Tourists at Sanya Beach were stopped and charged by merchants. Their phones were smashed? The official rebuts the rumors.

The Lingshui Tourism, Culture, Radio, Film and Sports Bureau in Hainan reported on the evening of June 6th: On June 5th, a netizen posted a message claiming that "tourists were suspected of taking photos on the beach in Sanya and were blocked and charged by businesses. Their phones were smashed, but luckily, passersby and police came to their aid in time." In response to this information, our bureau attached great importance to it and conducted verification promptly. After verification, it was confirmed that the incident actually occurred on February 4, 2026 at Tufu Bay Beach in Lingshui. Relevant departments swiftly intervened and imposed appropriate penalties on the individuals involved in accordance with the law and regulations. There have been no similar incidents in our jurisdiction recently. The information circulated on the internet is purely a rehash of old news, deceptive, and unfounded.