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More than 9,000 tourists travel to Hainan visa-free during China's 70th anniversary week

During the holidays (October 1-7), at least 4 million tourists visited Hainan

HAIKOU, October 9. /TASS/. More than 9,100 foreign tourists visited the Island of Hainan visa-free during the October 1-7 festivities marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Haikou Daily reported.

According to the publication, this indicator increased by a third or by 29% YoY. The customs created a special mechanism for collecting information for the tourists' convenience. The authorities received live information from travel companies and air carriers in order to predict peak loads at airports.

A total of 50,900 people crossed the border during the holidays, which is by 24.3% more than last year. More than half of the visitors passed customs at the island's main airport Meilan: 26,300 foreign citizens crossed the border thare, making the indicator 24.9% higher than in 2018.

During the holidays (October 1-7), 4 million tourists visited Hainan, which is by 5.8% higher than the previous year's figures. Revenue from the tourism industry in the region from during these dates reached 7,67 billion yuan (about $ 1,09 billion) — an increase of 11.5% in annual terms. According to Hainan's Tourism Administration, at least 2,28 million visitors took one-day tours on the island.

By 2025, the Chinese government intends to create an "international center for tourism and consumption" on Hainan. In order to do so, the "Eastern Hawaii" with their unique natural landscapes, thick rainforests and great climate will establish a developed network of hotels, which blend perfectly with white sandy beaches stretching along the coastline. The combination of an exotic subtropical nature and a modern eco-friendly infrastructure will boost tourist inflow to the island from the most distant parts of the world.

In 2018 more than 76 mln Chinese and foreign tourists visited the Island of Hainan, and tourist flow to the island in the first half of 2019 reached 38,6 mln people, esceeding the previous year's fiigures by 6%.

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