Hainan champions sports tourism

Tourists sail on the sea of Hainan's Sanya during the recent May Day holiday. [Photo by Sun Qing/For China Daily]

China's resort island, Hainan, hopes the development of sports tourism will become a new economic growth point as the province reopens to tourists as the outbreak comes under control in the country.

During the recent May Day holiday, Lei Wen and his girlfriend traveled to the island from northern China's Shandong province to learn how to sail in Wanning city's Shimei Bay.

They learned to control the sailboat's speed and direction. After an hour's voyage, they arrived at an uninhabited island surrounded by clear water where they practiced open-water diving.

"Thanks to the protection of the natural environment, coral reefs are so beautiful here," Lei says.

"Sailing is an environmentally friendly tourism activity. It not only lets tourists learn how to sail but also enjoy the wonderful scenery at sea," says Chen Qiuyu, manager of a sailing company.

Hainan aims to build a sports-tourism demonstration zone covering the whole island by 2025, according to a plan released by the provincial government in April.

"Hainan has identified sports tourism as a development strategy because of the advantages of visa-free entry policies and the island's unique natural resources," says Xu Xianghong, an official from Hainan's sports bureau.

"Efforts will be made to develop ocean sports, such as surfing, sailing, diving, fishing, yachting and dragon boat racing."

Shanghai University of Sport professor Shi Yong believes China's sports-tourism market has huge potential, as health and fitness awareness will increase following the epidemic.

"After the outbreak, sports will account for a larger proportion of the tourism market," he says.

The sector is expected to grow 10 percent year-on-year, and revenue is expected to reach 1.6 trillion yuan ($230 billion) by the end of 2021, he says.