Written by: Feng Yang
Posted on: March 08, 2018 | 
| 中文
Sanya, Hainan (Source: Luxurio)
With rich and unique natural tourism resources, Hainan Island is a very popular destination for domestic and overseas tourists. In fact, the city of Sanya in Hainan, has been rated by The New York Times as one the 52 Places to Go to in 2017.
As “An International Tourism Island,” Hainan has hosted many international exhibitions, conferences and events. In December 2017, the FINA World Aquatics Gala “Soirée des Etoiles” made its debut in China, at Sanya. More than 1000 top athletes, from around the world, gathered in Sanya, at the gala of aquatic sports.
Many other such international events are held in Hainan including the Miss World Final, International Beach Music Festival, World Surfing Games, Round Hainan Regatta?Round Hainan Road Cycling Race, Guanlan Lake Golf Star Game, Haikou and Danzhou International Marathon. Hainan has become an international communication and exchange platform. By now, the cities of Hainan have set up sister city-relationship, with 54 cities in foreign countries.
As Hainan becomes more famous, its infrastructure is also getting upgraded. Expressway and high-speed rail, which run around the island, have been put into operation, leading to a boom of tourism in the province. In Qionghai, Qiongzhong and Baoting, rural roads have been built linking the villages, bike sharing is provided for country tours, and more standard toilets for tourists have been built. Guests to the Boao Forum for Asia found more highlights at the permanent venue. More and more idyllic towns with Hainan characteristics have been repaired or built up, such as Beireng, Tayang, and Zhongyuan. High-end medical tourism products, featuring stem cell therapy and rehabilitation are coming into being, and cluster in the Boao Yuecheng Medical Tourism Pilot Area.
In recent years, the province has been expanding its opening-up, by providing special policies and services, such as visa-free entry, shopping tax refund or exemption, cruise home port, houseboat, guessing lottery, and so on. Anna, a Russian girl, is a frequent visitor to Hainan. In recent years, she has started to consider settling down here. From a tourist to a permanent resident, what impress her most are the changes in the local language environment. She says, “When I first came to Sanya, few people could speak Russian. After two years, many hotels started to offer Russian introduction, and more Russian restaurants were set up. Now, even the civil servants have begun to learn foreign languages.”
As a well-known tourism destination in China, Hainan not only enjoys unique coastal vacation resources, but also boasts a rich historical culture, and ethnic customs. It has built up three grand festivals, including Hainan International Tourism Island Carnival, Folk Valentine’s Day of Ethnic Li and Miao People (the 3rd day of March in lunar calendar), and Wanning and Lingshui Chinese Longzhou (Dragon Boat) Tournament.
“Hainan’s gourmet and scenery make me very excited. The beautiful beach and special wedding culture has left a lifetime impression! I would love to bring my family and friends to experience it,” says Dorien from Australia, at the 2017 “I’m In Hainan” Tourism International Promotion Event, when asked to share her experience.
George Driss is a retired engineer from Belgium. After touring Hainan, he says, “The days I spent in Qionghai are the most comfortable and happiest days in my visit to Hainan. It was so clean, the streets were so neat, and the people were so friendly.” As China’s first “demo province for holistic tourism,” Hainan’s development has brought tourists more pluralistic tourism products and experience, by making all the areas on the island the best tourist destinations for sightseeing and leisure. Ms. Li, a tourist from Dazhou of Sichuan, China, has stayed in Qionghai city for over a month. She says, Qionghai does not have any large scenic spot, however there are attractive sceneries to be found everywhere.
The development of distinctive towns and leisure farms is even more impressive. With the help of holistic tourism and “international tourism island plus,” Hainan has built up 100 distinctive towns and 1000 beautiful villages, which combine ecological resorts, farming experience and ethnic culture, and integrate the functions of sightseeing, relaxation, vacationing, regimen and shopping.
Last autumn, Ilona Pankova and her friends from Moscow flew to Sanya and made a special visit to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital to see, “an old TCM doctor.” Thanks to the special climate, international tourism resources and years of experience, Hainan has successfully developed TCM health tourism, into a new attraction for foreign tourists.
So for those who want to visit Hainan, there is always a reason to be found: waiting for the sunset on a beach with a cup of tea in hand, watching a lively international sporting event, experiencing the folk customs of ethnic li or miao at villages, or just relaxing in a health resort.
Translated by Xu Donglin
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