Catering to foreign tastes

Zhu Yingliang is one of many small-business owners likely to benefit from a rise in the number of international tourists visiting Hainan. The 53-year-old runs the Zhongyuan Yuantai Mini Market in Zhongyuan town in Qionghai, central Hainan.

"We've started to see an increase in the number of visitors during the past three years, particularly from the mainland," he said. "We have also seen a rise in the number of foreign tourists from Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, and we stock a wide range of items for them, such as coffee."

Li Bing, 26, works in her parents' cafe, the Changrong Tea House, also in Zhongyuan, and also earns up to 2,000 yuan ($322) a month by working at the local visitors' center.