Hainan on way to being international tourist resort
The Cirque du Soleil show “TORUK — The First Flight” has been a hit in Sanya, a popular Chinese destination for beach lovers, in Hainan Province.
“I’m absolutely satisfied with the ticket box here in Sanya. The local reaction has most likely never been seen in other parts of the world,” said Michael Veilleux, a show manager at the Canadian entertainment company.
The show, inspired by the blockbuster Avatar, has been staged in Sanya since the beginning of the Chinese New Year in February and will run through the end of April.
Once remote and underdeveloped, Hainan has been edging closer to its goal of becoming an international tourism resort by 2020 and has become increasingly attractive to investors at home and abroad.
“It is more widely known abroad nowadays. Its infrastructure and tourist facilities, such as transportation and hotels, have been improved,” said Qian Jiannong, senior vice president of Fosun International, the second-largest shareholder of Cirque du Soleil.
Development guideline
By the end of January, the world’s largest duty-free shop in Sanya, which opened in 2014, and another in Haikou that opened in 2011 had recorded total sales of 31.5 billion yuan (US$5 billion).
China’s first international cruise port is under construction in Sanya. On completion, Sanya will be able to accommodate the world’s largest cruise ships and receive 2 million tourists a year.
Last year, Hainan received 67.45 million tourists, up 12 percent year on year, and nearly 81.2 billion yuan in tourism revenue, up 20.8 percent from 2016. The number of overseas tourists to Hainan exceeded 1 million for the first time in 2017.
A development guideline unveiled by central authorities last week said Hainan will ease curbs on its offshore duty-free policy, develop cross-border cruise tourism, and facilitate overseas patients’ visits to the Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone.
The State Immigration Administration said on Wednesday that greater visa-free access will be offered for tourists from 59 countries to Hainan from May 1, allowing group and individual tourists to stay there for up to 30 days if they book their tour through travel agencies.
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