Foreigners write Spring Festival couplets together with local calligraphers in Sanya on January 31, 2026. Photo: VCG

Beneath a clear blue sky and turquoise sea, a gentle breeze ruffles the sand along Dadonghai beach in Sanya, a coastal city in South China's island province of Hainan. Visitors from around the world bask and lounge on the beach, soaking up a rare winter warmth and the sun's soft glow.

Russian tourist Kseniya Popova cradles a freshly cracked coconut, laughing with friends. She had just been in Sanya for two days, and was already captivated by the scenery. "The beach is just so beautiful," Popova said, drawing a deep breath and smiling.

Sanya had ridden a wave of international arrivals ahead of the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), which fell on February 17 this year. From the arrivals hall at the airport to the city's popular beaches, and from the eateries and bars that line the streets, even to the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy clinics tucked into alleyways, foreign faces and unfamiliar languages are everywhere, the Global Times reporter observed just before the festival. For many of these visitors, the trip to Sanya is probably about more than just sun, sand, and surf. They have come to spend Chinese New Year (CNY) here - to be immersed in a culture whose appeal is gradually extending globally.

This festival was also notable for another reason: It was the first CNY since the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) began its island-wide special custom operations in December 2025.

In November 25, 2025, when hearing a work report on the building of the Hainan FTP, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that the strategic goal of building the Hainan FTP is to develop it into a key gateway driving China's opening up in the new era. Guided by this important instruction, Hainan successfully implemented special custom operations in the following the month, and has continued to streamline its visa policies.

China is attracting more and more foreign tourists with its increasingly open, welcoming policies and its charming culture. Sanya, long regarded as Hainan's tourism crown jewel, has naturally become a major choice for many international visitors. "Here the whole atmosphere is great, and people are so friendly, shiny, and smiley," Popova told the Global Times as she relaxed on the Dadonghai beach. "I love it."

Soak up the festival atmosphere

Foreigners from countries including Russia, Belarus, Spain, Cyprus and the US experience Tai Chi in Sanya on January 9, 2026. Photo: VCG

It is Popova's first time in Sanya. As her home country is freezing cold in winter, she began searching for warmer travel destinations, and soon the azure skies and emerald sea of Sanya caught her attention. "I usually go to the beach in the summer, but this year I decided to try winter, and that's how I found Sanya," she recalled.

Popova stayed for two weeks, perfectly spanning China's official CNY holiday this year (February 15 to 23). She's not just ticking off the major sights; she wants to sink into the festival itself. "I would like to try everything during this trip and New Year - food in some markets, the fireworks... that's so fun [to experience them]," she told the Global Times. 

Popova is far from alone. As Chinese culture spreads its influence around the world, "celebrating CNY in China" is becoming a travel trend. During this year's Spring Festival holiday, China's border inspection authorities handled a total of 17.796 million entries and exits by Chinese and foreign nationals, averaging 1.977 million crossings per day, according data released by China's National Immigration Administration. Of them, 1.313 million were foreign nationals, a 21.8-percent increase in the daily average compared with last year; among inbound foreigners, 460,000 entered under visa-free policies, a 28.5-percent increase in the daily average year-on-year, the data showed.

As for Sanya, its Phoenix International Airport Station of Immigration Inspection recorded 3,400 average daily entries and exits during the just-past CNY holiday, up by 54.9 percent year-on-year, the Global Times learned from the station on Tuesday.

In this coastal city, Dadonghai beach is a particular favorite with international visitors with its crystal waters and well-developed dining and lodging options. On an early February afternoon, a week ahead of the CNY, the Global Times encountered Western European couples sunning themselves on loungers, Russian families splashing in the surf, and groups of young Southeast Asian travelers angling their selfie sticks toward the horizon - the beach a patchwork of global holidaymakers.

Among them, British visitor Sophie Lee, who booked a guesthouse a five-minute walk from Dadonghai, said she plans to spend three weeks soaking up the CNY atmosphere.

"I feel like in Sanya, people will know how to celebrate it, like with fireworks and firecrackers at the beach, and there will be a general atmosphere-like buzz. So, I'm looking forward to that," Lee told the Global Times that day. Having heard that 2026 is the Year of the Horse in Chinese culture, Lee added that to her, the horse stands for charging forward with opportunity. "I'm looking forward to the New Year, and seeing what it will bring."

Deeper encounters

Just after midnight, as Sanya's beaches and shops sink into silence, it's when Phoenix International Airport likely enters its liveliest hours of the day.

