Sanya Bolaters on International Cultural Tourism Exchange, Deepening Engagement in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Berlin, Germany, 3 March 2026 – Riding the wave of enhanced bilateral exchanges following the German Prime Minister 's February visit to China, and leveraging the institutional advantages of Sanya Free Port alongside the operational benefits of China's inaugural ‘Seventh Air Freedom’ passenger route, The Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sport of Hainan Province, in collaboration with the Sanya Tourism Board, successfully hosted the Hainan (Berlin) Tourism and Culture Promotion Exchange during its official debut at the 60th ITB Berlin. This event official launch of the 2026 Sanya overseas tourism marketing campaign Europe series, using cultural and tourism exchanges as a bridge to deepen public-level communication and industrial cooperation between China and Europe as well as Central Asia, showcasing the vibrant practice of high-level opening-up in the free trade port.
As a core symbol of Hainan Free Trade Port's institutional opening, the full implementation of the ‘Seventh Air Freedom’ of the air injects crucial momentum into Sanya's connectivity with global markets. In December 2025, the "Sanya ⇌ Prague" route officially commenced operations, becoming China's first passenger route exercising the ‘Seventh Air Freedom’ rights. Kazakhstan's SCAT Airlines now operates intercontinental flights between China and the Czech Republic, enabling European travellers to enjoy spontaneous tropical coastal getaways.
During the ITB Berlin exhibition and the Hainan (Berlin) Tourism and Culture Promotion Exchange, Sanya secured several landmark international collaborations, establishing end-to-end services for European travellers to China. Sanya in collaboration with local enterprises including Sanya Phoenix International Airport and Sanya Selfie Travel Agency, signed strategic cooperation Memoranda of Understanding with international tourism platform Lonely Planet, Kazakhstan's SCAT Airlines, Central and Eastern Europe's leading online travel platform Easy booking, Latvia's Riga Airport, Uzbekistan’s Air Samarkand. These Memoranda of Understanding deepen collaboration in expanding route networks, developing tourism products, and sharing channel resources, substantially enhancing the global tourism service network. This represents a further expansion and deepening of the ‘Seventh Air Freedom’ route network. Moving forward, Sanya will leverage these high-quality international partnerships to continuously increase flight frequencies between Central Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, extending the benefits of the free trade port's openness to broader regions.
Following the Berlin events, Sanya hosted a dedicated promotional session in Prague, Czech Republic, on 5 March. It unveiled bespoke tourism packages and channel incentive policies, creating synergistic effects with the "Sanya ⇌ Prague" seventh freedom route through a "route + product" approach. A representative from Sanya Tourism Board stated, "Leveraging free port policies and the implementation of the seventh freedom of the air, Sanya is establishing a three-pronged market expansion strategy integrating content, routes and products. This aims to ensure global visitors can 'arrive easily, stay comfortably, enjoy thoroughly and wish to return', accelerating the development of Sanya as an internationally influential holiday destination."
This event simultaneously launches Sanya's "Invite-in" inspection programme for the Central and Eastern European market. Scheduled for late May, the initiative will recruit premium travel agencies, media representatives and tourism influencers from the region for an immersive visit to Sanya. Participants will experience the full spectrum of local tourism offerings, including hotels, scenic attractions, medical wellness facilities and duty-free shopping. Concurrently, the European launch of the ‘PHOTO SANYA 2026’ Global Photography Talent Programme commenced, offering exclusive travel photography slots for European-based influencers. Selected participants will receive a five-day official hospitality trip to Sanya City.
For full recruitment rules, application details and submission methods, please follow the official overseas social media accounts of the Sanya Tourism Board.
About Sanya
Sanya is China's only tropical coastal tourist city. The Sanya Tourism Board is dedicated to promoting Sanya as a globally influential tourist destination and propelling it towards becoming a world-class tourism city. Sanya will host the 6th Asian Beach Games in 2026, providing a significant platform to enhance the city's international standing.
