Prospects, challenges

On June 1, a master plan was released for the Hainan Free Trade Port, which aims to build the whole island into a globally influential high-level free trade port by the middle of the century.

Tan and Huang said they had read the details of the plan and will keep an eye out for specific measures, as they believe the move will promote the island's village homestay sector and further drive rural revitalization.

Although Hainan has seen rapid growth in village tourism, the province still faces challenges in learning how to make full use of idle land in rural areas if it wants to achieve further improvement of the village homestay industry, as laid down by the plan.

"Government departments will need to undertake more research on exchanging information with the outside world about the requirements of our villages and how to attract more investors to develop them," said Sun Linghui, an official in Sanya's Jiyang district.

The plan noted that a rising number of tourists are seniors who visit the tropical island to enjoy the warm environment during winter, so efforts should be intensified to develop more long-term village homestays and related nursing projects.