At around 3 am one early February day ahead of the CNY, the Global Times reporter, standing in the airport parking lot, found row after row of tour coaches with multilingual signs, including Russian, English, and Korean, waiting to collect foreign groups arriving late at night.

Li Chuandong, head of a Sanya travel agency, stood in the arrivals hall with his foreign colleagues, speaking in fluent Russian. In recent weeks, he has been here almost every late night to pick up foreign tour groups.

Li's company mainly handles visitors from Russian-speaking countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. He shared that now he handles roughly 700 to 800 foreign passengers a day. Before the pandemic, it was only about 300 a day. "The expansion of China's visa-free travel policies has led to a big rise in foreign tourists, especially this year," Li told the Global Times.

To date, China has granted unilateral visa-free access and signed mutual visa exemption agreements with 77 countries, according to data from the National Immigration Administration. The visa-free policy has encouraged more visitors to come to China and seek out deeper encounters in person. Notably, many of them are discovering and posting about China's deeper cultural elements on social media - a virtuous circle that, in turn, sparks curiosity and draws more people to come and see for themselves.

TCM therapy is one such draw. Near Sanya's Dadonghai beach, clinics offering acupuncture and cupping have been increasingly popular - in many cases a "must-try" on foreign tourists' itineraries, the Global Times learned.

"I tried cupping, and I still have them [cup marks] on my back," said German tourist Benedict Rathke. Having never tried cupping before, Rathke told the Global Times that he felt a bit nervous when seeing this therapy in pictures. "But [after trying it, I found] it was absolutely worth it. Very healthy."

This wave of cultural immersion stretches far beyond Hainan. Across China, many foreign travelers drew closer to the unique charms of Chinese culture, especially the recent emphasis on Spring Festival traditions. In Beijing, for instance, international visitors soaked up special CNY celebrations at Universal Beijing Resort, from lavish festive decorations to hands-on games. In Shanghai, foreign tourists lingered in the city's iconic Yuyuan Garden to watch the lantern displays, happily posing for photos with horse-themed lanterns.

What leaves a lasting impression for many is not only the culture, but also China's sense of safety and the warmth of its people. In Sanya, many visitors reached by the Global Times praised how safe, orderly, and friendly the city feels.

"I can go everywhere at night. I had a walk yesterday at 2 am, and it was so safe, cozy, and calm everywhere. I wasn't scared," said Popova.

Open wider

A view of Sanya, South China's Hinan Province Photo: VCG

The Hainan FTP officially commenced its island-wide special customs operations on December 18, 2025. When hearing a work report on the building of Hainan FTP in November 2025, President Xi described it as a landmark move of the country to unwaveringly expand high-standard opening up and promote the development of an open world economy, reported the Xinhua News Agency on November 7, 2025.

The launch of island-wide special customs operations marks a new stage in the development of the Hainan FTP, which enables the freer flow of goods, capital, personnel, and data, supported by zero tariffs, low tax rates, and a simplified tax system, said Xinhua in an article on December 15, 2025.

British entrepreneur David Adrian Janke, who has lived in Hainan since 2020, feels the change has been striking. For instance, Janke explained that in recent years, Hainan authorities have largely optimized processes for foreigners like him to apply for work and residence permits. "They've made things easier," he said.

China continues to accelerate its pace of opening up in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30). The 2026 Spring Festival - the first CNY during this period - is seeing a rising tide of foreign visitors choosing to celebrate in China, and the country has responded by opening more air routes, streamlining immigration and customs procedures, and upgrading border services.

In Sanya, the Phoenix International Airport Station of Immigration Inspection expects more than 900 entry-and-exit flights, and over 140,000 passengers during this year's Spring Festival travel rush (February 2 to March 13), increases of 46.5 percent and 50.3 percent year-on-year, respectively, according to station official Peng Hui. To better serve global visitors, the station has rolled out a series of measures, such as dedicated channels for temporary transit entry permits, online pre-screening of group visa documents, multilingual signage in arrival halls, and the deployment of officers fluent in foreign languages to provide guidance, Peng told the Global Times.

Hainan is a vibrant microcosm of China's continuing opening-up. Settling in the island province, Janke said he has experienced many moments that epitomize China's growing openness. One moment, he recalls, came when local authorities proactively invited members of the expatriate community to a high-level meeting to hear their views, concerns, and needs - a gesture that, he said, conveyed real sincerity and warmth.

"China has shown 'We are open, we want you to come, and we welcome you,'" he told the Global Times.