VisitSanya.com launches Vietnamese, Russian channels

On Aug 20, China announced the expansion of its 240-hour visa-free transit policy and 30-day visa-free entry policy to include citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam.

The change increases the number of countries eligible for the 240-hour visa-free transit to 57 and expands the 30-day visa-free entry to Hainan to 61 countries — making a total of 88 countries eligible for visa-free entry to Hainan.

In response to the expansion, Sanya has quickly updated its overseas tourism website (visitsanya.com) in Vietnamese and Russian to help foreign tourists easily find useful information.

Visitors to the Vietnamese and Russian sections of the site can easily find detailed explanations of the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, including eligibility, stay limits and applications procedures, to help them grasp the essential points of the entry policies.

The website offers customized travel guides for different markets. For Vietnamese tourists, it highlights beach vacations, family leisure activities, duty-free shopping and short island trips.

For visitors from Kyrgyzstan and Russian-speaking areas, it suggests wellness vacations and unique cultural travel routes to cater to diverse travel interests.

Since July, the resort city of Sanya has been drumming up its Passport Friendly campaign to promote consumption by visiting tourists. Foreign tourists with valid passports or travel permits for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents can post original promotional content about Sanya on international social media with the hashtag #GoChinaInSanya.

In return, they can receive exclusive benefits packages from participating merchants, enjoying extra discounts at duty-free shops, hotels, attractions and shopping areas. The campaign runs until July 2027.

Currently, 45 merchants are participating — including major hotel brands like Marriott, InterContinental and Hyatt, as well as key attractions, duty-free shops, and commercial hubs.

Moving forwards, the Sanya Tourism Board will continue updating multilingual content on its overseas tourism website — turning the benefits of the visa-free policy into real advantages for visitors, and attracting more international tourists to explore and enjoy Sanya.