Lingshui receives over five million tourists in 2018

A train-shaped B&B in Da'aiyuan village, Lingshui [Photo by Wu Wei and Hu Yang/Hainan Daily]

Lingshui Li autonomous county in Hainan received over 5.31 million tourists in 2018, an increase of 20.85 percent over 2017, setting a new record and continuing the recent trend, according to the local tourism commission.

Over 2.8 million tourists spent the night in the county, a year-on-year increase of 21.93 percent, and 2.52 million took a day tour of the county, an increase of 16.55 percent. Total tourism revenue reached 3.59 billion yuan ($532.92 million), an increase of 20.05 percent over 2017.

Great achievements were made in rural tourism in Lingshui last year. The countryside received 936,000 tourists, earning a total of 23.28 million yuan in tourism revenue.

The achievements were due in part to Lingshui's advantageous location and attractive tourist resorts. Promotional and marketing activities also attracted more tourists and improved the county's reputation.

Zhou Xiaoqing, director of the tourism commission, said that Lingshui still faced some issues, such as the imbalanced development of tourism-related industries and a lack of exploration in rural trips.

It has been reported that in 2019, Lingshui plans to develop B&Bs in the countryside and offer favorable policies to mobilize people from all walks of life to contribute to the building of a pilot free trade zone and a free trade port. More local specialties will be produced to make up for the county's underdeveloped shopping tourism.

Water sport activities are popular among tourists on Lingshui's Boundary Island. [Photo by Wu Wei and Tong Guoqiang/Hainan Daily]