Hainan a magnet for Russian tourists

While busloads of Russians flock to the morning markets of Heihe, a city in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, a considerable number of Russian travelers are also hitting pristine beaches on the other side of the country, in South China's Hainan province, after taking long-haul flights.

Data from local authorities in Sanya, a resort city in the island province of Hainan, shows that 173,900 trips were made to the city by Russian tourists in 2024, representing an elevenfold increase compared with the previous year.

At Dadonghai Bay in Sanya, the beaches are filled with sunbathing Russians, and even the fruit vendors call out to potential customers in the Russian language.

"The warm climate, abundant sunshine and clear waters here, and its unique tropical climate and marine landscapes, are key reasons attracting Russian tourists," said Chen Xiaolei, a local tour guide who can speak Russian.

Apart from the exotic coastal scenery, key attractions for Russian travelers include Hainan's favorable visa-free policy and quick customs clearance.

The National Immigration Administration expanded authorized purposes of visa-free entry for individuals from 59 countries to Hainan starting on Feb 9, 2024.

In July, the administration implemented a visa-free policy, allowing foreign tour groups from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions to enter and stay for 144 hours in Hainan, and in December, the transit visa-free stay for foreigners within Hainan was extended to up to 240 hours.

A visitor identified only as Konstantin, who flew directly from Krasnoyarsk in south-central Siberia to Sanya, said: "China's visa-free policy is incredibly practical and convenient for us. We plan to stay in Sanya for 10 days, which gives us plenty of time to enjoy our trip."

The Sherikovs, a Russian couple celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary in Sanya, said, "The customs clearance process took less than 10 minutes, which was much smoother than we expected."

The expanding international flight network, with more direct routes from Russian cities to Sanya, has also made the coastal city more accessible.

In the first quarter, nearly 500 flights operated between Russia and Sanya — a 400 percent increase from the same period last year — bringing in more than 5,000 Russian tourists every week, according to the Fenghuang entry-exit border checkpoint in Sanya.

Huang Xing, head of the Sanya tourism, culture, radio, television and sports bureau, said that to enhance the travel experience for international tourists, local hotels and scenic spots have introduced multilingual signs in English, Russian and Chinese, facilitated international credit card payments and established foreign currency exchange points, along with regularly held concerts, cultural performances and sporting events.

While enjoying sunbathing, tropical fruit and the vibrant nightlife, more Russian tourists are beginning to dig deeper into Chinese culture for more unique travel experiences in Sanya, such as traditional Chinese medicine therapies, he said.

Huang Juhai, director of the specialty treatment department at the Sanya International Friendship Sanatorium of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said, "TCM is very popular among Russian tourists, as international visitors' acceptance of TCM has significantly increased."

Chen, the local tour guide, said that more than half of his Russian clients opt for TCM therapies.

"Many of them come to seek TCM treatments for cervical and lumbar pain, joint diseases, obesity and digestive system disorders," he said.