Sanya tourism chief wants int’l airports in Hainan, MSAR

China’s tourism city Sanya, Hainan is looking for a deeper cooperation with Macau in regards to tourism.

On Tuesday, Sanya’s tourism development committee held a campaign in Macau to promote tourism in Sanya.

Pang Yongda, Head of the promotional department of the Sanya Tourism Development Commission (the Commission), expressed his hope that by working together, both Macau and Sanya would be able to turn their own airports into international transportation hubs.

According to Pang, since May 1 this year, when Sanya launched a visa-free policy targeting nationals of 59 countries, more than 100,000 overseas tourists have traveled to Sanya under the policy.

In the middle of July, a direct flight between Sanya and Macau was inaugurated. According to Pang, the flight not only provides a convenient mode of transportation between the two places, but also enhances economic and trade cooperation, human and cultural communication, and tourism communication between Macau and Sanya.

The flight is also said to pose an advantage in terms of transportation for international tourists, who will visit Sanya and Macau under visa-free policies.

Yu Dandan, director of the Commission tourism sales center, revealed that since the launch of the Sanya-Macau flight, the number of Macau tourists in Sanya has increased.

Through this promotional campaign in Macau, Sanya hopes to attract more Macau residents and to increase the flight seat occupancy rate.

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has already received an invitation from Sanya to attend a tourism event in November. MGTO hopes to promote Macau’s events and tourism industry while attending the event.

Hainan United Airlines Travel Group also said that the company will explore further and better tourism products aimed at Macau’s market.