Sanya expands its international tourism

A groundbreaking development further opening up the air travel operations of China's southernmost Hainan province was highlighted recently at a major event.

The landmark initiative was mentioned at the fifth session of the seventh Hainan Provincial People's Congress on Jan 27.

Hainan Governor Liu Xiaoming stated in the government work report that the nation's first seventh-freedom air rights route had started operating.

Flight DV482, carrying 115 Czech passengers, flew from Prague to Sanya Phoenix International Airport on Dec 22, 2025, marking China's first operational passenger air route under what is known as the "seventh-freedom traffic right". In aviation industry jargon, seventh-freedom rights allow an airline to run flights between two foreign countries without returning to its home country.

The opening of the route is not only widely seen as being a significant milestone in the liberalization of air traffic rights in Hainan, but is also viewed as serving as an aerial bridge for Sanya to the lucrative European tourist market.

It's expected to galvanize the development of the core area of the international tourism and shopping hub.

Last year, Sanya handled over 1.06 million overnight inbound tourists, representing a year-on-year increase of 41.38 percent. Spending by the overnight inbound tourists hit $934 million, surging 66.65 percent.

Throughout 2025, Sanya operated 42 international passenger routes — tailoring themed products and marketing strategies for over 20 key source markets, including Russian-speaking regions, Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea and North America.

Currently, Sanya is actively planning a new phase of international route expansion and is deepening its market engagement.

Moving forwards, the city will focus on key markets such as Russian-speaking regions this year, launching new routes like Sanya-Irkutsk flights. What's more, the city will continue to strengthen its partnerships with overseas airlines, online travel agency platforms and travel agencies in Southeast Asia and Europe.

In addition, Sanya will actively collaborate with the 49 overseas cultural centers and 23 overseas tourism offices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in order to coordinate joint promotions and exchange tourist resources.

Adding to the action, Sanya is also planning to launch a series of special events under the theme "Travel with the Asian Beach Games" — working to further expand its network of Asian regional routes and partnerships and boost the popular resort city's penetration and competitiveness in the international tourism market.