BEIJING, Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from China Daily.

A recent tourism exchange in Hainan highlighted a range of travel experiences that could appeal to Hong Kong visitors, from space-themed study tours and duty-free shopping to rainforest and rural tourism.

Held from Sept 20 to 26, the weeklong program brought together tourism industry representatives from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan for site visits and talks with local counterparts on new travel products, joint marketing and ways to attract more visitors.

Hainan recorded nearly 1.3 million inbound tourist arrivals in the first eight months of this year, up 44.4 percent year-on-year. Hong Kong accounted for about 124,000 of the arrivals.

Ginger Keung, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Association of China Travel Organisers, said Hainan should place greater emphasis on experiences that distinguish it from other destinations.

Keung recalled that Hong Kong tour groups once traveled overland through Guangdong and then crossed the Qiongzhou Strait by ferry. Direct fast ferries from Hong Kong to Haikou later offered another route to the island.

Resorts and hot-spring destinations are common in many parts of China, he said, making it all the more important for Hainan to highlight what sets it apart. Keung said the focus should be on the experiences Hainan offers that are hard to find elsewhere. He cited Wuzhishan, the Wanquan River and sites linked to Hainan's space program as examples of attractions that could help the island stand out.

One area he highlighted was study tours for Hong Kong students. Keung said one approach would be to invite Hong Kong secondary school principals to Hainan to visit space-related sites and assess their suitability for study tours. The principals could then consider organizing tours for their students, potentially including opportunities to watch rocket launches and take part in related educational activities.

A Hainan tourism official said the province could combine its strengths in aerospace, deep-sea research and seed breeding with its ecological and historical resources to design study tour itineraries for different student groups. The official also said Hong Kong teachers and school principals would be welcome to visit Hainan and assess potential sites for future study tours.

Duty-free shopping was another area of focus. Marco Kwan, an executive council member of the Hong Kong Association of China Travel Organisers, suggested giving Hong Kong shoppers more specific information about prices in Hainan, including seasonal discounts and promotions.

Given Hong Kong's own strong appeal as a shopping destination, Kwan said shoppers need practical information on which products in Hainan offer a price advantage and when those advantages apply. Such targeted information, he said, could encourage short trips to Hainan around particular promotions.

The official said Kwan's suggestion pointed to a more targeted way of promoting Hainan's duty-free sector in Hong Kong. Rather than promoting duty-free shopping in general terms, authorities could analyze seasonal brand discounts, consumer vouchers and retailers' promotions, identify products with a clear price advantage and promote those offers directly to Hong Kong shoppers.

Hong Kong and Macao tourism representatives also traveled through central Hainan, visiting rainforest and rural attractions away from the island's better-known coastal resorts.

Kwan highlighted the Yahu Terraced Fields in Wuzhishan as a site that could appeal to photography enthusiasts at different times of the year. He also called for sustained destination marketing rather than one-off promotional events, with greater emphasis on word of mouth and direct engagement with potential travelers.