Sanya Opens New Shymkent-Singapore Flight Route, Boosting International Arrivals
Sanya municipality launched a new twice-weekly flight route linking Shymkent, Kazakhstan and Singapore, aiming to attract over 1.5 million international tourists this year.
The municipal government of Sanya in Hainan Province, China, announced on 20 October 2026 that the inaugural flight of the new Shymkent-Sanya-Singapore route arrived at Sanya Phoenix International Airport carrying 156 passengers from Shymkent, Kazakhstan, before departing for Singapore the same night. Kazakhstan's SCAT Airlines operates the route with two flights per week, using Sanya as a stopover point.
Daria, a tourist from Shymkent visiting Sanya for the first time, said she was impressed by the blue skies and warm weather that offered relief from the winter cold, as well as the warm welcome she received at the arrivals terminal. She plans to spend a full week on holiday in Sanya.
Sanya Expands Flight Connections to Three Cities in Kazakhstan
Sanya currently has flight routes connecting with three cities in Kazakhstan: Almaty, Astana and Shymkent, while Hainan Province as a whole has a total of five flight routes linking with Kazakhstan. This reflects Sanya's role as an important stopover hub for tourists from Central Asia travelling onwards to Southeast Asia.
In the first nine months of 2026, Sanya recorded 1.043 million international tourist visits, an increase of 46.4% from the same period the previous year, while international tourist spending rose by 66.7%. Local tourism authorities forecast that Sanya will receive more than 1.5 million international tourist visits for the full year of 2026.
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Flight route | Shymkent (Kazakhstan) - Sanya (China) - Singapore |
| Airline | SCAT Airlines |
| Flight frequency | 2 flights per week |
| Inaugural flight date | 20 October 2026 |
| Passengers on inaugural flight | 156 passengers |
| Destination airport | Sanya Phoenix International Airport |
| International tourists in first 9 months of 2026 | 1.043 million visits (up 46.4%) |
| Full-year 2026 international tourist target | More than 1.5 million visits |
Comprehensive Facilities for International Tourists
The Sanya Joy City shopping centre has operated foreign currency exchange kiosks since April 2025, supporting the exchange of nine currencies including the US dollar, euro and pound sterling, with each transaction taking approximately 3 minutes. Subsequently, in May 2026, the shopping centre expanded payment services via Alipay and Alipay+ across the entire venue, alongside trilingual directional signage and multilingual staff, while several restaurants have also prepared Russian-language menus specifically to cater to this group of tourists.
Since July 2026, Sanya has also run the Passport Friendly programme, allowing international tourists, as well as travel document holders from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, to receive discounts and privileges at duty-free shops, hotels, tourist attractions and various commercial districts. The programme will run until July 2027.
This news is of interest to hotel professionals and travel operators looking for new international tourist markets from Central Asia, as well as tour operators and airlines monitoring the continuously expanding air links between Central Asia and Southeast Asia.