From sightseeing and shopping to sailing and surfing. Zhang Jie, a native of Guangzhou, changed the itinerary for her National Day holiday in Sanya, Hainan. “Sanya has much to offer in terms of water sports,” Zhang said.

Zhang is not alone.

Recent data released by the provincial government show more and more holidaymakers heading to Sanya and trying out different water sports, ahead of the Sixth Asian Beach Games in April, 2021.

Teenagers learn to surf at Houhai Bay, Sanya. (Feng Shuo)

Surfing is popular at Houhai Bay, tapped as the venue for ABG surfing competitions. (Feng Shuo)

During the Golden Week, Sanya enjoyed an influx of tourists. For example, Wuzhizhou Island welcomed 7,500 tourists, up 6.8% from a year ago, on the first day of the holiday. The city also saw a jump in demand for water sports including parasailing, wakesurfing and speedboat rides.

Parasailing at West Island, Sanya (Feng Shuo)

Yachts docked along Sanya waters (Feng Shuo)

“The Asian Beach Games are a boon for the local sports tourism industry,” said an official at the Wuzhizhou Island Scenic Area. He promised to introduce exciting options to lure even more water sport enthusiasts to Sanya.