Sanya: Thousands of tourists in Covid lockdown on China's Hawaii resort

A snap Covid lockdown has caught tens of thousands of tourists in Sanya and Hainan, dubbed China's Hawaii.

More than 80,000 tourists have been stranded on the popular resort of Sanya by a snap Covid lockdown.

Dubbed "China's Hawaii" the beachy resorts near Yalong Bay, on Hainan island, attract tens of thousands of tourists every summer. Now an outbreak of Covid-19 on the island has visitors wondering when they'll be able to leave.

All flights and train links were cancelled from Sanya, following the detection of hundreds of positive cases on Saturday.

Covid-19 cases in China's Hainan province rose rapidly last week to a cumulative 828, reported the Financial Times, but many were caught out by the abrupt lockdown announced Saturday morning.

Tourists wishing to leave must show five negative tests over seven days, unexpectedly extending holidays but up to a week.

Understandably not everyone was thrilled to be trapped in paradise.

A video of Sanya airport was circulated showing travellers chanting "We want to go home!" to police and airport officials, blocking departures.

Travel chaos was reported at Sanya airport as tourists found themselves without flights home for a week. Photo / Wiebo

The province has told hotels they must halve their rates for tourists, who must pay for their own extended stay. However, trapped visitors are furious, claiming some hotels bumped up rates just before the announcement.

"The hotel said it has to charge us according to the walk-in rate and not give us half price based on booking rates," wrote one disgruntled tourist via Weibo. "This is robbery!"

Hainan's beachy appeal had served it well during the pandemic. Its beaches, five-star hotels and duty free shopping have seen a boom in popularity during ongoing restrictions from Beijing on international travel.

While the lockdown is enforced restaurants and entertainment venues will be closed. The lockdown comes during the peak summer tourist season.

Unclear of how long the lockdown will last, tourists are desperate to get out and operators to get back to normal.

With Shanghai's 25 million residents emerging from a two-month lockdown in June, many fear Hainan could be shut off for some time.