Pingtan, China's second international tourism island after Hainan, located off the coast of Fujian province and the closest point on the mainland to Taiwan, has witnessed a thriving tourism industry in the first half of 2025.

In the first six months of 2025, Pingtan received 5.4054 million visitors, a year-on-year increase of 13.2%, with tourism spending reaching 5.532 billion yuan, up 17.3% from the same period last year. Notably, the proportion of overnight visitors exceeded 60% for the first time, and the number of visitors from outside Fujian province rose by 46.3% year-on-year, with growth rates from key markets such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Shanghai all surpassing 50%. Young tourists accounted for a striking 94.3% of the total, becoming the main force of the tourism market.

Pingtan's expanded offerings include low-altitude adventures–powered hang gliders and helicopters offering 300-metre aerial views–popular with families. The "Sunny Summer" coastal zone became a youth magnet, while yacht tours and regular performances of the "Pingtan Impression" stage play added cultural depth.

Visitors enjoying their time at the 68 Nautical Miles scenic area in Pingtan (File photo)

A series of cultural and tourism activities have also contributed to the boom. Centered around the themes of "romance, passion, and slow life", these activities include a youth band competition and dance dramas. Quarterly themed events like "First Sight of Pingtan Island in Spring", "Hearing the Blue Planet", and "Encountering the Island Wilderness" were held, in conjunction with IPs like Egg Party and GG Bond, featuring open-air performances and intangible cultural heritage shows at scenic spots such as Longwangtou and 68 Nautical Miles. These activities attracted approximately 1.5 million visitors and generated over 10 million online exposures.

Sports events have further driven tourism growth. In the first half of the year, 17 high-profile events were held. The 2025 AVC Beach Tour Pingtan Open, for instance, saw the participation of 40 teams from 12 countries and regions, bringing in about 8 million yuan in direct consumption and 13 million yuan in indirect economic benefits. It attracted 67,000 on-site spectators and over 30 million online viewers, with a total exposure of 100 million times. Other 16 events, including the National Windsurfing Championships, contributed 52.2 million yuan in direct consumption and 107 million yuan in indirect consumption, totaling 60.2 million yuan in direct consumption and 120 million yuan in indirect consumption from all events.

Wu Yunping, deputy director of Pingtan's Culture and Tourism Bureau, stated that in the second half of the year, they will take advantage of the current momentum to launch water activities such as themed sightseeing yachts, sailing boats, and diving, operate the southeast coastal cruise routes on a regular basis, and make every effort to host high-quality events such as the Asian Baseball Championship, the "Ocean Cup" International Cycling Race, and the Blue Tears Music Festival. "We will continue to optimize service facilities, deepen cooperation in tourist source markets, strive to attract more overnight tourists, extend their stay, drive full-chain consumption, and make 'Pingtan Blue' a more influential business card of the international tourism island," he said.