HAIKOU, July 22/.TASS/. Revenues from tourism in China's Hainan province for the first six months of 2019 amounted to 49.1 billion yuan (about $ 7.14 billion), which is 9.1% higher than the figures for the same period last year, Xinhua reported.

During this period, the province of Hainan, famous for its picturesque nature and advanced infrastructure of resort towns, was visited by 38.6 million tourists. This figure increased by 6% YoY.

Thirty-three tourist, recreational and sports projects are currently being implemented in order to develop the tourism industry on the island. Total investments are estimated at about 26.6 billion yuan ($ 3.9 billion). In recent years, tourism projects have been actively developed in rural areas of Hainan, the duty-free shops on the island, where sales have been growing steadily, are always popular.

The regional authorities hope that the development of tourism in the province will also be facilitated by a program aimed at creating favorable conditions for local cruise liners entering the local ports and the development of new routes for tourists.

By 2025, the Chinese government intends to create an "international center for tourism and consumption" on Hainan. In order to do so, the "Hawaii of the East" with its unique natural landscapes, thick rainforests and great climate will establish a developed network of hotels, which blend perfectly with its white sandy beaches stretching along the coastline. The combination of an exotic subtropical nature and a modern eco-friendly infrastructure will boost tourist inflow to the island from the most distant parts of the world.