Sanya partners with Taiwan on tourism, three LOIs signed

On May 31st, 2019, the Sanya-Taiwan Tourism Exchange and Cooperation Symposium and Signing Ceremony was held at Mangrove Tree Resort World Sanya Bay. Representatives from the Sanya and Taiwan tourism industries carried out extensive discussions on topics such as “Tourism+” and tourism management. Three tourism-related Letters of Intent on Cooperation were signed at the symposium.

Chen Tiejun, member of the CPC Sanya Municipal Committee, and Executive Vice Mayor of the Sanya Municipal People’s Government, conducted the symposium. He said that Sanya should learn from Taiwan’s rich experience in the tourism industry. Since last year, Sanya has stepped up innovation in tourism product development and business development. High-end consumer products such as cruise vacations and yacht sightseeing offerings have gradually become mass consumer products. Emerging tourism products have been developed, including medical tourism, wedding tourism, sports tourism, MICE tourism, shopping tourism, rural tourism, gourmet tourism, and more. Sanya will strive to provide tourists with more convenient, more complete, and more personalized holiday experiences.

Chen Zhenmin, Director of the Sanya Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau, attended the symposium and delivered a brief introduction on Sanya’s tourism industry, and the vision for cooperation between the two parties. He said that in-depth communication and cooperation between Hainan and Taiwan will be promoted by a variety of means, including the opening of a Sanya-Kaohsiung direct air route, the establishment of a Sanya Tourism Promotion Center in Taiwan, the establishment of communications mechanisms between the two parties, cultural and creative products contests, gourmet festivals, and photography exhibitions.

Xiao Boren, President of the Travel Agent Association of Taiwan, expressed his hope that under the auspices of increased cooperation between Sanya and Taiwan, more tourism products will be developed for Taiwanese tourists and more Taiwanese tourism enterprises will set up branches in Sanya, with the goal of achieving win-win results.

During the symposium, three agreements were signed: a Letter of Intent on Cooperation, a Letter of Intent on Cooperation in Tourism Quality Assurance, and a Letter of Intent for the Establishment of a Sanya Tourism (Taiwan) Promotion Center. The agreements were signed by the Sanya Federation of Tourism Associations and the Travel Agent Association of Taiwan.

Taiwan is Sanya’s second-largest tourist source. At present, direct air routes between the two locations include the Sanya-Taipei and Sanya-Taichung air routes. In 2018, Sanya received 84,000 tourists from Taiwan, a year-on-year increase of 27 percent. As of this April, Sanya has received 29,000 Taiwanese tourists this year, up 45.2 percent year on year.