Hainan island needs to go global

Hainan is an up and coming resort with a long way to go before it becomes a global tourist destination. Its location, which connects the southern part of East Asia with the Asia-Pacific region, is a plus in terms of developing tourism against the backdrop of the Belt and Road Initiative. However, its poor transportation, limited tourism products and poor service are getting in the way of its potential to be an international tourist hotspot.

In order to attract more foreign tourists, Hainan needs to work on several key areas.

The first is the need for comprehensive transport links. Tourism can hardly grow without convenient transportation and this means international and internal journeys. There were a total of 11 international flight routes in Hainan as of March, mostly to neighboring countries and regions. But air routes to Western countries are still on the waiting list. Westerners wanting to visit Hainan have to transfer at airports in the Chinese mainland. This reality restricts Hainan's ability to gain an international reputation.

Its transport has not progressed beyond its original road traffic system so it cannot work closely with the island's newly developed tourism industry. The internationalization of Hainan's tourism will remain a pipedream if transport fails to improve.

The next thing to do is develop tourism itself. With a total maritime area of more than 2 million square kilometers, Hainan possesses abundant marine tourism resources, but so far development remains in the offshore area. The coast has attracted investment from lots of hotel groups but they have not formed a tourism cluster, like the French Riviera, Spain's Costa del Sol or Australia's Gold Coast.

Nor has Hainan made the most of its attractions - a tropical rain forest, the ethnic Li and Miao groups, the culture of the Tanka, or "water gypsy" people, and Quilou Arcade Street. Hainan should showcase these assets and develop them into distinctive tourism products, just as other international island resorts such as Bali and Phuket have. Hainan's culture is unique so there should be more tourism projects that feature it.

The third step to promoting Hainan as a global destination is to enhance international cooperation. Hainan is raising its profile by taking part in international tourism expos and holding different events. But an absence of effective international cooperation is a huge obstacle to its growth in the international market. There are fewer than 50 travel agencies providing inbound tourism service for visitors to come to Hainan. Among the 50 are 10 are for the Russian market, four for South Korea, two for Japan and none for Western countries, which results in the international market imbalance. Hainan should increase its links with foreign travel agencies to bring in tourists from other regions.

It is also necessary for Hainan to make full use of the Internet and work with international media to publicize and promote itself. There are already relationships with domestic e-commerce travel agencies, but Hainan has nothing in place with global brands. Hainan must set up an international e-commercial platform to fill this gap. There are other areas that Hainan can focus on, too. Human resources are key to developing a competitive edge in international marketing, but Hainan's tourism has only started to grow in recent years. So there has been no mechanism to attract, train or retain talent. Hainan should establish a body that is aimed at improving the capacity of tourism professionals.

The other step to boost tourism in Hainan would be to improve the island's international feel and meet international standards for all basic elements of tourism. Even though Haikou and Sanya, the biggest two cities in Hainan, have attracted international hotel groups, they have lost some of their charm for not having the right environment for tourism. Civilized behavior, service and standards are at the heart of a successful tourist resort. Friendly guides and honest tour operators could increase the appeal of Hainan and attract more foreigners. But the island is failing to meet standards. At present, in order to provide tourists with a more comfortable, favorable and safer tourism environment, all locals should fulfill their duty by taking part in the campaign to secure the city's international reputation.

The author is chairman of Hainan Yanoda rain forest cultural tourism zone, and president of Hainan Tourist Attractions Association.

(China Daily European Weekly 07/17/2015 page9)