Travel
14:34, 18-Apr-2018
Hainan, the 'Hawaii of China', to offer visa-free entry to 59 countries
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Hainan will offer visa-free access to tourists from 59 countries including the UK, France and Russia, the State Immigration Administration announced Wednesday.
The policy starting from May 1 will benefit group and individual tourists across the globe.
Known for its sandy beaches and resort-lined coast, Hainan is the headquarters of China’s aviation conglomerate HNA. Last week, the province also hosted the Boao Forum for Asia, the equivalent of World Economic Forum in Davos.
Inside the southernmost island of Hainan, over thousand villages born with unique historical and natural features will soon be developed before 2020; sea tours, forest trips and campsites for self-driving tourist were built just to satisfy the tourists.
Hainan will adopt more open duty-free shopping policies, boost the number of international flights and grant economic freedom to foreign firms by setting up an international free trade zone and port.
It will also allow sports lottery games as well as horse-racing to accelerate the province’s tourism industry.
Originally administered as part of nearby Guangdong on the mainland, the South China Sea island was given province status in 1988 and was declared the country’s fifth special economic zone as part of former leader Deng Xiaoping’s opening up for China.