Visa-free travel for foreign visitors to Hainan Island, China’s Hawaii
New rules come into effect on 1st May. The goal is to boost the tourism industry with horse racing, gambling, casinos. A free trade port is also planned.
Beijing (AsiaNews) – Visitors from the 59 countries – primarily Europe and the Americas – will be able to travel to Hainan Island on their own without a visa for up to 30 days.
Missing from the list are African countries, as well as three members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Until now visitors from 26 countries could reach the island visa-free but only as part of a tour group for up to 21 days.
The change would help “further expand the opening up of the tourism industry and attract more international tourists to travel to Hainan,” Xinhua said.
The announcement came today after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the Boao Forum for Asia.
During his stay, he reiterated pledges to introduce reforms that would allow the island – dubbed "China’s Hawaii" – to become a popular tourist destination.
Reforms are designed to boost businesses, including horse racing and shopping malls. Above all, they will allow gambling and lotteries, something banned in the rest of China. It is expected that Hainan may also see casinos open in the future.
Hainan has been a special economic zone since 1988 but has lagged behind other areas, like Shenzhen.
The number of international tourist arrivals only crossed the one-million-mark last year. By contrast, the Indonesian island of Bali, which is one-sixth the size of Hainan, greeted more than 5 million foreign visitors last year.
Xi’s plan also includes developing Hainan as a free-trade port with major elements of the system in play by 2020, and welcoming foreign investors to invest in the province as well as a gradual ban on fossil-fuel vehicles.
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