With family travel coinciding with graduation season, Hainan welcomed a new wave of visitors during the 2026 Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

According to a holiday travel report released by travel platform Fliggy on June 21, Hainan ranked among the platform’s most popular destinations during the holiday, with hotel bookings and other travel-related products experiencing double-digit growth. The most popular destinations on the island were Sanya, Haikou, and Lingshui.

During the three-day holiday, destinations throughout Hainan integrated trendy sports, traditional cultural elements, and immersive experiences to provide visitors with a diverse array of activities.

Holidaymakers enjoy the water at Sanya Bay on the evening of June 21

Photo: Wang Chenglong, Hainan Daily Media Group

Sports Events Drive Holiday Tourism
Dragon boat racing remained one of the holiday’s biggest crowd-pullers. On June 20, the 2026 “Haikou Cup” International Dragon Boat Invitational wrapped up near the Cloudscape Library in Haikou.

The event, the first since the launch of island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), drew 100 teams from China and abroad, with enthusiastic crowds lining the waterfront.

Beyond the races, a dragon boat-themed market offered local specialties—such as qingbuliang dessert and Wenchang chicken—and exhibitions of Li brocade and coconut carving highlighted Hainan’s intangible cultural heritage. Visitors also enjoyed interactive activities like making zongzi, weaving five-color bracelets, crafting wormwood sachets, and participating in land dragon boat races.

Dragon boats weren't the only attraction for sports fans. In Puqian Town, Wenchang, the well-known rural volleyball league, "Village VA,” continued to attract large crowds. On June 20, during the second week of the 2026 Jiujiu Cup Hainan (Wenchang) Township Volleyball League, matches created a vibrant atmosphere as players competed passionately before enthusiastic local supporters.

Building on the tournament’s popularity, organizers introduced a local zaopocu hot pot tasting season and specialty village banquets, combining traditional cuisine with holiday festivities. Reservations for these banquets sold out quickly.

In Sanya’s Haitang Bay, the roar of engines took the place of traditional dragon boat drums. The 2026 FIA Formula E Sanya E-Prix began on June 20, featuring 20 top-tier drivers racing on a street circuit. The event showcased local cultural heritage, while activities in the “electric-head” village, including e-sports experiences and family games, also drew many visitors.

Across the island, tourism combos like “sports + markets,” “sports + intangible cultural heritage,” and “sports + family activities” became key highlights of the holiday.

In Wanning’s Riyue Bay, the World Surfing Day celebration included longboard contests, recreational surfing, and frisbee games. In Dongfang, traditional dragon boat races were combined with an open stand-up paddleboard competition. Tunchang hosted an international youth martial arts invitational that drew nearly 700 young athletes.

Traditional Culture Finds New Expressions
During the holiday, destinations across Hainan explored new ways to present local traditions and cultural heritage.

In coastal areas, various takes on dragon boat racing could be witnessed. In Guangcun Town, Danzhou, the yearly Bochaohai Dragon Boat folk festival took place as planned. Instead of typical racing boats, the event features decorated fishing boats rooted in centuries-old maritime customs and local traditions. Many visitors came specifically to see this long-standing spectacle, which has been passed down through generations. In Xinying Town, Lingao County, over 1,500 fishers aboard 35 traditional and modern dragon boats raced on the water, competing as large crowds watched from the shore.

Traditional customs also took on new forms of expression. In Wuzhishan, the "Rainforest Adventure” holiday events featured activities such as bubble parades, land dragon boat races, sago zongzi-making, and DIY wormwood sachet workshops. A rainforest-themed cultural market showcasing handcrafted items by local artisans also drew a continuous flow of visitors.

In Lingshui, activities centered on the cultural traditions of the Tanka fishing community, featuring immersive experiences such as dragon worship ceremonies and zongzi-making. Traditional rope sachets have become cultural creative souvenirs, and local seafood zongzi have become a popular highlight at tourist markets.

The festive spirit penetrated deep into rural communities. In Nashou Village, Sanya, cultural performances showcased Yazhou folk songs, a recognized national intangible cultural heritage, bringing local traditions to the forefront. At Wenlan Cultural Park in Lingao, audiences gathered for song and dance performances, local opera, and fishermen’s songs.

In Qiongzhong, the “Benggenei” Mountain Music Festival, named after a Li-language phrase meaning “come here,” blended pop and ballad performances with the mountain scenery, fostering a vibrant environment for younger attendees.

Despite the brevity of the holiday period, Hainan showcased its charisma through a vibrant blend of tradition and modernity that creatively combined sports, tourism, and cultural activities.