May Day holiday boosts inbound and outbound travel in Hainan

Immigration officers process an arriving passenger on Sunday at Sanya Phoenix International Airport in Hainan province. (Photo by Zhang Chen/For chinadaily.com.cn)

Hainan province saw a substantial rise in international travel during the May Day holiday, with border authorities processing 38,000 inbound and outbound passengers, a 51.9 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

From Thursday to Monday, the five-day holiday, the Haikou General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection cleared 292 transportation vehicles, according to official data.

To handle the holiday rush, the station increased staffing, optimized procedures, and opened additional inspection lanes to ensure smooth passenger flow.

The newly upgraded international transit zone at Haikou Meilan International Airport, which opened on Thursday, expanded waiting space by over 50 percent and cut passenger walking distances in half.

"Traveling to Sanya for a company trip was very convenient thanks to China and Hainan province's favorable visa-free policies," said a Malaysian tourist surnamed Goh, who noted the speed of immigration clearance.

Hainan's 59-country visa-free policy has driven a tourism boom since it was introduced seven years ago, with 1.42 million foreign travelers entering visa-free, according to Rao Jun, deputy director of the exit-entry border inspection department at the Haikou General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.

The island province has recorded 889,000 inbound and outbound travelers this year, up 16.1 percent year-on-year. Foreign arrivals jumped 62.5 percent, with visa-free entries making up 90.3 percent of the total.

Statistics released by the station showed that about 84 percent of foreign visitors came for tourism, while business, sports, and exhibition-related travel surged by nearly 95 percent.

Hainan has resumed or launched 63 international flight routes, attracting travelers from 142 countries and regions, including Russia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, and Singapore, with growing numbers from Mongolia, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan.

A Singaporean traveler surnamed Pho said his primary purpose for visiting China was to see relatives in Haikou, and after visiting them for two days, he spent an additional two days in the resort city of Sanya. "The visa process was very convenient," he noted. "Singaporeans get visa-free entry to Hainan."

"Visa-free entry is now the top choice for foreign tourists," said Rao, adding that authorities plan further immigration policy upgrades to support Hainan's development as a high-level free trade port.