According to a report on China's cruise industry development in 2014, Sanya took sixth place in the competitiveness ranking of port cities in mainland China in regards to the cruise industry in 2014.
 
The ranking of China’s eight main port cities is as follows: Shanghai, Tianjin, Xiamen, Dalian, Shenzhen, Sanya, Qingdao and Ningbo.
 
The criteria for this ranking included economic circumstances, policy support and supporting services, tourism resources, infrastructure, and social and cultural environment.
 
The report also suggested new divisions for the main port cities, namely a first-grade advantage area for Shanghai (core cruise homeport); a second-grade advantage area for Xiamen, Tianjin and Dalian (normal cruise homeport); and a third-grade advantage area for Qingdao, Shenzhen, Sanya and Ningbo (port of call).