SANYA, October 5. /TASS/. Hainan’s Sanya becomes a leader in total car rental orders in China since the start of the weekend’s golden week, reported the “Hainan Daily” newspaper.
Over the past four days, the total number of car rental orders via China’s largest online tour operator, Ctrip, increased by 50% over the same period last year, and the turnover increased by 120%. According to Sun Dexiang, a company’s spokesman, Sanya currently ranks first in the country in terms of this indicator. At the same time, about 25% of the total number of orders were placed for luxury and sports cars.
The first days of the 10th month in China fall on weekends and are considered the “golden week”. At this time, the Chinese leave big cities for their hometowns or go on a trip around the country. Traditionally, Hainan is one of the most popular travel destinations. This year’s holiday week coincided with the lunar Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiujie). This time it falls on October 1. Having no opportunity of traveling abroad, many Chinese have to spend their holidays at the country’s resorts, and the beaches of Hainan are especially popular. According to the newspaper, the interest in individual car tourism has grown amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has given a new impetus to the development of this market, in particular, on the Island of Hainan.
Hainan’s free trade zone
In April 2018, President Xi Jinping said that the Chinese authorities intend to actively involve Hainan in globalization and to draw foreign investors to the island province. By 2050, according to the authorities, the island should become a unique international cluster with an advanced economy, developed tourism, top-notch scientific, technical and financial potential, and modern medicine. The branches of the best universities and offices of the most powerful corporations in the world will be located on the Island of Hainan.
By 2025, the Chinese government intends to create an “international center for tourism and consumption” on Hainan. In order to do so, the “Eastern Hawaii” with their unique natural landscapes, thick rainforests and great climate will establish a developed network of hotels, which blend perfectly with white sandy beaches stretching along the coastline. The combination of an exotic subtropical nature and a modern eco-friendly infrastructure will boost tourist inflow to the island from the most distant parts of the world.