Many European tourists are looking for alternative destinations after the terrorist attack on a beach near Sousse in Tunisia on June 26, which killed 38.

"Traditionally, the Mediterranean has always been popular, but it has been susceptible to problems of late.

Sadly, the whole of north Africa is not great. The UK foreign office is advising none but essential travel to Tunisia. There have been problems in Egypt, and even Turkey is having a tough time because people see it being near Syria. So new destinations are going to need to open up."

One resort city that could be a magnet for international tourists is Sanya.

Some are confident it has the potential to be the Dubai or Miami of the South China Sea.

Sanya's man-made 365,000 square-meter Phoenix Island certainly resembles The Palm and other reclamation developments in the emirate city, and it designed by the Chinese architect Ma Yansong.

Li Li, deputy general manager of the Sanya Phoenix Island Investment Group, which plans to invest a further 17.6 billion yuan in the area, says she believes Sanya will be firmly on the international map within 10 years.

"I can see it being like Dubai as a place where celebrities such as David Beckham have homes and also a center for international film festivals such as Cannes," she says.

Key to the success of the development is making Sanya an established international cruise destination.

By the end of next year it will have a 225,000 tonnage berth that will be able to take even the world's largest cruise ships. It already had the Queen Mary II visit during this year's Spring Festival.