Fosun looks to promote province worldwide

Representatives of Hainan tourism and Thomas Cook sign an agreement in London on Friday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chinese conglomerate Fosun is putting its full weight behind Hainan's bid to become the beach holiday resort of choice for European travelers.

Hainan, often dubbed China's Hawaii, has recently strengthened efforts to internationalize. On July 12, the first direct flight connecting the city of Sanya and London was opened by China Southern Airlines.

The Hainan government also recently started offering 30-day visa-free visits for travelers from 59 countries, and in April the Chinese government announced its intention to establish a free trade zone in Hainan by 2020, where multinationals are encouraged to set up their regional headquarters.

"Hainan has huge potential. Its climate, sunshine and beautiful beaches are very similar to destinations European travelers visit every year, yet it is just beginning to make a name internationally," said Qian Jiannong, chairman and president of Fosun Tourism group, the group's tourism subsidiary, also known as Foliday, which was created in 2016.

"We want to be on this journey to internationalize Hainan. And we hope the tourism atmosphere we help Hainan to build will be a showcase of the holiday lifestyle Fosun believes in."

Qian was speaking in London before the signing of a strategic partnership between the Hainan Tourism Development Committee and the UK travel agency Thomas Cook, in which Fosun bought a 5 percent stake in 2015, increasing that holding to 11 percent in 2017.

Under this strategic partnership, Thomas Cook will share its tourism industry operation expertise to help Hainan advance the variety and quality of its offerings, and promote Hainan to its existing international customer base.

Fosun Tourism group and Thomas Cook also have a plan to launch a joint venture office in Sanya, Hainan's capital, in the coming months.

In addition to promoting Hainan tourism internationally, this office will work to sell international tourism packages to Chinese tourists, after slightly adjusting them to suit the needs of Chinese travelers.

At Friday's signing ceremony, Mao Chaofeng, vice-governor of Hainan Province, said that such new government initiatives will "allow more international travelers to visit Sanya and explore the wonders of our tropical island".

Peter Fankhauser, chief executive officer of Thomas Cook, added that Sanya is a great new addition to its long-haul offering, "providing even more choice to customers looking for a sun and beach holiday in south-east Asia."

Fosun Tourism group has already backed up its commitment with investments. This year it launched a 11 billion yuan ($1.64 billion) Atlantis luxury resort in Sanya. Two years ago it opened a Sanya branch of the European holiday village Club Med, an all-inclusive resort with food, drink, live shows, sports activities, child care facilities, and more.

This concept is championed by the 68-year-old Paris-based company Club Med. Fosun first invested in Club Med in 2010, taking control of it in 2015. Fosun helped Club Med to open several resorts in China, among which Sanya is one of the most popular with international travelers.

"China's tourism industry is booming, fuelled by demand from China's increasingly wealthy middleclass consumers," said Qian. "But sadly China's domestic tourism industry is dominated by repetitive tourism packages. That's not good enough."

Foliday wants to change that. The all-inclusive model of Club Med, the aquarium that reveals the mystery of the ancient city of Atlantis inside the Atlantis Resort, and the emphasis on service across all these offerings are evidence of this, he said.

"We will continue to make our offerings unique, diverse and premium quality, so that China's wealth of tourism resources can be best enjoyed by Chinese and overseas travelers."