December 11 marks the 7-day countdown to Hainan Free Trade Port's island-wide customs closure operation. Data from TONGCHENGTRAVEL shows that during the first weekend post-closure (December 20-21), popular room types in resort hotels across Sanya, Haikou, and other cities have sold out, with family suites and ocean-view suites being the top choices.
The Hainan Free Trade Port will implement island-wide customs closure on December 18. The enhanced "zero-tariff" policy on goods is expected to significantly boost Hainan's appeal for winter getaway and shopping tourism. Notably, the 2026 New Year holiday—the first major break after the closure—has drawn exceptional attention to Hainan's tourism sector.
According to TONGCHENGTRAVEL, as of December 10, hotel search volumes in Sanya for the New Year holiday surged over 200% year-on-year. Top departure cities for flights to Sanya Phoenix International Airport include Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Harbin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Changchun, and Jinan.
With streamlined entry procedures under the customs closure policy, Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, Melbourne, and Moscow are projected to be the top five international source markets for tourists arriving via Sanya's airport between December 18-31.
The policy has also benefited TONGCHENGTRAVEL's YANODA Tropical Rainforest attraction, where ticket bookings for the New Year holiday rose over 25% year-on-year. The park has launched discounted combo tickets and New Year-themed events while introducing multilingual guided tours (Russian/English) and tailored inbound tourism routes to cater to international visitors.