Flights between Shanghai and Hainan have gradually resumed, while airfares have risen as tourism rebounds due to the stabilization of COVID-19 outbreaks and the relaxation of pandemic prevention and control policies in Hainan, according to Ctrip, a major online ticketing service company.

To increase passenger capacity, airlines switched late last month to using Boeing 787 Dreamliners for flights between Shanghai and Sanya.

Deng Yongbo, secretary-general of the Sanya Tourism Association, said hotel occupancy rates in the city have risen far above 60 percent on average. Guest numbers at premier luxury hotels in Yalong Bay and Haitang Bay have rebounded strongly from the pandemic, with many hotels now reporting around 90 percent occupancy.

"Most of our tourists, many with families, come from Shanghai or Beijing. With parents enjoying promotions at duty-free shops, their children are offered a range of activities by hotels nearby, including summer camps providing programs such as surfing, diving and other outdoor sports," said Lai Meichen, a manager with The Westin Resort at Sanya Haitang Bay.

Tourist volumes at major scenic spots in Sanya have returned to about 70 percent of the level before the COVID-19 outbreak, according to Sanya Tourism Group officials.

Meanwhile, more professional and amateur surfers from around the country are flocking to bays in Wanning on the east coast of Hainan, which is famed for its stunning natural beauty.

Zhou Xinlei, who coaches surfing in Wanning, said his company has trained more than 200 instructors in the past year.

"Surfing became popular in China after the International Olympic Committee voted in 2016 to add it as a new sport for the 2020 Olympics. More people from cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, have shown a keen interest in learning to surf," Zhou said.

Experts said the steady revival of Hainan's tourism industry is set to continue in the second half of this year following the development of leisure and entertainment programs and the introduction of measures to support the growth of Hainan Free Trade Port as an international tourism consumption destination.

The number of tourists visiting the province this year is expected to reach 89 million, a rise of 10 percent year-on-year, while tourism revenue is likely to rise by 15 percent, or 160 billion yuan ($23.8 billion), according to a report by a local think tank.