City Introduction of Hainan, China: Sanya

Sanya

Major Economic Indicators (2007)

Source: Sanya Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Located at the southern tip of Hainan Island, Sanya is the nation's southernmost city. It is one of only two prefecture-level cities in the Hainan Province (the other being Haikou).

Sanya has a tropical climate, with an average annual temperature of 25.5℃ and an annual rainfall of 1263 mm. The periods of heavy rainfall usually occur during the months when there are typhoons.

The city has a unique geographic advantage. Ships departing from Sanya can reach the south and west Pacific Ocean as well as the Indian Ocean. The distance to these oceans is 900 km shorter than traveling from Guangzhou.

Economic Features

In 2007, the gross industrial output of Sanya reached RMB 4.7 billion, up 21.2% over 2006. The heavy industry is the main contributor to Sanya's manufacturing sector. Within the same year, the ratio of heavy industry output to light industry output was 5.2:1. However, Sanya plans to focus on the light industry in the future. This includes agricultural products processing, marine products processing and biopharmaceuticals.

As a renowned tourist city in China, tourism is the most important industry in Sanya's service sector. Presently, there are 171 hotels in Sanya, seven of which are five-star hotels. In 2007, 5.4 million tourists visited Sanya, generating tourism revenue of RMB 8 billion. In addition, the number of foreigners grew by 43.0% to 447,700.

In 2007, the foreign trade value of Sanya grew by 13.0% to US$66.5 million. Export accounted for 85.7% of the total foreign trade. Within the same year, utilized FDI reached US$130 million.

Cultural Highlights

The city of Sanya was established in 110 BCand is one of the oldest cities in Hainan. Over the last few years, Sanya has developed into a relaxing vacation spot. The first international resort hotel was opened and managed in 1999 by Swiss hotelier, N.C. Solari, at the scenic Yalong Bay.

Currently, due to Sanya's well-developed tourism facilities, several national and global institutions have chosen Sanya as the ideal location to hold events such as golf championships, the Hercules championships, modeling competitions and film festivals.

Tourist Attractions

Dubbed the "Oriental Hawaii", Sanya has the most beautiful coastal scenery in Hainan. A state level holiday resort was set up in Yalong Bay. Four of the biggest bays in Sanya are Dadonghai, Sanya, Haitang, and Yazhou. Other attractions include Cape Tian-Ya-Hai-Jiao, the "Lu Hui Tou", Wuzhizhou Island and the Tiger & Crocodile Centre.

Tourists in Sanya make it a point to sample its fresh and delicious fruit as well as its seafood. In addition, they are encouraged to try famous dishes such as Wenchang Chicken, Jiaji Duck, Dongshan Mutton and Hele Crab.

Major Development Zones

By the end of 2007, Sanya had one state-level development zones, namely Sanya Yalong Bay National Holiday Resort.

State-level Development Zones in Sanya

Source: National Development and Reform Commission

Honors

Global Green Ecological City (2007)

---United Nation

China's Top 10 Charming City (2004)

---CCTV

National Excellence in Tourism (1999)

---National Administration of Tourism