Hainan eyes world-class tourist status following special customs operations

The Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) in south China's Hainan Province officially began island-wide special customs operations on Dec. 18, 2025. What does this mean for tourism?

"Visitor numbers are likely to keep growing," said Wu Chunlong, a tour guide with more than 10 years of experience serving the Southeast Asian market. In the past, he received only two or three tour groups a month. Now, bookings are already filled through next month.

Passengers take a walk at the international visitors service desk at the Haikou Meilan International Airport in Haikou, South China's Hainan Province, on December 14, 2025. (Photo: Courtesy of Haikou Meilan International Airport)

Simplified clearance procedures have made an immediate difference. "Tour groups of over 100 people used to spend nearly an hour at customs. Now the process takes less than 10 minutes," Wu said.

Geng Songtao, a professor at Hainan University's School of Tourism, noted that the full rollout of zero tariffs and low tax rates, following the island-wide implementation of special customs operations, will further enhance Hainan's appeal as a destination for consumption and business.

Island-wide special customs operations do not mean the island is being closed off. Under relevant policies, the Hainan FTP will function as a special customs supervision zone, operating under a system of "freer access at the first line," referring to freer trade between Hainan and areas outside China's customs borders, and "regulated access at the second line," which involves applying standard customs controls for goods moving from Hainan to the mainland.

Chen Meilin, general manager of Hainan Huizhong International Travel Service Co. Ltd., said domestic visitors traveling to Hainan for business or leisure can continue to do so as before without needing additional documents.

At the same time, flexible stay and residence policies now support a wide range of scenarios, including exhibitions, duty-free shopping, yachting and business travel, driving steady growth in inbound tourism.

According to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province, the island's inbound tourism market currently centers on Russian-speaking regions, while also drawing visitors from Southeast Asia, the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and the Taiwan region.

From January to October this year, Hainan received around 1.11 million inbound tourist visits, and industry insiders expect that figure to rise sharply in the coming period.

Hainan has also built a multi-tier visa-free entry system covering 86 countries. This includes visa-free entry for tourists from 59 countries, the 240-hour visa-free transit entry policy, a 144-hour visa-free policy for foreign tour groups entering Hainan from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and a 15-day visa-free policy for international cruise tour groups. These measures have greatly improved access for overseas visitors.

While island-wide special customs operations bring new opportunities, they also raise expectations for tourism professionals. Wu said service standards and workforce skills must improve. As demand for English-speaking guides increases, the role of tour guides is shifting from sightseeing narration to more business-oriented services, he said.

To support this shift, major transport hubs, tourist attractions and hotels across Hainan now feature multilingual signage in languages such as Russian, Japanese and Korean. Multilingual tourism websites and digital platforms have also been launched. Additionally, translation devices are available at service counters, while staff language proficiency and overall service standards continue to improve.

The Hainan FTP is developing several internationally recognized IPs and projects while expanding partnerships with global travel platforms and tour operators. It is also boosting its profile through international tourism fairs and sporting events, as well as by deepening cooperation with the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Southeast Asia.