45 businesses join Sanya's 'Passport Friendly' initiative

A Sanya hotel displays promotional content on exclusive benefits for inbound tourists. [Photo/Sanya Tourism Board]

As the travel boom powered by "China Travel" keeps gaining popularity on social media platforms and foreign tourists capture the authentic China through their lenses, Sanya is turning this craze into a warm welcome for the destination.

Starting July, Sanya introduced the "Passport Friendly" initiative with the theme of Go China in Sanya.

The program offers exclusive benefits to inbound tourists holding valid foreign passports or travel permits for residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. It's not just a promotion for visitors, but also a chance for local businesses to gain exposure and expand their brands globally.

So far, 45 local businesses have joined the initiative — including 31 hotels with 21 international brands from major groups like Marriott, InterContinental, Hyatt, Accor, Ascott and Rosewood, along with 10 local brands.

Additionally, the initiative also includes five key tourist attractions, six commercial entities and three duty-free shops, with the network of partners still growing.

The surge in "China Travel" is supported by an expanding network of visa-free agreements.

According to the National Immigration Administration, the first half of 2026 saw 22.914 million foreign arrivals in China — up a hefty 20.4 percent on the previous year.

When it comes to Hainan — with Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam joining the 30-day visa-free list on Aug 20, alongside national visa-free policies — citizens from 88 countries can now visit the tropical province without a visa.

Following the launch of island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port, Sanya welcomed 716,100 inbound tourists in the first half of this year, official statistics show.

That was a 50 percent increase on the previous year, significantly outpacing the national growth in inbound tourism. Inbound tourists spent a whopping $673 million, up 70 percent on the previous year.