Sanya city boosts its international tourism services

In the six months since the island-wide special customs operations began operating throughout the Hainan Free Trade Port, Sanya has seen a steady increase in inbound tourists.

The number of visitors from Russia and Southeast Asia in particular has grown, highlighting the need for frontline international service staff members to have strong multilingual communications and global hospitality skills.

On the morning of July 2, the Sanya municipal bureau of tourism, culture, radio, television and sports launched a pilot training program to bolster the foreign language skills of public service personnel in the tourism and cultural sectors.

The initiative is right in line with the goal of building an international tourism hub, focusing on improving the travel experience for international visitors and upgrading the industry's global service capabilities — supporting Sanya's vision of becoming a world-renowned, livable and business-friendly coastal city.

The training program runs from July 2 to July 11 and includes participants from hotels, tourist attractions, travel agencies, visitor information centers, cultural tourism hotlines and key public venues — covering all roles related to international services.

Reflecting Sanya's main international tourist demographics, the program offers classes in English, Russian and Thai.

The teaching team comprises experienced university instructors and international lecturers, with a curriculum centered on common service situations like tourist inquiries, check-ins, leisure activities and shopping.

The training includes everyday hospitality language and group scenario exercises — aiming to boost participants' foreign language skills and their ability to handle international interactions effectively.

The objective is to transform Sanya's service counters into international service benchmarks known for understanding needs, providing precise responses and ensuring effective communications.

The pilot training represents a significant step in Sanya's efforts to enhance the internationalization of its tourism and cultural industries and strengthen its foreign service talent pool.

By promoting learning through training and applying knowledge in practice, the initiative aims to foster an international service mindset at the grassroots level — making internationalization a defining characteristic of Sanya tourism.

An official from the Sanya municipal bureau of tourism, culture, radio, television and sports noted that the focus this year was on improving tourism service quality and innovating tourism products.

The city's tourism and cultural system will use the training as a springboard to coordinate service standards with international norms — offering an enhanced experience for both domestic and international visitors and establishing Sanya as an open, inclusive and friendly international tourism destination, according to the official.