Sanya a bellwether for China's tourism recovery

As the cautionary asterisk has been removed from China's travel code app and the condition of COVID-19 prevention and containment is improving, the country's tourism market continues to see steady recovery as the summer vacation period arrives.

Resort city Sanya in the tropical island of Hainan province has become a popular search term on various online traveling platforms, Xinhua News Agency reported.

On July 1, the first day Luhuitou Resort began offering free admission to tourists, the daily visitor numbers surpassed 2,000. Since June, an experience activity related to intangible cultural heritage at the Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone also attracted more than 100,000 tourists.

The volume of hotel bookings has witnessed rapid growth. Between July 1 and 9, the average room occupancy rates at premier luxury hotels in Haitang Bay exceeded 83 percent. Since late June, some hotels have even put up "No vacancy" signs.

Duty-free shopping has also been heating up in Sanya. Since June, the number of shoppers has increased about 30 percent from the previous month, said He Cuiping, director of the operation management department of HTDF, a leading company engaged in tourism and duty-free business in Hainan. At present, the figure has recovered to the level during the same period last year.

Furthermore, the night economy is lighting up city streets, showing consumption potential. Attracted by food markets and other activities, a night tour in Sanya has become a new option for many young people.

According to a recent report released by online travel agency Qunar, Chengdu, Chongqing and Guangzhou were named the three most popular destinations in China during this year's summer vacation. Sanya ranked seventh in the same list.