Almost 400,000 foreign tourists travel to Hainan visa-free in the past year

Haikou/China/ June 1/TASS/. More than 381,000 foreign tourists traveled to China’s Hainan visa-free from May 2018 to May 2019, which is 16.3% more than in the previous period. According to China Daily, this has to do with the introduction of a visa-free travel on the island for citizens of 59 countries, including Russia.

Since May 1, 2018 the Hainan authorities have increased the number of visa-free countries from 26 to 59. These measures are aimed at attracting foreign tourists to the island and developing Hainan’s tourism industry, according to a local government representative. Groups or individuals can stay in Hainan up to 30 days if they booked a trip via travel agency. 

Tourists from Russia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and South Korea show greatest interest in the southern Chinese province. These countries’ residents make up to 85% of the total number of visa-free travellers. 

Another measure to increase the island’s attractiveness for visitors was the development of international flights. Currently, 47 direct flights connect the resort with the countries that were granted visa-free travel. 

Earlier, Chinese authorities announced their intention to turn Hainan into an “international center for tourism and consumption» by 2025. Last year, 76 million Chinese and foreign tourists visited the island, 255,800 of those traveled to Hainan from Russia.