Tourist attractions
As the largest tourist island in China, the province is rich in tourist attractions and potential tourist resources. There are numerous resorts, natural parks, and theme parks scattering all over the island, providing its people and tourists with suitable places for relaxation and entertainment. The most famous and popular ones include:
Holiday Beachside Resort
It is known as the biggest tropical hot spring beachfront seashore on Hainan Island. This national 4A scenic spot is located in northwestern Haikou and is about 10 kilometers from the downtown area. Located to the south of the Qiongzhou Channel, the seashore is seven kilometers in length and has typical scenery of tropical areas. The scenic area, having served locals and tourists for nearly 20 years, during weekends and public holidays, both locals and tourists like to take walks on the beach road. Playing beach football with kids, having a beach barbecue, and picking up shells, and bringing them home as decorations have become a part of Hainan people’s lives.
Atlantis Sanya
Located on Haitang Bay, with beautiful beaches stretching more than 10 kilometers in northern Sanya, it is dubbed by some as the Hawaii of the East. The landmark one-stop resort complex, built with an 11 billion yuan ($1.74 billion) investment, provides larger-than-life exotic and marine exhibits and offers rich dining experiences. Opened in April 2018 and is themed around the lost city of Atlantis and as the first Atlantis-themed resort in China, it has become a top destination for tourists due to its exciting and hypnotic atmosphere.
Overlooking the South China Sea, Atlantis Sanya covers some 540,000 square meters and boasts one of the largest open-air aquariums in the world, The Ambassador Lagoon, a unique underwater habitat, home to more than 86,000 species of marine life, enchanting visitors as they journey to discover the mythical heart of Atlantis. The resort’s 1,314 guest rooms and 154 suites not only offer spectacular island and coastal vistas but also serene views of life below the waves. This is the first guest experience of its kind in China, immersing visitors in the mysteries of the ocean and allowing them to learn more about the richness and diversity of its inhabitants.
Atlantis Sanya has turned the concept of traditional hotels on its head by reinventing the complex holiday market. Atlantis Sanya will form a distinct tourism ecosystem in Hainan as well as play an industry-leading role in promoting structural reforms of the tourism industry in Hainan. From a broader perspective, Atlantis Sanya is in a class with Shanghai Disneyland and the upcoming Universal Studios in Beijing in promoting China as a world-class tourist destination and enhancing the overall tourism industry, according to experts at the opening event.
Hainan Tropical Wildlife Park and Botanical Garden
Covering an area of more than 100 hectares and with a collection of not less than 4,000 rare birds and animals of 200 species, it is located in Dongshan, Xiuying District in Haikou City (27 kilometers away from Haikou). The park is the first tropical wildlife and botanical-themed garden in China, the national science education base, and the key tourism enterprise and famous scenic spot in Hainan province. With over years of effort and support of relevant departments, the park has made brilliant achievements. It has won many honors such as National 4A Class Tourist Attraction, National Science Education Base, National Forestry Science Base, Excellent Tourist Attraction in Hainan Province, Ecological Science Education Base in Hainan province, Haikou City Terrestrial Animal Rescue Center, and Hainan Ecotourism demonstration area.
Wuzhizhou Island
Of all the islands that surround Hainan, there are very few that possess freshwater, natural resources, and rich vegetation. The island has more than two thousand types of plants and many precious tree species as well as other rarely seen plants including symbiotic and parasitic species including strangling vines and many more.
At the eastern and southern ends of the island, there are linked peaks that rise to 79.9 meters at their highest point. The west and northern terrain of the island gradually levels out into a bay with a beach of fine white sand. Around the island, the seawater is pollution-free and crystal clear with high visibility down to a depth of 27 m. These are natural fishing grounds teeming with Spanish mackerel, grouper, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, prawns, luminous conches, and tropical fish of every color under the sun. In this magical underwater world, uniquely shaped and brightly colored corals abound. This is the most perfectly preserved of Hainan's coastal natural resources and also the best place for diving and sightseeing.
West Island Marine Culture Tourism Zone
Located in the center of Sanya Bay, West Island is 8 nautical miles away from downtown Sanya, the only tropical seaside tour city in China. The island is home to over 4,000 residents who have been living fishing for generations and impress visitors with their kindness and hospitality. As its surrounding waters belong to a national coral reef nature reserve, the island is enclosed with coral reefs of diverse shapes and a wide array of marine life. Praised as “an idyllic fairyland and dynamic paradise on the sea”, the island is believed to be a fascinating tourist destination with natural beauty, unique ecological resources, a distinctive tropical landscape, and exciting water sports. It has become a large holiday resort integrating travel and sightseeing, catering and accommodation, shopping, vacationing, as well as entertainment. Visitors can enjoy themselves through a wide variety of water activities such as diving, sailing, surfing, swimming, parasailing, jet-skiing, playing beach volleyball, as well as riding on a glass boat or a banana boat.
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