Hainan aims to become global tourism destination
Hainan, the southernmost island province of China, has formally started its makeover to become an international tourist resort for people from all over the world. The island has gained great support from the central government for its development plan, bringing surprises to both domestic and overseas travelers.
Zeng Xianyun, President of Phoenix Island International Cruise Company, points to the arriving cruise ship and says very soon there would be more luxury ships stopping at Hainan Island.
About one thousand foreign tourists have stepped off the ship and passed quickly through the border checkpoint.
Previously only travelers from 21 countries were granted visa waivers to visit Hainan Island. Now the central government has added five more countries to the list, including Finland and Denmark. It has also extended the visa-free duration period for overseas group travelers from 15 to 21 days.
Guo Zhangcheng is Deputy Director of the Hainan Provincial Bureau of Public Security.
"According to our statistics, there were 120 thousand visa-free tourists who arrived on Hainan in 2001, making up 15 percent of the overseas tourists. The number increased to 200 thousand in 2008, which was 80 percent. Our estimation is that in 2012, tourists from the 26 visa-free countries will increase from today's 200 thousand to one million. This will be a qualitative change."
Those who love to shop can now find their favorite top brands in Hainan as well. The first duty-free shopping center was opened in September 2009 in Sanya.
Fan Yu is the Vice President of the China Duty Free Group.
"This classic perfume Chanel is priced at 835 yuan in our duty free center, but its price in some high-end department stores in Beijing is 1,295 yuan, a difference of 460 yuan. The price here is equal to the ones in Hong Kong and Singapore."
Engineers are designing a bridge that will span the Leizhou Strait between Hainan Island and the southern coast of Guangdong Province to make the island more easy to access. After it is completed in several years, it will take travelers only 20 minutes to drive from the Leizhou Peninsula to the city of Haikou in northern Hainan.
An inland train will begin transporting passengers within Hainan Province next year. By that time, it will take only an hour and 15 minutes to travel from Haikou in the north to Sanya in the south.
All of these preferential policies and plans are enticing investors. Many enterprises in Hainan are moving quickly to get in on the business opportunities.
Hongzhou International Cruise Group is one of them.
Wang Dafu, the company president, says he is waiting for more details about the central government's plans to develop Hainan's tourist infrastructure before taking further action.
"After I got the news about developing the island, I moved quicker to carry out our plan. I'm going to invest more. My plan was to have 100 berths, but now my plan is one thousand. I'm going to build our cruise group into the top one in China. I really do want to do this. Just take a look at the government's support; Once they make the plans, I'm going to take action right away."
Hainan was designated a province in 1988 and became China's largest special economic zone the same year, enjoying some preferential development policies. The island boasts year-round tropical weather, clean beaches, forests and diverse ethnic cultures.
The central government says it aims to build Hainan into a top international tourist destination by 2020.