HAIKOU, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's tropical island province of Hainan received 106 million domestic or overseas tourists in 2025, up 9.1 percent from 2024, local authorities said on Wednesday.

Total tourist spending rose 10.5 percent year on year to 225.4 billion yuan (about 32.4 billion U.S. dollars), according to the Hainan provincial department of tourism, culture, radio, television and sports.

Inbound tourism expanded sharply last year, with Hainan recording approximately 1.5 million inbound visits -- a rise of 35.2 percent -- and inbound overnight stays totaling 5.94 million nights, which was up 59 percent from the previous year, the department said.

It was the first time the province exceeded 100 million tourist visits in a single year and recorded more than 200 billion yuan in annual tourist spending.

For 2026, Hainan has set the goal of receiving 115 million domestic or international tourist visits, representing growth of about 8 percent. Spending on tourism is expected to reach roughly 248 billion yuan this year, and inbound visits are projected to total 2 million, which would be a rise of 33.3 percent year on year.

Chen Tiejun, director of the department, said that Hainan will accelerate its efforts to become an international tourism and consumption hub this year, focusing on the development of flagship tourism brands, the expansion of high-quality international tourism offerings and the improvement of overall consumption environment.

China aims to build Hainan into a globally influential tourism and consumption destination by 2035. ■