Sanya International Incense Competition Opens in November; Editorial Board of World Agarwood Blue Book Established

Sanya Hosts the Event with a Day-and-Night Format

According to Sanya media, a press conference held in Haikou on October 15 officially announced that the "Tianya Hongxiu - 2026 Sanya International Incense Competition", together with the agarwood, huanghuali and jiangzhenxiang exhibition, will open at the Sanya International Yacht Exhibition Center from November 13 to 16. Hosted by the Hainan Agarwood Industry Federation and the Hainan Yazhou Culture Research Association, the event centres on three signature Hainan aromatic woods and combines an international incense competition, a curated raw-material exhibition, high-level industry forums, cultural performances and trade matchmaking. Organisers adopted a "day-and-night" format: daytime sessions serve professional domestic and overseas buyers while evening sessions open to high-end resort visitors, extending effective exhibition hours and improving commercial conversion. After the event, award-winning pieces will enter a long-running "never-ending incense exhibition" in Sanya.

World Agarwood Blue Book Begins Global Collection

Another announcement drew industry attention: Chen Zhenduo, head of the overseas preparatory body, declared the formal establishment of the editorial board of the World Agarwood Industry Development Blue Book, with secretariats in the Middle East, India, Indonesia, Japan and China's Hainan, and a full launch of material collection. The agarwood market has long been highly fragmented, cross-cultural and information-asymmetric; a cross-regional reference framework with continuity and traceability can provide a shared vocabulary and a value anchor for producers, traders and consumers. Cross-sector cooperation agreements were also signed on site, with organisations including the Hainan Health Management Association, the Hainan Tourism Hotel Industry Association, the Yazhou Culture Research Association, the Sanya Travel Agency Association and the Sanya International Chamber of Commerce, linking agarwood with wellness, tourism, accommodation and international trade.

Observation: From Niche Collecting to Mass Consumption

Hainan has included agarwood and huanghuali in its "Six Trees" specialty agro-forestry system, and free-trade-port visa-free policies plus zero-tariff imports of aromatic materials give the industry a window onto international markets. Organisers say they will keep working on immersive incense-culture scenes, rest-and-sleep wellness products, cultural IP communication and tourism formats, moving agarwood from a high-end collectible to a cultural consumer good people can experience and feel. One caveat: all Aquilaria species are listed in CITES Appendix II, so cross-border exhibition, sales and sourcing require the corresponding permits and traceability documents, and exhibitors should take product authenticity and third-party test reports seriously.

This article is industry observation and general science writing; it does not constitute any trading or investment advice. Please purchase agarwood through legal channels and look for traceable, testable sources.