China is quietly transforming the island of Hainan, located 20 kilometers offshore in the South China Sea, into a strategic transit hub for Muslim pilgrims from Southeast Asia, starting with Indonesian travelers seeking to make the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, known as Umrah.
But the real play goes far beyond religious tourism. Beijing is targeting a broader wave of tourists whom China hopes to attract to the mainland, with key segments being carried out by Hainan: Muslim pilgrims from Southeast Asia using Hainan Island as a stopover for pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and mainland China in the future.
Beijing has given this project full political cover since 2023. China’s latest national tourism directive explicitly backs every tool already in play: streamlined visas, subsidized flight routes, tax-refund shopping, and upgraded halal-friendly and multilingual services for Muslim travelers.
Provinces like Hainan are being told to use public funds, including dedicated tourism bonds and state-directed loans, to build new travel infrastructure and attract visitors.
And this isn’t limited to Hainan. The same national directive gives other Chinese regions, like Xi’an in central China or the Inner Mongolian city of Ordos, the green light to roll out their own Muslim-friendly services and connect to Hainan’s growing flight network.
China’s strategy is simple: remove entry friction, link pilgrimage with tourism, and capture a share of the projected $230 billion this segment is expected to spend.
A Huge Islamic Market
The timing aligns with a global surge in Muslim travel. Roughly 176 million Muslim tourists crossed borders in 2024, with projections indicating 245 million by 2030, according to research by Mastercard and CrescentRating, a Singapore-based organization that rates Muslim-friendly travel destinations.
The global halal travel market is projected to grow from $256.5 billion in 2023 to $410.9 billion by 2032.
Halal products are those permitted under Islamic law for Muslim use. Though rooted in religion, halal is increasingly embraced beyond the Muslim world. The halal industry promotes ethical sourcing, animal welfare, environmental care, and social responsibility.
Meanwhile, the broader Islamic economy, including food, finance, and tourism, is expected to surpass $7.7 trillion in 2025.
At the center of this push is a state-backed partnership between the Hainan provincial government and Beijing-based travel developer Shun Tian International Travel.
Their model is to offer competitive fares, halal-certified facilities, short-stay visa packages, and transit infrastructure that make Haikou, Hainan’s capital, an attractive new gateway for faith-based travel.
“This request came from the Hainan government,” said Emerson Lo Vun Zet, director of international business at Shun Tian.
Rerouting the Pilgrimage Path
The traditional stopover routes for Muslim pilgrims typically pass through Dubai, Amman, Istanbul, or Cairo before arriving in Jeddah, where travelers continue to Mecca and Medina.
Hainan, located off China’s southern coast, is now emerging as an alternative, with direct service from Jakarta to the provincial capital, Haikou, and onward flights to Jeddah.
Shun Tian plans to add feeder routes from predominantly Muslim-dominated cities in Indonesia, including Makassar, Surabaya, and Medan, consolidating traffic through Haikou.
Their goal is to establish daily service for up to 90,000 Southeast Asian pilgrims annually, roughly 10% of the global Umrah market. “This market is expanding, and we think our timing is right,” Lo said.
Pricing, Government Support, and Cultural Fit
At the core of the model is government-backed affordability. “Our biggest advantage is pricing, supported by incentives from the Hainan provincial government,” said Lo.
Those subsidies go directly to the airlines, not the travel agencies, and are structured to maintain flight sustainability rather than distorting the market.
“We’re not trying to beat everyone on price by 50%. We just want the route to be commercially viable,” Lo said.
The strategy extends beyond pricing. Hainan is actively upgrading its infrastructure to cater to Muslim travelers, offering halal meals, prayer areas, and culturally sensitive hotel services.
From Pilgrimage to Mainland China Tourism
For Shun Tian, Umrah traffic is only the beginning. The company is replicating a pre-pandemic model it used in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan: developing flight routes, generating passenger volume, and then investing in destination infrastructure.
Xi’an, in particular, is being prepared as a flagship destination, “Xi’an has a deep Islamic heritage,” Lo said. Xi’an is a Silk Road hub with longstanding Muslim communities. “We’re working to scale up halal offerings there.”
The Ordos, in Inner Mongolia, is better known for its modern ghost-city image, but it hosts a lesser-known minority ethnic Hui Muslim presence dating back to the Yuan (13th–14th century) and Ming (14th–17th century) dynasties, when imperial policies resettled Hui communities across Inner Mongolia.
Xi’an, one of China’s ancient capital cities, was the eastern hub of the Silk Road and among the first places Islam entered China.
Arab and Persian merchants began settling there in the 7th century during the Tang Dynasty, forming a Hui Muslim community that remains active to this day.
The Great Mosque of Xi’an, built in 742 CE, is one of China’s oldest and a symbol of Islamic–Chinese cultural fusion.
In Chongqing, Islam appeared by the 10th century and expanded significantly under Mongol rule in the 13th century, when Central Asian Muslims were stationed in the region.
The city’s first mosque was built in the late 16th century, marking the start of an enduring Hui Muslim presence.
Other cities being readied include Ordos and Chongqing. The strategy is to deliver guaranteed traffic and then partner with local governments to build halal-capable tourism infrastructure.
Beijing’s Real Goal
For Beijing, Hainan stopover for Muslims going to Saudi Arabia is only the start of a bigger plan: to bring more tourists into China, not just in stopovers but as tourists.
Cities like Ordos, Xi’an, and Chongqing are being prepared and presented not just for their history, but also for their potential to offer experience to a generation of Muslim tourists.
The idea is pretty simple. If these travelers to Saudi Arabia are already passing through, then why not work on the reasons for them to stay a few more days or come back another time?
It is a model with geopolitical and economic stakes, capturing a growing, high-spending Muslim traveler while improving China’s global image.
