Sanya, a tropical resort in China's southernmost island province of Hainan, will see its tourist numbers peak in the coming weekend as Spring Festival holidaymakers flock to enjoy sunshine and beaches.

More than 36,000 visitors traveled to Sanya on Wednesday, the first day of the week-long Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) break, and the number has picked up over the past two days, according to Hainan's provincial tourism administration on Friday.

Sanya's top tourist attraction "End of the Earth" attracted about 16,000 visitors each day over the past three days, and the figure is expected to rise to 26,000 on Monday.

Often dubbed as "China's Hawaii", Sanya attracts holidaymakers from as far as northeast China and Russia during the winter season with its sandy beaches and pleasant weather.

A recent survey by China's leading online travel service provider Ctrip.com ranked Sanya the top destination of Chinese travellers during the Lunar New Year holiday this year, with votes from 30 percent of respondents in the survey for clean air, warm sunshine, soft beaches and delicious seafood.

The Chinese government has revealed plans to build the tropical island of Hainan into a top international tourism destination by 2020.