Being given a fresh coconut as a gift mere moments after leaving Sanya Phoenix International Airport to begin her May Day Holiday in Hainan was quite a surprise to Ms. Qin from the southwestern Chinese megalopolis, Chongqing.

While sipping on hers, “These coconuts taste so good, they're as sweet as the people here!” remarked a Miss Liu whose plans for her trip to Sanya included enjoying the sea-view city and trying some local sweets like Qingbuliang.

Tourists receive free coconuts. (Wang Chenglong / Hainan Daily)

Along with Qin and Liu, all the visitors coming to Sanya through the full May Day Holiday were able to receive free coconuts as part of a scheme to further attract tourists to the tropical resort city.

At the airport, volunteers were waiting arrivals from dawn to dusk guaranteeing the heartwarming "coconut delivery service”. Freshly harvested coconuts, carrying the unique enthusiasm of the island province were delivered to everyone coming through the airport.

In addition to fixed-point delivery sites, two vehicles fully loaded with coconuts were going back and forth from 10:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 21:00 on routes that included tourist heavy areas like Daxiaodongtian, Nanshan Temple, Huochetou Seafood Square, and Dong'an Night Market, as well as major commercial complexes such as Dayuecheng and Qingchunsong.

Tourists receive free coconuts. (Wang Chenglong / Hainan Daily)

Coconut bowling, coconut ring games, coconut-hunting competitions, and coconut-drinking competitions were also a big deal this holiday. At the Dadonghai beach area, Chinese and foreign tourists participated in a Coconut Fun Carnival and received free coconuts by playing various interactive games.

"This is my first time playing coconut games. I didn't expect it to be so interesting," said Alyona, a tourist from Russia after trying the coconut-hunting game with a friend.Sticking with the coconut theme, Sanya Ctrip organized a 100 vehicle strong "sweet coconut" fleet, providing free transportation for local citizens and tourists.

A tourist receive free coconuts. (Wang Chenglong / Hainan Daily)

According to Wang Yadong (Sanya CTrip), "The front windows of the vehicles are marked with green and red coconuts to indicate their status. Green means idle and red means busy. They stop when someone waves their hand," and this free transportation service helps make it easier for citizens and tourists to get around Sanya while further improving the city's reputation for good and heartfelt service.

Deng Yongbo (Sanya Tourism Industry Association Federation) said, “The event attracted more than 100 tourism enterprises from various industries such as hotels, scenic spots, homestays, and restaurants to voluntarily participate. It is expected that 51,000 coconuts will be delivered in total, and we can do more  to convey the sincerity and warmth of Sanya while helping more tourists experience the joy of the holiday.”