(HOU JIANSEN)

Tourists spend New Year's Day on a beach in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province.

The National Tourism Administration of China launched the Year of Marine Tourism in Sanya on January 1, 2013.

Zhu Shanzhong, deputy head of the administration, said that he hoped the program will help boost the development of marine tourism resources, as well as bring Chinese citizens closer to the ocean throughout the year.