Sanya Phoenix International Airport — Sanya (Tianya), China

Tropical beach resorts along Hainan Island's southern coast rely on SYX to bring in the millions of domestic Chinese tourists who treat Sanya as a subtropical escape from colder northern cities, a role sometimes compared to Hawaii's within the United States. The airport sits near Sanya Bay and has expanded its terminal capacity substantially as the city's resort economy grew through the 2000s and 2010s, adding luxury hotels along stretches like Yalong Bay. Duty-free shopping privileges established for Hainan have made the island, and by extension its airports, an increasingly important stop for consumer spending, particularly since travel patterns elsewhere pushed more domestic tourism toward the province. International routes remain a smaller share of traffic compared with the extensive domestic network linking Sanya to cities across China. Warm weather nearly year-round supports steady passenger volumes outside the peak winter season, when visitors from colder provinces arrive in especially large numbers.