An island looks overseas

Tour operators have also launched routes specifically for inbound travelers.

A typical package features a seaside stay, golf, ethnic Li and Miao cultural experiences, hot springs and cocktails with dinner.

Many also include qilou (old-style buildings), dormant volcanoes and religious elements, plus gourmet food.

"We've received a pretty good response (from inbound travelers) after we added distinctive elements to the itineraries," China Travel International Sanya Co's inbound tourism general manager Huang Guijiao tells China Tourism News.

Huang's company has incorporated religious experiences at the Nanshan Buddhism cultural resort, traditional Chinese medicine and high-speed rail transport into its products for inbound tourists.

"We've received many bookings from Poland for TCM treatments later this year," Huang says.

Hainan's tourism prospects are drawing international tourism players.

Thomas Cook Sanya Branch, a joint-venture travel agency launched by the UK-based Thomas Cook and the Chinese conglomerate Fosun International last year, plans to use its global networks, especially in Europe, to publicize Hainan.

The idea is to cater to European preferences while presenting Hainan authentically, a senior member of the company says.

It offers such experiences as tai chi, rafting at Wuzhi Mountain and dining at the No 1 Farmers Market.

American Terrance Thomas spent the recent Spring Festival in Hainan.

"I came after my friend introduced Hainan to me, and he was impressed with the clean air in Haikou and that it was small enough to travel everywhere in one day," he says.

"It's much better here than in most places I have been. Trees and clean rivers make Hainan beautiful. The sounds of tropical birds chirping are beautiful."

Thomas enjoyed trips to the Yanoda rainforest in Sanya and several mountains for their "amazing tropical views".

"I've grown to love this place, and I believe that together we can protect Hainan while making it more available for people all over the world to experience," he says.

But tourism operators say that in addition to potential are opportunities for further development.

Not enough guides speak Indonesian, Thai or Filipino. And such tourism needs as quality tour buses and multilingual signage are lacking, Huang says.

Villages also need more government input to develop sightseeing transport and toilets, a Thomas Cook Sanya Branch employee says.