In Sanya, a resort city on the southern tip of China’s tropical Hainan province, you are now more likely to hear Russian spoken on the streets than English.
Signs in both Chinese and Russian line the streets of Dadonghai, a popular local seaside hotspot. The menus in nearly every restaurant come with Russian translations – sometimes alongside English.
The number of Russians visiting Sanya has surged dramatically over the past year, helping the local travel sector recover from the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Visits from Russian tourists soared elevenfold year on year in 2024, according to the Sanya Tourism Board, and Russia was the top source of foreign guests staying at local hotels.
In 2024, China introduced special rules allowing citizens of 59 countries to spend up to 30 days in Hainan province without needing to apply for a visa. It also allowed 144-hour visa-free entry for nationals of any country with diplomatic ties to China, as long as they travelled as part of a tour group from Hong Kong or Macau.
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