Where is Hainan island?
Hainan Island is in Yalong Bay, off the coast of China’s Guangdong province, and
geographically between Hong Kong and Vietnam. It is China’s up and coming resort
destination with very little development by China’s standards.
Hainan is known as the Hawaii of the East, because of its tropical climate and because
it also lies on the same latitude as Hawaii.
Most major hotel brands are currently managing, or building, properties there.
The three main areas for conference and incentive groups are Sanya, Haikou and Boao
(pronounced Bo-ow). Each is appealing to groups for different reasons.
How do I get there?
Air access to Hainan Island is available from 26 countries and most visitors can get a visa
on arrival, unlike the rest of the country.
Sanya’s Phoenix Airport is 30 minutes from most of the five-star resorts on Yalong Bay,
and 15 minutes from Sanya Bay.
Sanya is the island’s biggest city. It is home to 500,000 people and the majority of the
island’s five-star hotels. However the capital is Haikou, which is in the north and also has
its own airport.
Hainan Island is a three-hour flight from Singapore and only 50 minutes from Hong
Kong, making it an ideal midpoint for regional meetings.
How do we get around?
The island’s roads are some of the best in the China, on a par with Beijing and Shanghai.
The driving time from Sanya to Haikou is three hours, but this will be drastically reduced with the opening of the new maglev (magnetic levitation) train early in 2008.
Anything else I need to know?
A 292-room Mandarin Oriental Resort will open in the second half of 2007 with a 300-
capacity ballroom room. Ritz-Carlton is to open a 450-room resort in 2008, with a 2,800 sqm
spa and 1,700 sqm of meeting space. Banyan Tree Sanya Resort and Spa will also open
late 2008 with 49 villas set around a lagoon.
CEI PLANNER'S GUIDE TO HAINAN ISLAND
Five-star resort hotels, excellent infrastructure and pristine beaches are helping to attract meeting and incentive groups from across the Asia Pacific region.
