Sanya’s Nanshan Longevity Festival launches a healthcare and wellness expo and new cooperation initiatives linking medical services, traditional culture and tourism
China’s southern island province of Hainan is strengthening cooperation between its tourism and healthcare sectors through new initiatives announced during the 28th Sanya Nanshan Longevity and Blessing Culture Festival. The event, which opened on 18 October 2026, included the launch of the Hainan Healthcare and Wellness Expo and agreements intended to connect medical services, wellness activities and traditional cultural experiences.
The festival took place at the Nanshan International Intangible Cultural Heritage Center in Sanya, one of Hainan’s established tourism destinations. Organised by the Sanya Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone, the event focused on the changing meaning of longevity, placing greater emphasis on quality of life, personal wellbeing and healthy ageing rather than lifespan alone. The programme combined cultural activities with discussions about opportunities for tourism development.
For Hainan’s health tourism industry, the most significant announcements concerned institutional cooperation and the development of new wellness-related offerings. Nanshan Cultural Tourism Company and the Hainan Association for Healthcare and Wellness agreed to pursue a long-term partnership aimed at integrating tourism with medical and wellness services. Although specific projects, investment amounts and implementation schedules have not been disclosed, the agreement indicates growing interest in combining healthcare expertise with the province’s established visitor economy.
Healthcare cooperation and traditional medicine
The launch of the Hainan Healthcare and Wellness Expo adds another element to the province’s efforts to connect businesses and organisations operating across healthcare, tourism and wellness. The announcement did not provide details about the exhibition’s future schedule, participating companies or expected commercial activity.
A separate agreement was signed to establish a centre dedicated to traditional Li medicine and intangible cultural heritage in Baisha Li Autonomous County, Hainan.
The planned centre will connect the medical traditions of the Li ethnic community with cultural preservation activities. Such initiatives can contribute to cultural tourism by introducing visitors to regional knowledge, historical practices and local approaches to wellbeing.
However, traditional medical practices should be distinguished from clinically validated treatments. The announcement does not identify specific therapies to be offered at the centre or provide evidence concerning their medical effectiveness.
The proposed development also illustrates how Hainan is exploring health-oriented tourism beyond conventional hospitals and medical facilities, incorporating cultural identity and traditional knowledge into its wider visitor offering.
Longevity culture and healthy ageing
The Sanya festival has been held on 28 occasions and draws on longstanding Chinese traditions associating longevity with prosperity, good fortune and family wellbeing.
This year’s theme, “Dwell in Nanshan, Blessed with Peace”, reflected a broader interpretation of longevity that includes physical wellbeing and quality of life in later years.
During a cultural forum held alongside the opening ceremony, participants discussed how traditional Chinese ideas about ageing and longevity could be presented to contemporary audiences through cultural tourism.
The event also highlighted the importance of older visitors. On 18 October, people aged 60 and above from across China were offered free admission to the Nanshan Scenic Area. According to the organisers, approximately 6,300 older visitors used the offer.
While the initiative was primarily cultural and social, it illustrates the importance of older travellers as a visitor group for destinations developing programmes centred on wellbeing, accessible leisure and healthy ageing.
Hainan already has a broader healthcare tourism strategy that includes specialised medical services and international healthcare development, particularly around the Boao Lecheng medical tourism zone. The initiatives announced in Sanya represent a different but potentially complementary direction, focusing on cultural experiences, wellness and preventive health concepts.
The new partnerships do not yet establish additional clinical capacity or demonstrate an increase in international health tourism arrivals. Their significance lies in the intention to develop closer links between tourism organisations, healthcare providers and institutions involved in traditional cultural practices.
For Hainan, the challenge will be to translate these agreements into clearly defined visitor services while maintaining appropriate distinctions between medical treatment, wellness activities and cultural experiences.
Image Credit: © AI generated illustration
