International Chinese New Year Travel to Hainan Up 43.3%--Ch

The inbound travel market gained serious momentum during this year's Spring Festival, the first since the Hainan Free Trade Port's island-wide special customs operations officially commenced in December. According to officially released statistics, as of 5:00 PM on February 23, over 86,000 international travelers had traveled to or from the island during the holiday period—a 43.3% jump compared to last year.

Breaking down the numbers, Haikou Meilan International Airport welcomed an average of 5,300 travelers daily (up 22.7%), while around 3,400 travelers moved through Sanya Phoenix International Airport daily (a 54.9% increase). Travel numbers peaked on February 15, 16, 20, and 21. Visitors from Russia, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Kazakhstan, and Singapore were the primary drivers of Hainan’s holiday travel boom.

To manage the surge, the Haikou and Sanya airports issued early transit forecasts and beefed up on-site staffing. They opened all available inspection lanes, added clearer signage, and rolled out streamlined measures - including 24-hour visa-free transit, online arrival card submission for international travelers, and online applications for group-tour visas.

Hainan continues to boast one of China’s most accessible visa-free systems. The different entry policies—such as 30-day visa-free entry for travelers from a total of 59 countries, the 144-hour visa-free policy for foreign tour groups from Hong Kong and Macao, and 240-hour transit privileges—mean that travelers from a combined total of 86 countries are eligible to enter Hainan visa-free. Reasons for visa-free entry have also expanded beyond tourism to include family visits, business, healthcare, exhibitions, and sports. Meanwhile, Hainan is fast-tracking the expansion of flight networks, with international routes now connecting the island province to Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Oceania. This powerful combination of visa-free access and expanded flight options has effectively widened the "air corridor" for international cultural and tourism exchanges.