Day 7 – Afternoon and Evening of 22 November 2010

After lunch, it was then back on our mini-bus at for a short ride from the Mission Hills Resort to the magnificent beachfront Sheraton Haikou Resort. This was another luxurious 5 star Hotel, to be our home-away-from-home for the next two nights on Hainan Island. Surrounded by lush palm trees and beautiful ocean views, Sheraton Haikou Resort is located on the west coast of Haikou city. We were greeted by a guard of honour of Hotel staff and management to welcome us, just like at each of the other Resorts we stayed at in China. Performers greeted us with bamboo pole dancing as we entered the Hotel.

The pools dotted around the grounds are kept very nice and clean and have beautifully landscaped surroundings. It is a really stunning setting with charm and style. The 377 luxurious rooms are very nicely furnished with marbled floors and a large bathroom. There is a window to the main room so you can sit in the bathtub and watch the television.

We were running late with our itinerary, so only had 10 minutes to settle into our guest rooms and change before going to the Grand Ballroom on the first floor for a Tourism Seminar held by the Hainan Tourist Development Commission. Speeches were given by several key tourism officials about the emerging tourism potential of Hainan Island and the plans that are being made to attract more international tourists.

Almost a year after being classified as an "International Tourism Island" by the Chinese government, Hainan Province is undergoing massive tourism development, both in infrastructure, construction and policy. The project aims to build Hainan Island into a top international tourism destination by 2020.

Over the last year, Hainan Island posted a ten per cent increase in visitor traffic with growth set to continue as the Island prepares for ambitious tourism expansion. Among the projects Hainan has in development are two seven-star hotels set to open in 2011 and 2012, the world's largest duty free shopping zone in Hai Tang Bay and the Island's first eco-tourism centre. The construction of about 30 new five-star hotels is underway and they open within two years. A space theme park is being planned for 2014/2015 and eight visitor centres in Haikou and 10 in Sanya are under construction.

The new bullet train from Haikou to Sanya city commenced operations this month.  It can reach speeds of up to 280km/h and will help facilitate faster and more environmentally friendly travel around the Island for an estimated 18 million passengers each year.

The Hainan Quality Assurance Program has commenced which will involve assessing and certifying hotels, tours, parks, restaurants and other tourist amenities.

Hainan has special Visa laws which allow free entry to tourist groups into Hainan for periods of up to 15 days for people from 27 countries, including Australia and New Zealand.

A feedback session at the Tourism Seminar gave the opportunity for some of the representatives from overseas countries to provide suggestions on how Hainan Island could be better equipped for international tourism. Suggestions included - have reasonable pricing, increase advertising, improve air quality, combine beach and mountain holidays, conduct driver education, encourage longer stays, more direct flights, and improving the language skills of tourism staff.

We then left the Grand Ballroom whilst the staff rearranged it from a seminar room to a dining room. In the foyer, we had the opportunity to talk with staff from various local Hainan Island travel agencies and organisations.

We then went back into the Grand Ballroom for a Farewell Dinner held by the Hainan Provincial Government. (The other people in our mini-bus convoy from other countries were leaving the next day, although we were staying an extra day.)  This was another magnificent Chinese banquet meal. There was no shortage of drinks provided with the meal. There were 5 glasses on the table for drinks including hot green tea, Chinese beer, red wine, coke or orange juice, and rice wine. The attentive staff continually replenished the liquids in the glasses throughout the meal. When someone from another countries table came over to greet one person at our Australian & New Zealand table it was customary for all to stand and toast each other.

After the Dinner, we boarded our min-bus and drove the short distance to The Urchin Theatre to see the magnificent 8.30pm evening live performance of ”Impressions Hainan".The theatre is shaped like a half Urchin Shell covering the seating area and has an open-air stage with views of the ocean some 50m away.

“Impression Hainan” is the latest live theatre performance from the acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou, the designer of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The show is spectacular, featuring over 250 young performers, actors and dancers with an average age of 19. “Impression Hainan” premiered on 3 April 2009 and shows to a live audience seven nights a week. It represents the essence of Hainan life – the history, uniqueness, ocean, flora and local traditions. The show includes special audio, water, visual and high-tech lighting effects. Tickets are well worth the $A45 per person admission price for the 1 hour 20 minute show.

The performance finished at 9.50pm and we went back to the Sheraton Haikou Resort in our mini-bus. I then went outside for a hot spring spa and swim in one of the Resorts many pools. The temperature has been 30 degrees each day on the Island, with the nights still warm enough for swimming. Hainan Island is indeed a land of tropical sunshine, clear blue ocean waters, white sandy beaches, lush tropical rainforests, fresh flowers and green trees.