya Tourism Commission went live, greatly facilitating travelers. Statistics show that from February 9 to 15, the provincial tourism complaint and consultation hotline received 719 calls, including 477 for consultation and 242 for complaints. A total of 229 tourism complaints were filed and all were appropriately handled.
Significant rise in the number of self-drive tourists
Benefiting from factors such as free highway tolls and stable hotel prices in Hainan, the number of self-drive tourists increased significantly. Statistics show that during the Spring Festival, the number of vehicles entering Hainan reached 41,451, an increase of 55.8%, while those leaving totaled 34,820, up 81.52%. To better serve self-drive tourists, various cities, counties, and departments provided a range of convenience measures. Haikou distributed “Qiongbei New Year” self-driving maps at airports and ports to guide both self-drive and independent travelers. Sanya opened four self-drive campsites during the holiday, each equipped with lighting, power outlets, portable toilets, shower facilities, and waste collection stations, offering visitors the chance to enjoy camping vacations. Wanning organized an interactive bonfire party for self-drive campers at Riyue Bay, achieving positive results. Qionghai’s first Green Field Rural Station and others opened to receive self-drive tourists, providing great spots for leisure along the way.
New tourism formats gain popularity
During the Spring Festival, low-carbon, fashionable, and healthy tourism options such as cruise travel, cycling tours, and camping became new hotspots, winning strong favor among tourists. Cruise lines like Star Cruises launched a series of romantic activities targeting honeymooners and newlyweds. Healthy and liberating cycling tours have become a popular travel choice among locals and tourists alike, with growing numbers of cyclists becoming a beautiful sight along roads and fields during the holiday. Some seasoned travelers and backpackers opted to pitch tents and camp in Hainan’s scenic outdoors, connecting closely with nature and showcasing a unique way to travel. Cities and counties in northern Hainan jointly launched the “Celebrate the New Year in Northern Hainan” campaign, offering a variety of festive and folk tourism products rich in island characteristics. They also introduced distinctive rural tourism experiences, allowing visitors to enjoy the festive atmosphere in Hainan’s beautiful countryside.
Diverse festive and folk activities
Haikou held a series of events for the “Wan Chun Hui” (Ten Thousand Springs Festival), including a large-scale lantern show titled “Brilliant Lights Shine on Coconut City” at Wanlv Garden, as well as performances for the second Haikou Spring Tourism Art Festival. Sanya launched the “LuHo Sanya” 2013 New Year Carnival series, offering six major activities for tourists and residents, including cultural arts, premium performances, cultural outreach, festive competitions, exhibitions, and leisure tourism. Danzhou Ancient Town hosted Lantern Festival celebrations, temple fairs, dragon and lion dances, and folk songs. Chengmai offered half-price tickets and rebates for the Yongqing Temple Scenic Area. Wanning organized free admission for locals, Southeast Asian cultural performances at the Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden, garden quizzes, and bonfire parties at Riyue Bay. Wenchang presented New Year calligraphy and painting exhibitions, cultural art festivals, Qiong Opera performances, and puppet shows—activities rich in local character and broad public participation. Lingao arranged performances of the “Lingao Fishing Song Lili Mei” and Lingao puppet shows. Lingshui hosted a basketball tournament for returning university students, a sports-themed New Year celebration, the “Lingshui Style” square dance competition, a “Taste of Lingshui” street food fair, and float parades. Baoting held a “Taiwanese Excellent Film Exhibition” and the first Qiongtai Rural Culture Exchange, among other cross-strait cultural activities.