As temperatures soar across much of China in June, the tropical island province of Hainan typically enters its traditional tourism low season. This year, however, a novel nighttime experience — yacht night fishing — is drawing growing numbers of visitors, transforming marine leisure into a vibrant night economy and revitalizing the local tourism in off season.
In Sanya, operators have rolled out tailored packages to cater to different skill levels: individual anglers can join a five-hour night fishing excursion for 400 yuan, while groups can charter an entire yacht for 2,800 yuan per night.
The impact has been dramatic. In previous years, Wuzhizhou Island's fishing yachts sailed at less than 30 percent capacity on summer evenings. Since the introduction of regular night fishing operations, nighttime departure rate has stabilized above 95 percent.
"We came from Guangxi, and this place is absolutely beautiful — especially at night. We tried night fishing today, and the best part is we can have our catch cooked right afterward. It makes the whole trip to Hainan so enjoyable," said a tourist named Wu Zhen.
The night fishing is also keeping visitors on the island longer. Before the program was launched, the average tourist stayed on Wuzhizhou Island for just 1.2 days. Today, fishing enthusiasts linger for an average of 3.7 days. "In the past, we typically saw around a 40 percent occupancy rate during the low season. This year, thanks to these extraordinary night fishing experiences at sea, anglers from all over the country are coming specifically for this. Our hotel occupancy has remained above 60 percent, and we already have reservations through next month," said Li Huili, Operations Director of Coral Hotel at the Wuzhizhou Island Tourism Zone.
According to statistics from the Wuzhizhou Island scenic area, night fishing-related product sales in the second quarter of 2026 surged 17 percent year on year, while per-capita nighttime secondary spending jumped by 210 yuan.
"The popularity of night fishing is essentially about converting marine resources into tourism products. We've packaged it into a comprehensive experience combining social interaction, cuisine, and scenery, which aligns perfectly with the consumption preferences of today's young travelers. Our overall visitor numbers are up 20 to 30 percent compared with last year, and participation in night fishing has also risen by about 20 percent," said Liao Jian, Operations Director of the Wuzhizhou Island Tourism Zone.
Night fishing revitalizes Hainan tourism in off season
