Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) received 773,000 overseas overnight tourists in December, an increase of 59.5 percent year-on-year from 2024, with the inbound tourism market surpassing the pre-pandemic level, as the institutional opening-up advantages brought about by the FTP's special customs operation quickly transformed into strong momentum for attracting overseas tourists, a local official said on Monday.
Tourists experience surfing in the waters of Houhai Village in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province on January 17, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
Li Haigang, deputy head of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province, made the remarks at a press conference on the FTP's special customs operations since December 18, state broadcaster CCTV News reported.
The structure of inbound tourism source markets to Hainan has been optimized, and a diversified pattern is now taking shape, Li said. Traditional source markets such as Russia and Southeast Asia have maintained steady growth, while tourists from Europe, the US, Australia, and New Zealand have also increased strongly.
In December, the number of tourists from the UK grew by 56 percent year on year, followed by rises of 83 percent from France, 144 percent from Italy, 62 percent from Spain, and 52 percent from Australia. This indicates that Hainan's popularity and attractiveness are being increasingly recognized by visitors from more countries, the official said.
Tourism consumption is going up at a faster pace, with the characteristics of in-depth vacations becoming increasingly prominent, he said. Inbound tourism consumption reached $141.4 million in December, a year-on-year increase of 63 percent. Off-island duty-free shopping remains popular, with categories such as cosmetics and high-quality domestic products being highly favored, and the focus of consumption is shifting from single shopping to in-depth experiences.
Meanwhile, the length of stay for inbound tourists has significantly increased, with the average number of nights per person rising from 3.37 nights in 2024 to 3.96 nights this year, making the characteristics of in-depth vacations even more prominent. This reflects the growing appeal and comprehensive competitiveness of Hainan's high-quality vacation tourism, Li said.
Li said that during the first month of the island-wide independent customs operations, Hainan's inbound tourism market has shown positive changes in terms of scale, structure, and quality.
Looking ahead, Hainan will focus on three key directions to further expand the inbound tourism market. In terms of exploring more source markets, Hainan FTP plans to conduct no fewer than 10 promotional activities in major source markets this year, while proactively inviting overseas travel agencies and airlines for on-site visits and negotiations to deepen cooperation consensus, Li said.
The FTP will seek the long-term hosting of major events such as the China International Travel Mart, actively bid for the Global Tourism Economy Forum, and expand its influence through high-end platforms. At the same time, the province will work with online international social media platforms and the global promotion network of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to continuously build the core brand of "visa-free" + "duty-free," the official said.
In addition, the FTP will step up efforts to upgrade the international service environment, enhance comprehensive competitiveness with high-quality services, and further refine Hainan's image as an international tourism consumption center, Li said.