-- Sanya's Vacation Rental Industry Takes First Step Toward Standardized Management
On May 21, the founding conference of the Sanya Tourism Association's Vacation Rental Professional Committee was held in the beautiful resort destination of Sanya. At the meeting, the Sanya Municipal Government, the Sanya Tourism Association, and Tujia.com — a leading company in China's vacation rental industry — jointly announced the establishment of the Vacation Rental Professional Committee. This marks the first step toward standardized management in Sanya’s vacation rental industry and also creates a new model for industry regulation nationwide.
Attendees included Zhou Chunhua, Director of the Sanya Tourism Development Commission; Sun Dong, President of the Sanya Tourism Association; Wolfgang, Executive President of the Sanya Tourism Association; Luo Jun, Co-founder and CEO of Tujia.com; as well as representatives from Sanya’s vacation rental industry.
Zhou Chunhua, Director of the Sanya Tourism Development Commission, speaking at the event
The vacation rental industry has emerged in recent years and is growing rapidly, with its service scope covering nearly every aspect of tourism and an increasingly significant impact on the development of the tourism sector. According to incomplete statistics, there are currently over a thousand vacation rental businesses in Sanya, primarily in the form of resort hotels, apartment rentals, yacht and boat rentals, as well as car and leisure equipment rentals. These businesses vary greatly in scale, facility provision, and management standards. Common issues within the industry include fire safety and public security risks, difficulties in tracing tourist complaints, and unclear regulatory responsibilities.
To promptly address the current lack of oversight and disorder in the early stages of Sanya’s vacation rental market, establish industry standards as soon as possible, and nurture more vacation rental businesses that match Sanya’s premium tourism resources, the Sanya Tourism Association established the “Vacation Rental Professional Committee” with strong support from Tujia.com, a leading company in the vacation rental industry.
Luo Jun, Co-founder and CEO of Tujia.com, giving a speech at the event
The establishment of the “Vacation Rental Professional Committee” will serve to integrate industry-related resources, explore development pathways, and build momentum for growth. It will also promote self-regulation within the industry, standardize business practices, create a favorable ecological environment for development, and play an important role in enhancing tourism service quality and elevating Sanya’s city image.
After its establishment, the committee will first develop the “Sanya Vacation Rental Industry Operation and Management Standards” and the “Sanya Vacation Rental Star Rating Standards” to provide reference guidelines for self-regulated operations. The next step will be to rate businesses according to these standards. Compliant and trustworthy businesses will receive certification, while those with irregular operations will be assisted in making improvements. A system and website will be built to manage information through the platform, providing accurate vacation rental data and establishing a regulated trading system. Additionally, an industry-led research mechanism will be established to fully utilize statistical data and industry feedback. Regular vacation rental market analysis meetings will be held to generate research reports that offer guidance for business development and policy recommendations for government authorities. Targeted promotional and marketing activities for the vacation rental industry will also be organized. Through these measures, the committee aims to develop effective management approaches for the vacation rental industry, thereby providing a reference for the healthy development of the industry in Hainan and across the nation.
Committee members receiving their appointment certificates on-site
At the meeting, Zhou Chunhua, Director of the Sanya Tourism Development Commission, expressed her expectations: she hopes that after the establishment of the “Committee,” it will first give full play to the “leading” role of large-scale, reputable enterprises such as “Tujia,” setting industry standards, regulating development, and actively promoting industry certification.
Secondly, it must adhere to “industry self-discipline” to improve the business environment. With honest operation as the foundation, the industry should uphold self-regulation. In the current era of the sharing economy and big data, it should continuously absorb new industry thinking, leverage the advantages of internet + offline services, and foster a positive industrial development environment.
At the same time, it must stay committed to the purpose of “serving tourists, serving Sanya’s tourism, and serving the development of Sanya as an international tropical coastal tourism destination,” continuously improving the overall service level of the industry, establishing a distinctive Sanya-brand vacation rental sector, and becoming a new highlight of Sanya tourism.
Luo Jun, Co-founder and CEO of Tujia.com, introduced: “Through this collaboration, Tujia and the Sanya Tourism Commission will deeply integrate the industrial chain in terms of industry guidance, brand building, talent development, and value-added experiences. This will align with changes in the tourism market and the diverse needs of segmented markets, enabling tourists to enjoy high-cost-performance vacation apartment products while revitalizing tourism real estate in Sanya and even key destinations across Hainan Province. It will also standardize the operational management of the vacation rental industry, contributing to the healthy development of Sanya’s tourism industry and the international tourism island.”