HAIKOU, May 26. /TASS/. The 17th Hainan International Auto Show in Haikou, which was the first major event on the island after the coronavirus pandemic, will help boost the region's economy, especially the service sector, the head of Haikou Commerce Department Cai Qiao said.
The international auto show was held on May 21-May 24. About 100 car brands, including Audi, BMW, Infinity, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and others took part in the exposition, located on an area of about 50,000 square meters. Over four days, more than 150,000 people visited the event.
"The revival of the exhibition industry will give impetus to the resumption of normal operation of the economy [Haikou] and will help restore supply chains," Cai Qiao said as quoted by the city’s commerce management website. "Holding an exhibition can be compared to taking a strong heart medicine — it will give a vital boost to the development of Haikou's economy, especially the city’s services," he said.
The statement notes that the successful car expo has become a kind of example for the restoration of the congress and exhibition industry in the Hainan province. This event's experience, as the document states, will allow to study the peculiarities of a safely-organized consumer-oriented exhibition amid severe restrictions due to the coronavirus epidemic.
The report emphasizes that the car exhibition has significantly facilitated the city's catering services, the hotel industry, the transport industry, the logistics sector and other areas related to the organization of the exhibition, and also increased confidence in the local market.
According to the organizing committee, the total volume of contracts concluded during the car dealership reached 1.5 billion yuan (about $ 200 million).
'Green' cars
The management’s statement indicated that 10 new car models running on new energy sources (electricity, hybrid fuel and hydrogen —TASS) were also presented at the expo. The local authorities are actively promoting "green energy" on the island. According to the government's plan, by 2030 the island will completely stop selling cars running on hydrocarbon; the provincial administration is currently eyeing an advanced network of charging stations. The Hainan Automobile Exhibition on Alternative Energy Sources is also held annually in Haikou — last year more than 100 companies took part in it, the number of visitors exceeded 35,000.
Hainan International Auto Show has been held since 2004. In 2020 amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the organizers took special precautions: tickets were sold only to those who could present an ID, all participants and visitors were required to have an "electronic health code", wear face masks and undergo a body temperature check procedure at the entrance.