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Boao Forum venue becomes tourist destination of national importance

China has 63 national-level tourist areas, of which two are located in Hainan

HAIKOU /China/, May 28. /TASS/. Dongyu Island in eastern Hainan, which holds the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) annually in spring, was granted the official status of a tourist area of national importance of the PRC. This was reported by the Hainan Daily newspaper.

According to the newspaper, this decision was confirmed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China. As the agency said this demonstrates that China's southernmost province "shows a breakthrough in the development of key high-level attractions, which draw the attention of tourists. It is expected that such a status upgrade will mark "the beginning of a new era in the development of Dongyu."

According to official figures, the PRC has 63 tourist areas of national importance, of which two are located in Hainan. "We will continue to make efforts to ensure [the necessary conditions for] the establishment [on the island] of world-class recreation areas," said the provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.

In 1996, the Yudaitan coastal bar, located 200-300 meters east of Dongyu Island, made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as "the narrowest sandy peninsula separating the mouth of the river from the sea. In addition to the BFA complex, the island is home to duty-free stores, five-star hotels, golf courses, and hot springs. In 2024, the Chinese logistics company COSCO Shipping plans to complete the construction of China's first completely carbon-free demonstration zone there.

The Boao Forum for Asia has been held regularly since 2001 and has about 30 participating countries (Asia-Pacific states). It was not held in 2020 because of the pandemic, but in 2021 and 2022 it was organized in the face-to-face format, and this year it was held March 28-31. The BFA is called the Eastern Davos; it is a major platform for signing important agreements, coordinating positions between representatives of business and government circles of Asian countries and all other regions of the world. The Chinese authorities pay great attention to its development and consider this mechanism an effective tool of soft diplomacy, which promotes and strengthens Beijing's international contacts.

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