Britain and China team up to encourage tourism to tropical Chinese island

China and tropical island aren't two terms you would expect to see together, but China's tropical island of Hainan was a focus at the World Travel Market last week.

Last week, a Chinese tourism-themed seminar, "Discover the Tropics of China," was held at the World Travel Market's Asia area in ExCel London.

Leading tourism agents and professionals from around the world, including executives from Thomas Cook, TUI China and Ctrip, gathered together to focus on what Sanya has to offer as a travel destination, discuss the advantages of developing tourism in China's tropical areas, and identify trends concerning the development of China's tropical tourism at a series of thematic seminars.

The event's topics included "What the differences between Sanya and other Southeast Asian cities are," "Whether Sanya has grown into a luxury tourism destination" and "What international tourism opportunities the 30-day visa-free entry into Sanya for travelers from 59 countries can offer."