It is the lifework of the lithe and sun-burnished Cheng, 70, who was born in Indonesia.

"The visitors often assume I am the gardener since I am often doing physical work," he says, puffing on a State Express 555 in his magnificent wood- constructed house on the estate.

"We get many international tourists, but mostly from Southeast Asia. Those from the US or Europe are mainly overseas Chinese."

Some may question whether tourism should be part of the Belt and Road Initiative, which is often seen as geopolitical and about securing trade routes.

Jim Stoopman, program coordinator of the European Institute for Asian Studies, a think tank based in Brussels and Luxembourg, insists tourism could actually be central to the initiative.

"Despite maybe not being strategic in the pure political or economic sense, tourism could be the foundation from which the Belt and Road Initiative turns into a global success," he says.

"I think it is more than just about infrastructure building and the enhancement of intraregional trade. I see it as a grand 'social project' in which people from different regions, social classes, religions and cultures get a better chance to interact. Tourism and other people-to-people exchanges are a great vehicle for this."

Agustinus Wibowo, an Indonesian travel writer and photojournalist, agrees.

"I think tourism is, in fact, a strategic aspect of the initiative. By making Hainan an international tourism destination, it will act as an important transport hub for the region."

What part tourism will play in the initiative might depend partly on whether Hainan succeeds in its mission to become an international tourism destination.

Robertson at TTG believes it at least has a chance.

"It is seen perhaps as a Chinese destination now, but you are beginning to see international brands like Mandarin Oriental and Raffles. With it being only a three-hour flight from Beijing, I think it has potential."

Conatct the writers through andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn