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Hainan, Italy to launch cruise route to Vietnam and the Philippines

The authorities intend to further promote Hainan's

HAIKOU, November 9. /TASS/. An Italian company, the owner of the Costa Cruises, and China's Hainan will launch a sea tourist route to Vietnam and the Philippines in January 2020, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Broadcasting and Sports of the city of Sanya announced.

According to the authorities, tourists can make a trip along the South China Sea, enjoy the views of the Halong Bay, visit the resorts of Vietnamese Nha Trang, Manila and the Subic Bay in the Philippines.

“Recently, our city has been developing an experimental zone and a free trade port by promoting cruise tourism, stimulating the creation of an international tourism and consumer center on Hainan,” Sanya deputy mayor Chen Tiejun said at a press conference. “Sanya will take advantage of the opportunities the opening of this route presents. We will constantly help to increase the openness of our region and Hainan's presence on international markets."

According to him, the provincial authorities intend to make active efforts to ensure that cruise tourism becomes the world-famous "calling card" of the Hainan Free Trade Zone and Port, the international consumer center of Sanya".

In April 2018, President Xi Jinping said that the Chinese authorities intend to actively involve Hainan in globalization and to draw foreign investors to the island province. By 2050, according to the authorities, the island should become a unique international cluster with an advanced economy, developed tourism, top-notch scientific, technical and financial potential, and modern medicine. The branches of the best universities and offices of the most powerful corporations in the world will be located on the Island of Hainan.

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.

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