Wedding tourism

A newlywed couple takes wedding dress photos in Hainan. [Photo by Wu Wei and Tong Guoqiang/Hainan Daily]

In recent years, wedding tourism has become increasingly popular, which has greatly stimulated the vitality of Hainan Island's tourism market.

Before 2013, Boundary Island only received dozens of newlyweds every year. However, the scenic spot welcomed more than 10,000 pairs of newly-married couples in 2018 and has treated over 15,000 people who came for a wedding photo-shooting tour in the first four months of 2019.

Boundary Island isn't the only place benefiting from this trend. The entirety of Hainan province is also striving to develop its wedding tourism branding. Hainan's gross output value of the industry reached 11 billion yuan ($1.62 billion) last year.

Early in 2011, Hainan announced its intentions of becoming a honeymoon island. With events such as a wedding fair, a launch for new wedding tourism products, and wedding industry conferences held in Sanya, Hainan's wedding tourism services has become more well-known among young people, attracting an increasing number of newlyweds.

The industry now mainly includes wedding photo-shooting, wedding ceremony hosting, and honeymoon vacations, covering speed dating, proposals, wedding dress customization, wedding ceremony design, honeymoon planning, parent-child activities, and wedding commemoration. 

Industry insiders believe that Hainan could further enhance its brand image as a wedding tourism destination and stretch the industrial chain to compete with internationally renowned wedding destinations such as Bali in Indonesia and the Maldives. Related products will be optimized and one-stop services will be strengthened to boost consumption in catering, accommodation, and entertainment programs.

A group wedding is held at Boundary Island in Hainan province during the May Day holiday this year. [Photo by Tong Guoqiang/news.cn]

Bridegrooms present the wedding ring to their brides at a group wedding held at Boundary Island in Hainan province during the May Day holiday this year. [Photo by Tong Guoqiang/news.cn]