As China celebrated its grandest annual event – the Chinese New Year, major tourist province in southern China, Hainan witnessed a surge in domestic travelling. According to Haikou Tourism Development Commission, the capital Haikou received a total of 1,171,100 visitors during the seven-day holiday, raking in RMB 1.291 billion (USD 0.20 billion).
Changying Wonderland in Xiuying district in Haikou City of Hainan province saw a big jump in visitors during the Chinese New Year holiday. During the holiday, a variety of activities were carried out in major attractions in the city. At the public dock for Haikou National Sailing Base, sailboats, sailboards, rowing boats and yachts were provided for visitors to have fun with the seawater on the west coast of Haikou.
At the century-old Haikou Clock Tower, the city’s landmark, a large-scale light show was launched for the first time. With three-dimensional sound and light effects, the show presented Haikou’s sea culture and Nanyang culture, becoming a new hotspot at night for citizens and tourists in Haikou.
In terms of rural tourism, Haikou held the Wenshan Xinpo Winter Fruit and Vegetable Picking Festival, which offered countryside picnics, Gongdao meals, and other rural activities; the Haikou Lianlizhi Fisherman’s Guesthouse rolled out activities such as mangrove tours, snack making, and long table barbecues, gaining wide popularity among tourists.
This year, duty-free shopping also became a trump card that attracted visitors to Haikou. During the seven-day holiday, the duty-free stores in Haikou received 32,712 visitors, up 51.8% year-on-year, with sales revenue of RMB 157 million (USD 24.31) and per capita expenditure of RMB 4,805 (USD 743.88), up 225.5% and 43.81%, respectively.
