Top holiday hot spot takes industrial lead

By Liang Kaiyan | China Daily | Updated: 2019-08-23 07:50

With beach resorts, miles of coastline and burgeoning marine industries, Sanya in Hainan province has taken a leading role in developing the nationwide marine economy.

In recent years, the marine economy has accounted for about 30 percent of Sanya's total GDP, according to a city government report.

In 2018, the total output value of marine production was 22 billion yuan ($3.12 billion), an increase of 15.59 percent year-on-year. It accounted for 37 percent of the city's GDP.

In the first half of 2019, its output value reached 12.8 billion yuan and is expected to achieve 25.5 billion yuan at the end of this year, the report said.

With a 263-kilometer-long coastline, the city is known as an ocean paradise. Sanya has been pushing to develop its marine industries in recent years.

The government figure showed that Sanya received a total of 22.43 million visits and its tourism revenue reached 51.47 billion yuan in 2018, up 17 percent year-on-year.

Thanks to its geographical location, Sanya continues to develop its tourism products, such as cruises, yachting and sightseeing helicopter tours. The city is also exploring the development of its specific fishery brands.

Development efforts include establishing deep-water net-cage culturing, streamlining aquatic products processing, constructing elaborate aquafarms and building fishing villages.

By building Sanya into an international tourism destination in Hainan, advancing the construction of the China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone and promoting other national strategies, the city has further optimized its layout after moving Sanya Port's freight business to Nanshan Port. Thus the Nanshan Port area has become the only ocean port open to international shipping. It helps to facilitate foreign trade and improve the city's business environment.

Hainan authorities have also assisted in the launch of a laboratory of deep-sea technology. It has cooperated with universities and institutes at home and abroad to build a national deep-sea technology research center and a top deep-sea technology innovation platform.

As a major location of the National South China Seed Breeding Base, which conducts research based on the city's unique climate, Sanya has ramped up efforts to encourage local institutes and companies to engage in seed breeding, aid in developing the seed breeding sector and form an industrial chain covering research, trade, exhibition and promotion.

In 2018, a Maritime Silk Road financial headquarters base was established in Sanya. The move has given the city an edge to develop more marine financial products, strengthened its financing ability in the marine field and helped Sanya develop into a city with a flourishing marine economy.

The city will develop high-quality marine tourism by upgrading traditional coastal travel routes, improving facilities and developing complete products, officials said.

In addition, the coastal city will continue to develop more high-tech marine companies by rolling out preferential policies and building platforms involving multiple areas. It will promote its ocean technology innovation capabilities by attracting senior personnel.

Sanya will establish an internet-based marine information system and promote the modern ocean service industry with the application of technologies including big data as part of its effort to expand the value of the marine industry.