SECONDARY destinations on China’s Hainan Island are jostling for a slice of the province’s tourism pie, pushing offerings of nature, culture and wellness.
Wuzhishan (Five-finger Mountain), for instance, is stepping up promotions for its scenic, health-enhancing nature as well as indigenous Li and Miao people. A spokesperson from Wuzhishan Municipal Tourism Development Bureau revealed the city used to be very popular with Chinese tourists, but visitor numbers have dwindled following the development of Sanya.
Theresa Lim, senior product tour executive of Chan’s World Holidays specialising in special interest and Muslim tours, said: “Wuzhishan and Qixianling are good for hiking, hot spring and nature enthusiasts.”
CTC Travel manager and China planner, Grace Xu, added that Hainan can be promoted for its indigenous Li people and mix of rural and modern elements. However, she highlighted that “connectivity and infrastructure need further enhancement” for more remote destinations such as Wuzhishan.
The journey by coach from Haikou to Wuzhishan currently takes more than three hours.
Both Lim and Xu spoke to TTG Asia e-Daily during a recent fam trip to Hainan comprising major travel consultants and media from Singapore. The 6D5N trip organised by Hainan Airlines covered other destinations including Haikou, Tunchang, Qixianling and Qionghai.
Both Lim and Xu felt municipal authorities could help Singapore agencies by stepping up consumer promotion and changing mindsets that Hainan is a small, underdeveloped island. They also wanted Hainan Airlines to do more direct marketing. Having commenced operations here only in 2010, the carrier is relatively new to Singaporeans.
Hainan Airlines Singapore branch general manager, Peng Xin Xiu, said the airline is mulling ways to raise awareness among Singaporeans, adding that three more flights out of Singapore to Hefei via Haikou are expected to be launched end-January.
The airline currently flies Singapore-Haikou-Taiyuan thrice weekly.
