Wuzhizhou Island, a major surfing and underwater diving spot, welcomed more than 10,000 tourists a day during the 2018 Spring Festival holiday, drawing crowds with its diverse entertainment, activities and services.
China's Spring Festival - which fell on Feb 15 to 21 this year - is traditionally all about family reunion and relaxation. These days, Chinese people have a wide variety of choices if they wish to travel to and explore new places during the weeklong break.
Located off the coast of Sanya in South China's Hainan province, Wuzhizhou Island is known for its clean water from the South China Sea and warm temperatures that draw northern tourists in particular to escape the winter chill.
A man surnamed Kou, from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said the first time he had seen the sea was during a trip to the island.
"I thought Tianchi Lake had the purest water in the world. I didn't expect to see such clean and beautiful seawater here," he said.
To celebrate Spring Festival, the Wuzhizhou Island authorities organized a range of activities, including a music flash mob and a party on Valentine's Day, and an ocean-sports-themed temple fair. Canadian entertainment group Cirque du Soleil performed on Lunar New Year's Eve.
Local officials have put significant effort into streamlining services on the island to improve tourists' holidays. Parking lots and scenic area entrances have been rearranged. More mobile toilets and large high-speed passenger ships have been introduced to help reduce waiting times, and to ensure order and safety during peak seasons.
The island also provides free drinking water, bread and pork sausages for tourists waiting in line or boarding ships.
"It's quite impressive that the island is so considerate of our needs," said a woman surnamed Wang, who traveled to Wuzhizhou Island with her child from East China's Shandong province this Spring Festival.
Some 3.36 million visitors traveled to Hainan province during the first four days of Spring Festival. More than 1.9 million people visited A-level attractions in the province during that period, data from the Hainan Tourism Development Commission show.
chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn
Overview
Haikou 
Sanya