Hainan Island is quickly becoming one of south China's most popular tourist
destinations in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami disaster.
And with the nation-wide week-long Spring Festival holiday soon to arrive,
tour prices are skyrocketing.
Industry insiders attribute this to the devastating tsunamis that struck many
South East Asian nations.
Du Hui is from a domestic travel agency and tells us about the boom in
Hainan's tourism sector:
"Recently, we have two tourist groups setting off every week. And every group
contains more than 200 travelers. We've reserved tickets for the coming
festival, and are now busy offering consulting service to many peopleŁ¬" Du said.
In major Chinese cities, the cost of a Hainan tour by plane is basically
double the low season price. Some hotel rooms with a view of the sea have gone
from 1,500 to well over 4,000 yuan, or 500 US dollars a night.
A five star tour from the eastern province of Zhejiang to the island has been
priced at about 7,200 yuan, or 900 US dollars. The regular price for the same
tour is about 3,000 yuan, or 360 US dollars.
Additionally, since the completion of the rail link between Guangdong and
Hainan, many tourists are choosing to travel by train, which can chop 30 percent
off the cost of arriving by plane.
