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Destination image is vital for DMOs and destination managers to differentiate their destinations and stand out from the competition with other destinations. Given the dynamic and changeable nature of destination image, continuous research updates are necessary. This paper conducts a study on Sanya, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China. To ensure the sustainability and stability of Sanya's tourism recovery and development after the epidemic, an updated study of its image is necessary. Tourists are increasingly using travel blogs to share their travel experiences online with other potential tourists as a reflection of the true image perception of their own experiences. Therefore, using it as the data source to study the perceived image is less biased compared to surveys and interviews. This research aims to explore Sanya’s destination image perceived by domestic tourists by analyzing UGC. It can help destination managers and tourism marketers understand domestic tourists' perceptions and provide them with references and directions for developing more attractive and sustainable policies and marketing campaigns. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was conducted to capture richer information to analyze the images in an integrated perspective. The findings revealed that for the specific attributes of Sanya’s image, the cognitive image of travellers was strongly presented here, as those attributes are based on meeting the basic needs of tourists. And the cognitive aspect is the source of the affective aspect. Positive and negative feelings were mainly expressed here, while neutral feelings were not so obvious. In the context of the pandemic, the overall perception of Sanya was positive, especially in terms of natural environment, hotels, dining, and transportation of Sanya. However, negative images regarding pollution, limited activities during bad weather, safety issue, and queuing still need to be improved. From the positive image of tourist feedback, price reduction can be a highly effective measure to attract tourists and stimulate tourism recovery. Given that most tourists are repeat visitors, they generally expressed a willingness to return to Sanya next time, and generally showed a willingness to recommend Sanya to others, reflecting the conative aspect. This research provides implications for destination managers and marketers to recognize positive images and to repair and improve negative images in a timely manner, thus contributing to the development of Sanya's tourism industry and increasing its competitiveness after the pandemic.