The city takes measures to analyze and develop its most traditional market - 
travelers from Russia

On March 8, the Sanya Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau 
sent a tourism promotion delegation to attend Intourmarket-2019, the 
international travel fair taking place in Moscow from March 9-11. At the event 
the delegation talked about Sanya's many advantages as a holiday and tourism 
destination, citing the visa-free access for travelers from 59 countries and 
the 11 non-stop air services between Russia and Sanya. The delegation included 
performers who put on a singing and dancing performance that borrowed heavily 
from the traditions of the Li and Miao, two ethnic groups that are the original 
inhabitants of Sanya and its immediate area. 

Photo-https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190309/2398668-1 

The Sanya Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau held a roadshow 
event in Moscow, Russia's major tourist source market, by promoting the 
visa-free policy, the non-stop air services and the unique tropical seaside 
vacation offerings, in a move to attract more Russian tourists. Deputy Director 
of the Sanya Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau Cao Yuanxin, 
Director of China National Tourist Office in Moscow Wang Xiaoxia, Director of 
Moscow Tourism Bureau's tourism and hospitality management department Aleksei 
Tihnenko and Sanya Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau travel 
industry analyst Tang Sixian were present at the event. 

A performance of a traditional dance, a Li nationality dance and bamboo dances 
in which the audience was invited to join, coupled with the handing out of 
special gifts made of shells found on the beaches of Sanya, among other 
programs that demonstrated the city's unique characteristics, were staged at 
Moscow's Staropetrovsky Atrium Business Center. Sanya, located at a comfortably 
tropical 18 degrees north latitude, extended a sincere invitation to Moscow's 
citizenry by offering them an opportunity to learn about Hainan's unique 
culture, its new visa-free policy and Sanya's new tourism format amid the 
establishment of the Hainan Free Trade Area. 

Mr. Cao said, Hainan, which is establishing a free trade pilot area with plans, 
if the pilot area is successful, of expanding into a full-fledged free trade 
port with Chinese characteristics, has set its mission: becoming the world's 
most popular overseas destination for Russian tourists. The Sanya and Russian 
tourism authorities have established an exchanges and cooperation mechanism to 
enhance the ability to ensure the safety of Russian travelers and create a more 
friendly and safer environment for them. Sanya has also rolled out a series of 
tourism offerings oriented towards the expectations of Russian tourists, 
including the world-renowned Atlantis Sanya luxury resort, Haichang Fantasy 
Town, multiple hot springs and traditional Chinese medicine-based physical 
therapy services. By improving Russian signage in and around Sanya and 
providing Russian menus at some hotels, Hainan will become a leisure 
destination that offers Russian tourists a sense of belonging.

In 2018, 204,000 Russian tourists visited Sanya, making Russia the largest 
source of inbound tourists to the city. Sanya offers 11 non-stop air services 
to cities across Russia, including Ekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Kazan, Khabarovsk, 
Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Ufa, Ulan-Ude, Vladivostok and Zhukovsky, 
adding up to 19 flights per week and making the trip to Sanya a convenient 
experience no matter where one lives in the expansive country. Fourteen 
Sanya-based travel agencies attended the tourism promotion event in Russia. 
Sanya's municipal government and leading business in the travel sector worked 
hand-in-hand to analyze Sanya's traditional inbound tourist source market and 
improve the quantity and quality of Russian inbound tourists. 


Source: Sanya Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau