HAIKOU, CHINA - 3 July 2025 - This summer, journalists and photographers from the United States, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries gathered at China's Hainan Free Trade Port, experiencing firsthand the vibrant pulse of its industrial development.

For most of the media delegation, this was their first visit to Hainan. At the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, the team explored various medical institutions, gaining insights into the local healthcare landscape, specialized medical policies, and unique wellness programs blending traditional Chinese medicine with Western techniques. As China's only special medical zone, Lecheng collaborates with more than 180 healthcare, pharmaceutical, and medical device institutions across 20 countries, providing a series of world-class medical and healthcare services. In the first five months of this year, it welcomed more than 180,000 tourists from China, Canada, and Spain.

Hainan's pristine tropical rainforests and vibrant Li and Miao cultural traditions stand as its most iconic ecological and cultural hallmarks. At Haikou's Qilou Old Street, Baoting's Binglanggu Li and Miao Cultural Heritage Park, and Baoting's Shenyu Island, the media delegation was captivated by dynamic displays and exhibits of UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage-such as the 3,000-year-old Li traditional techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidering-alongside national and provincial treasures like Hainan agarwood, coconut carving, Li pottery, boat-shaped houses, and bamboo pole dancing.

Journalists remarked that witnessing and engaging with these time-honored crafts in person was far more striking than viewing them through photos or videos. Many showed a strong interest in Hainan agarwood, marveling at its historical significance and medicinal properties. After experiencing a Li medical massage, one reporter said that his back pain was finally relieved and that he "should have come to Hainan earlier."

Beyond its beaches, Hainan offers a wealth of unique summer experiences that reshaped international media's perceptions: the Taoist healing, the Li long-table banquet, and refreshing forest bath on the Shenyu Island; the tropical coastal skydiving at Skydive Tarhe; the underwater suites and theme park of the Atlantis Sanya; the shopping spree in the International Duty-free Shopping Complex; the island scenery and fishermen culture in the West Island. Each destination offers distinct charms, revealing Hainan's diverse appeal.

Zhang Hao, deputy director of the Sanya Tourism Board, revealed that in addition to strengthening duty-free shopping, Sanya has also prioritized low-altitude tourism and yachting in recent years. Last year alone, yachts embarked on over 120,000 sea trips, more than 10,000 visitors experienced low-altitude skydiving, and international cruise traffic, including home-port and visiting-port throughput, reached 59,200, placing Sanya among China's top destinations.

According to the Hainan Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports, as China's only tropical island province and the largest Free Trade Port, Hainan enjoys the best visa-free policy in the country. In 2024, the number of inbound tourists exceeded 1 million, a record high in the past 5 years. The island has designed 10 categories of tourism products (e.g., marine tourism, high-end shopping, and healthcare) and allows ordinary passport holders from 85 countries to land without a visa.

F/The international media team immersed itself in the colorful experience that the "cool island" of Hainan offered in summer. (Photo credit: Jing Chen)

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