South China's tropical island province of Hainan -- a top tourist resort in the country -- saw a staggering 283-percent year-on-year surge in visa-free foreign tourist visits to the province in 2024, as a result of the expansion of China's visa-free policy to facilitate international travel in the year, according to official data released by the local customs inspection authorities.
The data show that Hainan handled 2.14 million inbound and outbound trips crossing the border in 2024, with foreign travelers accounting for over 1.01 million, or 47.5 percent of the total.
The island's increasing popularity is largely attributed to its spectacular natural landscape and visa-free entry policy.
One of Hainan's most popular attractions attractive to international tourists is the Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Area, which is famous for its rainforest and canyon. It is located only 36 kilometers away from Sanya City, which houses one of the three major airports on the island.
In separate interviews with China Central Television, tourists from Russia and Kazakhstan said they were impressed by the natural wonder.
"I like all these flowers the most. They smell so good," said a Russian kid.
"This is our first time in Hainan. We have been here for a few days. We really like the stunning nature here. The air here is fresh and the people are kind and welcoming," said the kid's father.
"The air here is very fresh. My granddaughter had a cough back in our country, but she has got better here. The air is very good, the city is very good, and people are very nice," said a Kazak tourist.
To ensure smooth customs clearance for visa-free passengers from worldwide, local border inspection authorities have upgraded the customs declaration system, and set up designated areas at ports to serve travelers eligible for transit visa-free policies.
International tourists said the services are efficient.
"We ordered a tour product at a travel agency, then we flew here and got our passport stamped. We are glad there isn't such a long queue and the whole process is fast," said a Kazak tourist.
Hainan's three main airports -- the Haikou Meilan International Airport, the Sanya Phoenix International Airport and the Qionghai Boao International Airport -- currently operate 70 international routes, connecting nearly 40 cities across Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand, Europe and other regions.
South China's Hainan sees sharp surge in visa-free foreign tourist visits in 2024
Scientists in Peru and Chile are racing to reverse the sharp decline of Humboldt Penguins, a warm-climate species uniquely adapted to the Pacific coast, as climate change and avian influenza threaten its survival.
Peru and Chile are home to the Humboldt penguin, named after the cold water current which flows from Antarctica up the Pacific coast of both countries. It is one of the very few penguin species in the world that lives in a warm climate. Scientists call them a sentinel species -- thermometers of the overall health of the ecosystem.
The penguins nest in Punta San Juan, a small national reserve in southern Peru. They are one species among many marine predators that rest and reproduce here in huge numbers. Biologist Susana Cardenas leads a team that is monitoring and researching these animals and birds. What the researchers have seen in recent years is a dramatic population decline in all species, but particularly penguins, and they are trying to find out why.
"In the last few years, we've seen a decline in the Humboldt penguin population. So, we can go back to 2022 in Punta San Juan, there were about 2,500 Penguins -- that was the size of our colony. And then, well, we had avian influenza that has hit wildlife really hard in Peru and in different places of the world," said Cardenas.
But the impacts didn't stop there for the penguins, which are classed as having vulnerable conservation status, Cardenas explained.
"After that, unfortunately, an El Nino in March of 2023 started and the marine conditions changed and the food availability was not the same. And the penguins, they were getting ready for their breeding season and that's when the marine conditions changed and they did not come back to breed," she said.
In Punta San Juan, penguin numbers dropped from 2,500 to 400 just as Peru's population plummeted from 15,600 to 5,000 all across the birds' range in Peru and Chile, according to Cardenas. That's why continuous data collection is key to maintain the decades of research.
Interns like Sandra Alcantara keep a daily count of the number of nesting penguins and chicks.
"I come here at 6 a.m. to conduct a penguin census. I count all the penguins in a specific age group: adults, juveniles, fledglings, and chicks. Right now, we're in the breeding season, so most of them are adults. So far, I've only seen two juveniles. As the weeks go by, I'll be able to see chicks and then, later on, fledglings," said Alcantara.
The penguins naturally make burrows in the guano, sea bird droppings which build up over decades. Field coordinator Kevin Farfan checks to see if there are any birds in the burrows.
"We are now observing in real time a gradual increase in the number of adult individuals resulting from successful reproduction -- a rise that is slow but steady -- and that gives us great cause for celebration," he said.
These animal populations, while apparently abundant in Punta San Juan, are also highly sensitive to change. Without the tireless dedication of these scientists and volunteers, Peru and the world could lose one of its iconic birds.
Researchers work to reverse population decline of Humboldt penguins
