HAIKOU /China/, January 26. /TASS/. South China's Hainan province expects to increase tourist flow 10 % and revenues from the tourism industry 15 % this year. According to Xinhua News Agency these goals were set at the annual regional meeting of people's representatives.
According to Sun Ying, director of the provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports, the administration will facilitate the construction of theme parks and work towards increasing economic activity at night.
In 2021, more than 81 million tourists from China and other countries visited Hainan. This is a quarter more than in 2020. The province's total revenue from tourism last year increased almost 60% compared to 2020 and amounted to about 138.4 billion yuan (about $22 billion).
The administration of Hainan is actively developing sports and recreational tourism, taking advantage of the climate, marine resources and the richness of flora and fauna of the island. The authorities have set a goal of turning Hainan into an "international center of tourism and consumption" by 2025.
The Chinese island is often referred to as the "Eastern Hawaii" - natural landscapes, tropical forests, a developed network of hotels, combined with beaches and a coastline of more than 1.9 thousand kilometers all attract visitors from the remotest parts of the world. Over the past five years (2016-2020) Hainan has welcomed about 352 million Chinese and foreign tourists.