Tropical island on course to be awash in visitors

Hainan plans to further cultivate its tropical resources to become an international tourism hotspot, says a top provincial tourism official.

The island is already well known to tourists from China for its beaches, forests, scenic rural landscapes and a rich ethnic folk culture.

The tourism industry has long been key to the island's economy, but in recent years it has raced ahead as infrastructure, the number of resorts and consumers' spending power have all vastly improved.