PAGE 28 CHINA DAILY ASIA WEEKLY JULY 10-16, 2015 ChinaTravel Hainan gets a makeover TROPICAL ISLAND HAS MADE BIG STRIDES BUT MUST ADDRESS IMAGE ISSUES TO BECOME A GLOBAL DESTINATION By ANDREW MOODY, percent over the past fi ve years and JIANG WANJUAN another 46 hotels will be built in the and WANG HAO in Haikou next four years. “One of the problems for Sanya ainan Island has been a is that it’s known only in China and holiday destination for by people who own yachts, but not H domestic tourists for by the mass market, and that’s what many years, but now we want to address,” Zhou adds. China’s only tropical island is look- The Hainan tourism authorities ing to attract Westerners and other also want to attract Western tour- tourists from overseas. ists who have visited China before In 2010, the central government and are looking for something out set a target for the island province of the ordinary. in the South China Sea to become Retired teacher Lynne Skeith, an international tourism destina- 63, from Derbyshire in the United tion by 2020, but fi ve years on, Kingdom, visited Beijing, Shanghai there is still some way to go. and Xi’an on a trip to China with Last year, just 650,000 or 1.4 her husband in 2011. percent of Hainan’s 48 million tour- “If we were to go back, we are not ists, came from outside China, with really fully aware of what Hainan many hailing from South Korea has to off er. We are not averse to a and Russia, rather than the United couple of days by the pool or on the States or Europe. beach, but we like sightseeing and The island is partly handicapped culture. We are more likely to use it by its own success. Many wealthy Tourists enjoy the sunshine on a beach in Sanya, Hainan province, a popular tourist destination. CHEN GANG / CHINA DAILY as a drop-off point on a cruise,” says Chinese own multimillion-dollar Skeith. second homes there, and their Some of the island’s ancient yachts are moored in Sanya, the culture lies inland, such as villages main resort, which has become a like those in the city of Qionghai playground of the rich. that date back to the Song Dynasty At certain times of the year, par- (960-1279). ticularly lunar new year, room rates The island also boasts tropical at the resort’s hotels can skyrocket, forests, volcanoes and magnifi - with starting prices for a week’s cent landscapes. One of its most accommodation often leaving little famous attractions, the Xinglong change out of 50,000 yuan ($7,200). Tropical Garden — which has been Hotels and other tourism loca- recognized by the United Nations tions often cater more to visitors for its environmental work — was from China than overseas. founded by former architect Colin The other problem is that the Cheng Wen Thay in 1992. island lacks name recognition with HUANG YIMING / CHINA DAILY Spread over 400 hectares, the Westerners, who have simply never Binlang Valley Cultural Tourism Zone performers demonstrate how fi re was traditionally made by rubbing sticks together. garden has 4,000 diff erent plant heard of it and don’t associate species and has been the lifework of tropical beaches with China. of 1 million in 2008 when the over- The man-made 365,000-square- largest cruise ships. The luxury the lithe and sun-burnished Cheng, Instead, Western tourists remain all number was 20 million, less meter Phoenix Island certainly liner Queen Mary 2 docked at 70, who was born in Indonesia. drawn to alternative locations in than half the current total. resembles The Palm and other Sanya during Spring Festival earlier “Visitors often assume that I’m Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Although Chen wants to see the reclamation developments in the this year. the gardener because I often do the Philippines and Malaysia, number of international visitors United Arab Emirates’ city, and will Cruise liners drop anchor at physical work,” he says. “We get which are often cheaper and also rise far above that level, he says the soon also have a seven-star hotel to Sanya after Hong Kong en route to many international tourists, but typically more international in feel. province’s advertising budget is just equal the Burj Al Arab, designed by Vietnam, but there are only likely they’re mostly from Southeast Asia. Chen Tiejun, deputy director $2 million a year, far lower than in Chinese architect Ma Yansong. to be 33 visits this year, compared Those from the US or Europe are of the Hainan Provincial Tourism previous years. Li Li, deputy general manager of with 113 in 2013, because of opera- mainly overseas Chinese.” Development Commission, admits “I always see commercials for the Sanya Phoenix Island Invest- tors’ concerns about territorial dis- Chen, from the island’s tourism that meeting the 2020 target will be Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam ment Group, which has sunk a sub- putes in the area. development commission, believes a sizeable task. during July and August, but they stantial sum into the area and now Speaking in a 28th fl oor execu- investment in attractions such as “Yes, it is a big challenge,” Chen cost around 20 million yuan for plans to invest a further 17.6 billion tive apartment overlooking the gardens and in tourism skills will says. “First, the development of two months, and we don’t have that yuan, says she can see Sanya being azure blue bay, Zhou Chunhua, ensure that Hainan achieves the Hainan’s tourist industry started kind of budget,” he says. fi rmly on the international map director of the Sanya Tourism 2020 visitor target. later than in other locations in However, the BBC’s travel website within 10 years. Development Commission, says “We lack tourism professionals Southeast Asia whose facilities and now carries a Hainan page, which “I can see it becoming like Dubai, cruise ships are the key to popular- who can speak foreign languages. services are now more mature. is updated twice a month, and a a place where celebrities like David izing Sanya among foreign tourists. Wages in Hainan are quite low, so “Second, the cost of traveling to similar promotion is running on Beckham have homes, and also a “A cruise ship can stop for seven people are more likely to work in surrounding countries has become the online travel portal TripAdvisor. center for international fi lm festi- or eight hours and people can visit hotels in Beijing and Shanghai. cheaper, especially in recent years “We are adjusting our strategy vals such as Cannes,” she says. the city. When they go home, they “We have been working with as the value of the yuan has risen.” by doing more online marketing, Key to the success of the devel- will tell people about Sanya,” she local universities and developing Yet tourism has made huge which is more cost-eff ective. These opment will be to make Sanya an says. tourism-related majors. I think strides in Hainan. In 1988, the promotions have received good established destination for interna- Sanya is spearheading the island’s developing these skills is the key,” island played host to 1.2 million responses,” Chen says. tional cruises. eff orts to meet the 2020 target, with he says. tourists, including 204,600 from In Sanya, the goal is to transform By the end of next year, the port visitor numbers growing 15.1 per- outside China. the resort into the Dubai or Miami will have a 225,000-metric-ton cent annually for the past fi ve years. Contact the writers at International tourists hit a peak of the South China Sea. berth capable of handling even the Hotel capacity has increased by 52 [email protected].