"Hong Kong is an important source of tourism for Hainan, and it's an international platform for promoting Hainan tourism," said Albert Yip, director-general of the Sanya Tourism Promotion Board. "Hainan has visa-free access to tourists from 59 countries. With this policy, it can work together with Hong Kong to launch multi-destination travel products to draw more global tourists. We can create a one-hour flight circle to give more entertainment options to our international tourists."

Yip noticed that over the past decades, Hong Kong has successfully held a number of world-class events, and the board has been in touch with relevant enterprises and associations to kick-start projects in the city.

This year, the board will work closely with Hong Kong to offer more tourist attractions and prepare a lineup of events, such as music festivals, concerts and high-end but affordable arts exhibitions, shows and conventions.