HAIKOU, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Annelie Blomqvist, a Swedish tourist, basked in the sun on a lounge chair at Dadonghai beach in Sanya, a resort city in south China's island province of Hainan.

This was her first visit to Hainan with her husband, and they were captivated by the city's allure. "It's beautiful, and the beach is really nice!" Blomqvist exclaimed with delight.

"We have been traveling around in China for a bit. We wanted to stay somewhere nice with nice beach. So that's why we chose Sanya," Blomqvist explained. During their journey through China, they had visited popular destinations like Hong Kong, Macao, Zhangjiajie and Guilin, and planned to spend a week in Sanya exploring its renowned attractions.

With "China Travel" trending on social media platforms, inbound tourism in China is experiencing a surge. As a tropical island province, Hainan has become a favorite choice for international travelers.

At the Sunshine Resort Intime Hotel in Sanya, foreign tourists were lined up to check in. Liu Zhen, the hotel's marketing director, noted that the number of foreign tourists had significantly increased with the arrival of this summer holiday.

"The hotel's average occupancy rate consistently exceeds 85 percent, with the majority of our guests being international travelers and predominantly enjoying family vacations," Liu added.

According to the Hainan provincial department of tourism, culture, radio, television and sports, Hainan welcomed some 495,800 inbound tourists in the first half of this year, marking a 251.6-percent year-on-year increase.

In addition to its breathtaking natural scenery and unique tropical coastal resources, China's visa-free policy is a significant reason why foreign tourists choose Hainan as their destination.

"It's so convenient to travel to Sanya, and the experience is great," said Olga from Moscow, Russia, who brought her two children for a two-week holiday.

"First of all, because of the visa-free policy, I don't need to prepare visa documents, which is the main reason. Moreover, it's also convenient that there are direct flights between Moscow and Sanya," she said.

Previously, the National Immigration Administration announced that starting February 9, 2024, the application scope of the visa-free entry policy for Hainan has been expanded. Besides tourism, nationals from 59 countries can enter Hainan visa-free for trade, visits, family reunions, medical treatment, exhibitions and sports competitions purposes (excluding work and study) and stay for up to 30 days.

Statistics show that in the first half of this year, more than 146,000 people entered Hainan visa-free, a 12.3-fold increase year on year.

Moreover, Hainan is promoting the resumption and opening of international routes, providing convenient transportation services for foreign tourists. To date, Hainan has launched 51 international air routes in total.

To accelerate the development of inbound tourism, Hainan also strives to enhance the traveling experience of inbound tourists in terms of a multilingual environment, payment facilitation and communication.

Olga said she was pleasantly surprised to find that local Chinese tour guides and restaurant staff could communicate with tourists in basic Russian. She also found Russian menus in some restaurants.

"The hotel staff are very friendly, and they helped us exchange money, and register necessary mobile apps. Now I can use Alipay for almost all my purchases," she said.

"I would like to come back to China!" said Blomqvist, adding that she plans to explore more Chinese cities in the future.