
China is offering increasing numbers of package tours to the manmade islands in the South China Sea in a bid to show its authority on the region.

It comes just months after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson threatened to block China's access to the area.

Despite the fact that several regions claim sovereignty over the South China Sea, China has plans to build holiday resorts that the government has compared to the Maldives.

Happy to be there: People pose with Chinese national flags after landing on Meiji Reef in the South China Sea

Very patriotic: Tourists pose with Chinese flags on one of the Paracel Islands in the disputed South China Sea

On March 3, state-run news agency Xinhua announced that a new cruise ship had embarked on its maiden voyage to the Paracel Islands - an area disputed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

The Changle Princess departed from the southern Chinese island of Hainan with 308 passengers on a four-day-long voyage.

According to the South China Morning Post, the tour groups at the moment only contain Chinese citizens and have a patriotic tone.

Tourists can visit three islands in the South China Sea.

During this month's National People's Congress, the government also announced that it wants to launch tour flights to the disputed areas of the South China Sea.

The crew of an airline walked down the stairs after landing at the airport in the Nansha Islands, China

In January, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that China should not be allowed to access the islands it had built in the region.

Tillerson said: 'We're going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and second your access to those islands is not going to be allowed.'

He also compared China's actions to that of 'Russia's taking of Crimea'.

Tillerson's remarks caused Chinese state media to say at the time that the United States would need to 'wage war' to stop them from accessing the islands.

China already operates flights to the Meiji reef in the area.

It also currently runs flights to Woody Island which China claims is the 'administrative centre for the South China Sea' despite the fact that Vietnam and Taiwan also have claims on the territory. However these flights are mainly for construction workers who are currently based there and their families.

Flights to Woody Island are currently priced at around 1,200 yuan one way (£139).

China claims all territory in the South China Sea. However Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also have claims on parts of the sea.

The South China Sea is a potentially energy rich area.