Beautiful Hainan chases outside excellence to go global
Fosun said the landmark resort project will provide larger-than-life water play, exotic and marine exhibits, and offer rich dining experiences - along the more than 10 kilometer stretch of beautiful and quiet beaches at Haitang Bay, planned as a world-class resort area in northeastern Sanya.
Construction of the Sanya Atlantis, the third of its kind in the world after the Atlantis resorts in Dubai and the Bahamas, started in 2015. Located about 28 km from downtown Sanya and covering 30 hectares, the giant entertainment complex will welcome its first guests this year.
The province got approval from the State Council to build an international tourism island in 2010. Ever since, the province has striven to internationalize its tourism sector.
It has brought in and nurtured high-end tourism products and upgraded services to international standards, to ensure better travel experiences for visitors, according to Sun Ying, director of the Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Commission.
"Hainan is determined to continue to develop tourism, which is the leading sector of the province's services industry," Sun said.
Zhou Ping, deputy director of the commission, said that Toruk - The First Flight would boost Hainan's tourist attractions, which in turn will up their game even more to offer top services to attract investment from premium tourism companies.
In 2018 Hainan plans to foster the construction of performance sites in each of its cities and counties. The three major cities of Haikou, Sanya and Danzhou will develop tourism performance industry clusters, said Ding Hui, director of the province's cultural and sports department.
Heavy investment in tourism complex
Hainan, welcomed as a something of a holiday paradise in China, will invest 13.5 billion yuan to build a 900 km-long tourist road that circles the island.
It will connect the 12 major coastal cities and counties of the island including Haikou, Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning, Lingshui, Sanya, Ledong, Changjiang, Danzhou, Lingao and Chengmai, in the near future.
About 50 salons will be built along the road, according to a plan released by Hainan Tourism Development Commission, its director Sun Ying said. "We plan to invite international designers to make the designs and build each salon into a fantastic tourist spot."
She added that Hainan will invest a total of 839.3 billion yuan during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020).
Priorities will be to develop large theme park projects, rainforest theme parks and wetland national parks, new-feature tourism products, cruise tours, island tourist ring roads and greater international tourism marketing in the next five years.
