Tourists fish at a fish farm in Sanya. [Photo by Yuan Chen/Hainan Daily]
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hainan Province announced recently that five cities and a county in the province will be among the first batch of pilot cities and counties for recreational fishing.
The cities of Haikou, Sanya, Qionghai, Wenchang, and Wanning, as well as Ledong Li autonomous county will carry out a series of recreational fishery supporting projects as they have conditions for the development of recreational sea fishing, fishing experiences and sightseeing, seafood, homestay, festivals, as well as marine science education.
The pilot areas will begin receiving tourists during this year's National Day, expand tourist reception around New Year's Day, and achieve normalization of tourists by the Spring Festival in 2021.
Due to its immense potential, recreational fishing is an important trend for the development of modern fisheries and the marine economy. It is expected to play a significant role in transforming fisheries, increasing fishermen's incomes, building an international tourist consumption center, and implementing the rural revitalization strategy in Hainan.
Haikou will be the first pilot area and it will open recreational fishing to the public at the end of August.
The first batch of pilot areas will be put into practice in accordance with relevant documents, exploring the recreational fishing operation model for other places to learn from, as well as promoting the upgrading of the fishery industry, according to an official from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hainan Province.
Tourists fish on a yacht in Hainan. [Photo by Yuan Chen/Hainan Daily]
Haikou 
Sanya 
Sansha 
