No hype but solid talk on Hainan: Adviser
The country's media missed important questions while reporting on Hainan's effort to build itself into a top international tourist resort, said senior scholar Chi Fulin.
Instead of wallowing in criticism or jumping on hype about the island's skyrocketing real estate prices and tourism incentives like lotteries and duty-free shopping, the media could have grilled officials about long-term development issues and pushed for concrete measures, Chi told China Daily.
Chi, president of the Hainan-based China Institute for Reform and Development, said he has found few serious discussions in the media since the State Council unveiled guidelines to turn Hainan into a premier international tourist destination in 10 years.
He acknowledged, however, that widespread media criticism about poor service and unreasonably high hotel rates were a boon to Hainan, serving to nudge local officials into action.
Chi, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top advisory body, listed three issues in the central government's guidelines which he claimed the media have "neglected" and for which the government has yet to come up with solutions.
First, the guidelines say Hainan should become a world-class shopping center by 2010.
"This seems to be one of the ultimate goals, and building more duty-free outlets in Hainan, a pet topic of the local media, is just an intermediate step. How can Hainan fulfill this goal with its current logistics and infrastructure? How must it differentiate itself from Hong Kong, which is already a shopping haven?" Chi said.
Second, as a top international tourism island, Hainan will see its residents' income rise to join the country's leading areas by 2010.
"This is an encouragement for local residents, as it means the central government's strategy really gives them substantial benefits," Chi said.