Hainan might not – yet – have the advanced tourism infrastructure that can be found in Phuket, Bali or Langkawi, but it does have the massive advantage of being less than a four-hour plane ride from China’s major cities.

　　Can the southern Chinese island of Hainan be a realistic holiday alternative to Hawaii, or the already-established resorts of Southeast Asia?

　　International hoteliers certainly think so, hence the flurry of luxury properties being built along the prime southern beaches of China’s only tropical island.

　　Almost all the major luxury chains are represented in Hainan, or have a hotel being built, in anticipation of a massive surge of tourism during the next few years.

　　Hainan might not – yet – have the advanced tourism infrastructure that can be found in Phuket, Bali or Langkawi, but it does have the massive advantage of being less than a four-hour plane ride from China’s major cities.

　　People heading to Hainan on domestic flights do not need a visa, and the absence of queues for immigration or customs clearance, means they can be whizzing along the island’s newly-built highways within minutes of touchdown and sipping a pina colada on the beach within an hour.

　　“Sanya’s year-round balmy climate understandably makes it a primary destination for our Chinese clients, particularly during the winter months,” says Paul Jackson, general manager of the Mandarin Oriental in Coral Bay, a luxury low-rise resort. On average 70 percent of the hotel’s guests are from the Chinese mainland.

　　“It is such a contrast to come down from the cold winter of Beijing to the warmth and sunshine and beaches of Sanya. It is a huge attraction. I had a woman who brought one of her employees who had never seen the sea before – a lot of people, apart from the expats, are seeing the sea for the first time,” says Renaissance Sanya Resort and Spa General Manager Sean Baskett.

　　Such has been the popularity of Hainan’s first major tourist-oriented beach, Yalong Bay, that the government decided to allocate a second stretch of sand, along Haitang Bay, for development.

　　Building is taking place at a frantic rate, with Shangri-La, Sheraton, Intercontinental, Sofitel, Kempinski and a host of others embarking on schemes to build mega resorts.

　　A handful have already opened, including the gigantic Renaissance Sanya Resort and Spa that sprawls over 140,000 square meters, an area that also includes what is claimed to be the nation’s largest swimming pool, a 10,000-sq-m sculpted lagoon.

　　“I say to people that this place is China’s Hawaii,” says Baskett. It is a comparison that gets thrown around a lot, but the island has a similar climate, 300 days of sunshine, greenery and sandy beaches, a real contrast to the Chinese mainland.

　　Baskett describes Hainan as a hotelier’s field of dreams – a place where one can build a resort of this scale where the starting room size is 58 sq m.

　　“We can build a presidential suite, a restaurant with capacity for 320 and use world-class designers. In Australia, where I come from, you’d be much more worried about the return on investment and labor costs,” he says

　　“We have positioned ourselves for couples, with a pool and spa, and different areas around the hotel so people can relax and enjoy a romantic holiday. It is also appealing from a family point of view, (because we are) able to cater for parents, their children and also the grandparents,” he explains.

　　Baskett admits that Hainan does not have the cosmopolitan sophistication of Bali, or Phuket, where restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world can be found, but forecasts that will change as more and more international investments are made.

　　There are already golf courses galore, plans for a marine theme park, and a duty-free shopping zone, China’s first, and one of the world’s largest.

　　“Hainan has been declared the tourism island, and in the next five years, the infrastructure will really come in here to position Haitang as an international resort destination,” Baskett adds.

　　Even as recently as a decade ago, there was precious little development. The past five years in particular have seen massive building schemes begin, particularly along Yalong Bay and other scenic beaches within easy reach of the southern city of Sanya.

　　“The tourism industry will continue to develop rapidly. The government is working hard to make improvements and together with all the luxury brands arriving here, I think the island is set to become a very exciting destination indeed,” says Jackson of Mandarin Oriental.

　　“It gives the discerning traveler a chance to experience a different kind of island culture while still being able to enjoy all the luxuries they are used to. The natural beauty of the island with its tropical rainforests and hot springs is also noteworthy,” he says.

　　“Given the domestic and international focus on (it), and the continued development of the infrastructure to support it, I’m confident that Sanya has the potential to rival other established Asian destinations.”

　　Jackson is also confident that Hainan provides a serious alternative to those who have already visited the better known-island destinations.

　　“The unique design and beautiful landscaping of the resort attracts many international clients, primarily from Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, with Russia and Germany being our most important European markets,” he says.

　　Jackson also points to the hosting of major international events as an example of Hainan’s increasing maturity. Earlier this year, the island hosted a major show, targeting new millionaires seeking to buy yachts and private jets. Next year will see participants in the Volvo round the world yacht race head to the island.

　　The world’s fastest ocean racing yachts are due to arrive in Sanya in mid February, after sailing non-stop from the Middle Eastern nation of Abu Dhabi. Among them is Sanya Lan, which is being manned by a crack team, including top Chinese sailor Teng Jianghe, nicknamed Tiger.

　　The four-day stopover promises to be a revenue-generation bonanza, as thousands of followers of the glamorous sport jet into Hainan. The four-day stopover will include offshore races before the fleet sets off for the long haul to New Zealand.

　　The staging of events such as this, and the ever-rising international profile of once-sleepy Hainan, never ceases to amaze Michel Goget, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton in Yalong Bay.

　　Four years ago – when he first arrived – there was only one set of traffic lights on the entire island. Now it boasts highways linking north and south, along with a super-fast rail link.

　　“To put things into perspective, there was nothing here 10 years ago, nothing at all … nada, zilch, zero. I spent years in Florida, which is the riviera for North America, and I see similarities here. Back in the 1950s, Miami and the surrounding areas just grew and grew and I see Hainan expanding in the same way…only much faster,” Goget says.

　　Hainan is very appealing, especially for people who like playing golf. There are so many courses operating, or being built.

　　“I think Hainan is becoming a key resort of the Asia-Pacific region. When I am overseas, people ask, where is Hainan, and I tell them that it is the size of Belgium, with 8 million people. In just over 12 months, they have built over 300 kilometers of railway track, from Haikou to Sanya. I don’t know anywhere else in the world that can do things at that pace. There are plans for four airports: the expansion of the current two and two new ones,” Goget says.

　　The incoming planes bring Chinese tourists who tend to spend freely when on holiday, and not just on souvenirs and trinkets. The Ritz-Carlton, for example, has boutiques selling the pricey luxury products of European designer brands Louis Vuitton and Salvatore Ferragamo.

　　There are plans for a massive duty-free shopping complex close to Haitang Bay, where tourists will be able to buy luxury goods and claim back tax when leaving the island. A smaller-scale duty-free outlet that opened earlier this year has been an overwhelming hit with the public, recording 140,000 visitors in its first eight days.