Since the beginning of the year, an international social media promotion campaign themed "China's Free Trade Port, World-Class Resort Island: Welcome to Cool Hainan" has successfully brought Hainan Free Trade Port into the global spotlight, attracting more international travelers to the tropical island. The campaign, planned and implemented by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province, published 56 travel-themed pieces of content across social media platforms, achieving total exposures exceeding 16 million.
Targeting major inbound tourist source markets such as Russian-speaking regions, Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America, the campaign utilized multilingual accounts in Russian, Thai, Indonesian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, reaching an audience of over 52 million followers. This strategic approach ensured broad international visibility and engagement.
Breaking from traditional promotional models, the campaign released seven themed series of Hainan tourism content, featuring practical travel guides and immersive on-site scenarios. It showcased international branding labels such as "Cool Hainan", "Top Ten Hainan Tourism Icons", and "Cool Island". The content themes evolved monthly, starting with high-end luxury getaways on the Sunshine Coast in January, followed by Li and Miao ethnic Spring Festival customs in February, trendy surfing experiences and Wenchang aerospace study tours in March, water sports and wellness tourism in April, archaeological study tours and rainforest adventures in May, rainforest self-driving tours and ethnic minority villages in June, and the "Ten Signature Marine Tourism Routes" in July. A single post on the marine routes achieved over 2.6 million impressions.
The content not only highlighted diverse landscapes and experiences such as bays, rainforests, folk customs, health and wellness, and sports, but also provided practical travel information including visa-free policies for 86 countries, temporary permits for foreign driver's licenses, and shopping and duty-free/departure tax refund policies. This integration of natural scenery, local intangible cultural heritage, and modern tourism consumption formats provided a comprehensive view of what Hainan has to offer.
Global social media users have shown strong interest in traveling to Hainan, with many commenting on specific details such as visa-free policies, dining, accommodation, sightseeing, and self-driving trips. Several users stated they have added Hainan to their future travel bucket lists, indicating the campaign's effectiveness in inspiring travel intentions.
Hainan aims to leverage this themed social media campaign to build an international image as a "World-Class Resort Island", enhance its appeal as an inbound tourism destination, and support its development into an international tourism and consumption center. According to an official from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province, Hainan possesses tropical coastal tourism resources unique in China. Capitalizing on the policy dividends and openness advantages of the Free Trade Port, Hainan will continue to optimize its tourism service offerings for international visitors and foster a tourism consumption environment that meets international standards.
