Tourists flock to Hainan for its sparkling seas, year-round sunshine and sandy beaches. China Daily

Future bright, but island faces challenges as global destination

HONG KONG: Sparkling seas, 1,500 km of pristine coastline graced with soft, sandy beaches, and year-round sunshine provide all the magic needed to set off a tourist boom, bringing vacationers and hospitality operators streaming from all over the world, to the tropical paradise of Hainan.

The list of corporate heavyweights on the island includes big name hotel operators like Mandarin, Banyan Tree, Hilton, Sheraton and Grand Hyatt. Mission Hills has designed a veritable Eden for golfers with the largest array of golf courses in the world, spreading over an area roughly the size of Hong Kong Island. Duffers from Japan and South Korea are forming a special wave.

Adding to the natural allure, the island, only 55 minutes by air from Hong Kong, has won the Central Government's approval for duty-free shopping. Gambling will be permitted on a limited, experimental basis.

The editor-in-chief of the Journal of China Tourism Research, Song Haiyan, said, however, Hainan still has a lot of work to do before it can compete against Hong Kong and Macao.

"The province needs urgently to update its infrastructure including air access, local transport, communications and hotel accommodation," he said.

The island already boasts two airports with a third, Qionghai Airport, in the pipeline.

The primary mainland link is a ferry service. A bridge across the Qiongzhou Strait has won planning approval. A midline highway is under construction. The high-speed rail link connecting Haikou and Sanya will be extended along a western line that will loop the island. A cruise terminal, yachting facility and an Olympic-sized water sports training ground will play roles in lifting Hainan's international profile.

Former President of International Society of Travel & Tourism Educators Professor Kaye Chon said development of the province's hardware should not be a problem given the Central Government's backing. Still, the province must address the need to find trained staff to man all its new facilities.

"More importantly, the reason tourists come to the island is not just for the physical aspects but also for broad experience. To maximize benefits, (Hainan) has to make sure every tourist visiting there is satisfied and wants to share their positive experience with others," he said.

Zeroing in on what may be the province's biggest stumbling block, Chon's sentiment already had been expressed by the provincial governor, Luo Baoming. He complained there have been persistent reports of tourists being ripped off, sold fake goods, abandoned by tour guides and suffering woeful service.

At a news conference in Beijing early January, he said the complaints had "blackened" the tourism industry in Hainan. He added the province could not even reach the lowest threshold as an international tourist resort if the abuses were not eradicated.

Training to the international standard is vital if Hainan is to become established as an international destination, said Chon. Colleges and universities will be called on to upgrade the standards of training locally, possibly in collaboration with institutions that already have earned international standing, he suggested.

Hong Kong could play a role in Hainan's development. Chon describes that potential as "cooperation", a blend of cooperation and competition. "Hainan is competing, but if they can cooperate, they can create unique tourism products. Such as, Hainan for nature, sun and sand, as well as culture, Hong Kong for shopping and dining. While destinations compete they should also look to maximize opportunities for cooperation," he said.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board already has a plan. The board is working toward collaboration with the Hainan Provincial Tourism Administration on a joint effort targeting the Russian market.

Last September, the Board organized a travel-trade seminar in Moscow, introducing combination itineraries based on Russian travelers' preference for vacations in warmer climates combined with their love of shopping. They get the sunshine and the beaches of Hainan and the cosmopolitan lifestyle of Hong Kong.

Tipped to be the next chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, hospitality and entertainment magnate Allen Zeman said there are lots of opportunities for Hong Kong businesses to capitalize on the emerging tourist market in Hainan.

"Recreation and holidays are very high on the agenda of China's growing middle class. Hainan is also a quick weekend getaway for Hongkongers," he said. In the midst of supervising preparations for the opening of his five-star Endara Phuket hotel, Zeman said he was considering opening a branch of the hotel in Hainan, adding he would explore setting up a Lan Kwai Fong of sorts in Hainan once its clientele is developed.

Family attractions, including theme parks, could play a big role in Hainan. He stopped short of committing Ocean Park's name until a review of the park's 1977 ordinance preventing its expansion outside Hong Kong.

While overseas brands can help Hanian's development, its long-term success still depends on a locally grown product, Chon said.

"More importantly, the province can't be a reproduction of Hawaii. It needs its own branding. Bali is popular, because it offers something different, an unmistakably Balinese culture," he said, adding service quality training should be complemented with an understanding of local culture so workers can serve as Hainan ambassadors to island visitors.

Warning that a Hainan carbon copy of Hawaii would not sell to visitors living farther away than the real thing, Chon said making Hainan the mainland's equivalent to Hawaii requires the cultivation of a character different from the rest of the mainland. If the island's 30-odd ethnic minorities, rainforests and coral reefs were not enough of a draw for tourists, local resident Bi Bingjie said the province's abundance of tropical fruits, subtly flavored foods, sparse traffic, slow life pace and natural beauty are reason enough for a growing middle class to escape the city.

"The air and water are clean. People coexist with nature. I rarely see people in a hurry on the street," she said, adding globetrotters would be hard-pressed to decide whether Cote d'Azur is really more beautiful than Hainan's Yalong Bay.

(HK Edition 01/22/2010 page1)