From November 2nd to 3rd, in order to further enhance Haikou's international reputation and influence, and to promote the comprehensive recovery and development of Haikou's inbound tourism market, the Haikou Municipal Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports hosted the "2024 Haikou International Tourism City Marketing Campaign (France)" and the Haikou-Vendée Promotion Event in Vendée, France.

The event, themed "Next Harbor, Vibrant Haikou", showcased the unique charm and rich tourism resources of the tropical coastal city of Haikou to the world.

The Haikou Municipal Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports highlighted the convenient direct flight from Haikou to London, as well as Haikou's unique appeal as the core city of Hainan Free Trade Port, the visa-free policy for 59 countries, and the 144-hour visa-free transit policy, providing international tourists with more convenient and flexible travel options.

Wang Ke, Director of the Haikou Municipal Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports, said, "Haikou, as a famous maritime gateway city in China, is rich in tourism resources and has a profound cultural heritage. In 2022, when we decided to name Xu Jingkun's yacht as 'Haikou,' we considered that no Chinese had ever participated in this event before. As a coastal leisure city, Haikou is very suitable for hosting corresponding sailing events. Over the past three years, the Haikou city, like the Haikou yacht, has braved the wind and waves, gradually achieving initial success in urban tourism innovation, marketing, and influence."

At the scene, Xi Zhiqiang, President of the Haikou Tourism Commodities and Equipment Association, showcased the Hainan specialty Zhegu tea, and the "First Taste of Chinese Tea" event sparked the interest of the French public in the scent and exploration between Hainan tea and fragrances; Huang Yaosen, President of the Haikou Intangible Cultural Heritage Association, showcased Chinese coconut carving skills and the twelve zodiac animal head coconut carving artworks, this "First Encounter with Chinese Beauty" event captivated the audience with China's traditional craftsmanship and eco-friendly craftsmanship; Wu Ze, President of the Haikou Street Art Association, led a trend of "Learning Chinese Phrases" at the Vendée sailing event village, a simple Chinese phrase "I love Haikou," allowing the audience to feel the charm and warmth of the Chinese language.

At the same time, the Haikou cityscape videos, cultural vlogs, and exciting moments of sailing events played at the event allowed the audience to deeply feel Haikou's charm in various aspects such as intangible cultural heritage, street culture, gourmet culture, large-scale music events, and sailing events.

Haikou's interactive promotion activities attracted French tourism and marine sports influencers to the scene. They not only experienced a series of interactive promotion activities but also widely disseminated and encouraged global tourism enthusiasts and sailing event enthusiasts to understand Haikou and explore its unique charm through their global social media platforms and tourism platforms.

It is worth mentioning that Xu Jingkun, the "Chinese Captain" sponsored by Haikou, participated in this Vendée Globe. Xu Jingkun is the only Chinese captain in the history of the event since its inception in 1989. During the promotion event, Xu Jingkun used his popularity and resources to promote Haikou, allowing more people to understand Haikou's sailing resources and maritime culture.

The municipal government of Les Sables-d'Olonne in Vendée warmly welcomed the arrival of Haikou, China, and highly praised the first Chinese captain driving the Haikou to participate in this Vendée Global Challenge. They expressed their hope for more exchanges and interactions with Haikou in sports events in the future to jointly promote the development of tourism and sports in both places.

With the continuous rise of Haikou's international reputation and increasing influence, more and more international tourists and sailing enthusiasts are attracted by Haikou's unique charm in the fields of sports tourism and maritime culture, and they come to visit and experience.

This Haikou-Vendée promotion event not only fully demonstrated the unique charm and rich tourism and cultural resources of Haikou City but also successfully introduced Haikou into the broad vision of global sailing sports.

In the future, Haikou will continue deepen cooperation with international sailing events, give full play to the full-chain brand effect of the name "Haikou," further shape and enhance its brand image as an internationally renowned tourist city, and inject a continuous stream of vitality and momentum into the prosperous development of Haikou's tourism industry.