Leiqiong Volcano Geopark, with Haikou Shishan Volcanic Cluster Geopark as an essential part, gained entry into the Global Geoparks Network at the second United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International Geoparks Conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland recently.
This exciting news is expected to boost tourism in Haikou, capital of South China's Hainan Province, where Shishan geopark is located. Related authorities hope the geopark will emulate Huangshan Mountain and Lushan Mountain geoparks by building itself into a world-renowned tourist destination.
In May this year, a UNESCO expert group, accompanied by domestic geologists and government officials in relevant sectors, conducted a field study of Haikou Shishan volcanic group. With regards to the results of the survey, a senior official with the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) used three "goods" to summarize: The support from the local government was good; the job that the park's administration did was good; and the role that experts had played in the planning and construction of the park was good.
Jiang Jianjun, director of MLR's Geological Environment Department, said: "When it comes to geo-science popularization, we have found a solution in Haikou. Haikou geopark has done an excellent job of explaining profound ideas in a simple, vivid style. In comparison, the explanation other geoparks offer is too complex for common tourists to understand."
Currently, an increasing number of countries have begun to plan programmes for their geological heritages and landscapes of significant scientific, cultural and tourism value.
To date, China boasts 18 world geoparks, all of them elevated to the existing status from a national geopark.
The fact that Haikou Shishan Volcanic Cluster Geopark stands out from numerous domestic peers and then passes stringent surveys and evaluations by UNESCO experts proves its strength and irresistible attractiveness.
Facilities
Hainan Yewan Group Corporation is now building the facilities in the park. Three-star class toilets and movie theatres have been completed, while the construction of a green corridor linking the South Sea Avenue in downtown Haikou and the gate of the geopark is about to come to an end.
Having been awarded with the world geopark laurel, Haikou geopark is now striving to promote itself as a national 4A scenic area. According to the head of Hainan Yewan Group, the new goal is to turn the brand of world geoparks into a tourism product, combining science popularization and research, as well as ecological protection and development.
"The entry of Haikou geopark into the Global Geoparks Network means that Haikou owns an international brand as significant as the UNESCO World Heritage brand, which will exert far-reaching influence on the tourism of Hainan Province in general, as well as Haikou and the northern Hainan area in particular," said Tao Kuiyuan, the chief scientist of Leiqiong World Geopark, adding that: "Shishan Volcanic Cluster geopark and Zhanjiang Huguangyan geopark have joined hands to win the world geopark title in the name of Leiqiong geopark. And they will continue to offer quality geological tourism routes likewise."
In the future, Haikou geopark will attract institutions of higher learning and research institutes, both from home and abroad, to do their research and to study there. A series of tourism products highlighting the volcano ecological culture will be launched in hopes of forging a golden tourism route along the western coast of Haikou.
(China Daily 10/27/2006 page14)
