Hainan aims to open up further

HAIKOU - China's southern island province of Hainan will carry out new measures to make itself more open, dynamic and international, Liu Cigui, Party chief of Hainan, has said.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of Hainan Province and the Hainan Special Economic Zone, as well as the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up of the whole country.

Hainan will fully engage in the Belt and Road Initiative and push ahead with the construction of an economic cooperation zone around the South China Sea, Liu told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The province will accelerate transportation links between Hainan and countries and regions along the Belt and Road. A total of 100 international air and sea routes are expected to open in three years, Liu added.

The province's tourism industry has made tremendous achievements since a national strategy to make the island an international resort was adopted in 2009, he said.

Statistics show tourists visiting the island increased from nearly 26 million in 2010 to over 67 million in 2017, while total tourism revenue grew from 26 billion yuan in 2010 to more than 81 billion yuan (about $12.7 billion) in 2017.

The province attracted more than one million overseas tourists last year.

"Hainan will further strengthen the role of tourism in the development of the province, and promote its integration with other industries," Liu said.

The province will strengthen regulation and management to protect the island's ecology and environment, and retain the good quality of its air, water and sea, he noted.

Hainan has been promoting rural tourism to invigorate its rural areas and improve the living standards of rural people, Liu said.