China News Service, Haikou, October 2 (Reporter Zhang Qianyi) On the first day of the National Day holiday, Hainan, with mountains and seas as the curtain and culture as the soul, presented a "big feast" of cultural tourism across the region: from coastal scenic spots to Li Village and Miao Villages, from urban blocks to rural rice fields, activities such as natural ecology, intangible cultural heritage, sports and leisure, cultural and museum studies were staged in turn.
Online platform data reflects market enthusiasm, and Hainan Free Trade Port’s holiday economy is off to a good start. Ctrip platform big data predicts that the number of OTA bookings in Hainan province during the National Day holiday in 2026 will reach 5.197 million, with the average daily number of visitors increasing 6.8% year-on-year compared to 2025; OTA travel consumption amount will be 1.36 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.0%.
The growth potential is even brighter. Ctrip data shows that ticket products have an average daily growth rate of 38.1% year-on-year, and one-day tours and large accommodations have increased by 13.3% and 7.0% respectively, showing that tourists are no longer satisfied with simple accommodation and pay more attention to in-depth tours and local experience products.
On the evening of October 1st, there was a fireworks show at Hainan Changying Fantasy Park. (Photo provided by Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports)
Meituan platform monitoring data also confirms the popularity of Hainan’s holiday market. During the National Day holiday, the number of overall product bookings in Hainan increased by 17%, and the amount of consumption increased by 13%. There is a clear trend of upgrading accommodation consumption, and tourists are more willing to pay for high-quality hotel experiences.
According to Qunar travel data, Haikou ranked among the top 10 cities in the country in terms of air ticket bookings on the first day of the National Day, and the number of tourists flying to Qionghai increased significantly by 86%. Sanya is still in the lead in terms of popularity, and has also entered the top 20 destination cities and departure cities with the highest domestic air ticket bookings. On the first day of the National Day holiday, ticket bookings for Atlantis Water World in Sanya surged 8 times year-on-year; Sanya’s car rental popularity ranks among the top five in the country.
From a regional perspective, Sanya, Haikou, Wanning, Lingshui, and Qionghai rank among the top five in the province, while Danzhou, Wenchang, and Dongfang simultaneously experience concentrated growth in passenger flow. Sanya Nanshan Cultural Tourism Area, Dream Xiangshan Tourism Area, Wuzhizhou Island, West Island, Boundary Island, Hainan Tropical Wildlife Park, Sanya Atlantis Resort, Haihua Island Ocean Paradise, Haihua Island Water Kingdom, and Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park are among the top ten popular scenic spots.
On October 1, the Tianya Haijiao Tourist Area opened the "Good Luck Tianya Joy Gathers in the Mountains and Seas" coastal carnival. (Photo provided by Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports)
It can be seen from the flow of tourists and consumption preferences that Hainan tourism has shifted from traditional sightseeing tours to a composite vacation model that combines accommodation experience, in-depth tours of scenic spots, and self-driving leisure.
Amid the popularity, various cities and counties in Hainan have launched special theme activities based on local conditions. Coastal carnivals, motorcycle parades, national customs gatherings, rice field festivals, cultural exhibitions, and night performances have blossomed. "Sports + cultural tourism", "intangible cultural heritage + food", "rural + cultural tourism" and other integrated businesses are constantly enriched, allowing tourists to experience differentiated holiday fun in Qiongdao.
Red flash mobs, Qiong Opera singing, and bamboo pole dancing took place in Haikou Qilou Old Street. The Crater Park climbed up to enjoy the scenery. Mission Hills Feng Xiaogang Film Commune launched immersive theme activities. Haikou Bay's "Sea Travel 01" cruise ship started its National Day study cruise. Sanya Tianya Haijiao Tourist Area has launched a seaside carnival. Sanya Tourism Development Group’s six scenic spots including Tianya Haijiao, Xiaodongtian, Luhuitou, Dadonghai, Houhai Surfing Area, and Linchunling Forest Park jointly launched a series of "National Day Seven Days of Fun" activities with different daily themes.
City and county special events are also eye-catching. The Ding'an Motorcycle Parade gathered 368 motorcycles to connect the ancient city, Nanli Lake, Wenbi Peak and other scenic spots, innovating the "sports + cultural tourism + folk custom" model; Qionghai Boao Sunrise Golden Beach staged a fireworks and music show, Tanmen "Brothers" marine beliefs, customs and intangible cultural heritage display, Nanhai Museum extended opening and other activities to increase night consumption. The opening of Wuzhishan's "Tongshi 1988" neighborhood, Qiongzhong Rice Field Village National Day Gala, Tunchang Maple Deer Farm opening to the public, Wanning Village Dragon Boat Race, etc., have jointly enriched tourists' choices.
On the first day of the National Day holiday, Hainan welcomes visitors from all over the world with diversified product supplies and service guarantees. According to reports, Hainan will continue to do a good job in market monitoring, safety control and service guarantees to unleash the vitality of cultural tourism consumption in the free trade port.
