SANYA, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The coastal city of Sanya in south China's island province of Hainan plans to open 15 more international flights in 2019, the city government said Thursday.

The city has become a popular tourist destination in recent years, with the number of foreign tourists exceeding 646,300 in the first 10 months this year, up 14.75 percent year on year.

The city pledged to increase the number to 900,000 in 2019 by further exploring the overseas tourism market.

Currently, the city has 34 direct air routes connecting foreign cities. It will increase the frequency of flights to Russia and the Republic of Korea (ROK), and launch new flights to more countries including Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Thailand, to attract more overseas tourists.