South China island city expects continued tourism boom

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 ◆ South China island city expects continued tourism boom

The number of visitors to Sanya City, one of China's most popular tourist destinations on the southern tip of Hainan Island Province, is expected to double to 6 million annually by 2010.

By then, overseas tourists will make up 35 to 40 percent of the total and the tourism sector will contribute 70 percent to the city's gross domestic product (GDP), said a local tourism official.

Sanya has grown from a small fishing village into a 20-sq-km city abounding in natural tourism resources.

Last year, the city hosted over 3 million tourists and raked in 2.4 billion yuan (about 289 million US dollars) in earnings from tourism industry.