Visit Hainan - Australia's Leading Hainan Holiday and Tour website.

Until recent years, Hainan was a hidden paradise little known to the outside world. Now, however, the small tropical island that boasts the highest air quality in China and some of the world's cleanest cities is getting a lot more attention. From its emerald green waters and endless white, sandy beaches to its lush, mountainous rainforest core, Hainan is an ecotourism paradise.

 

For centuries, fresh air and natural resources have been deemed a cure for anxiety and the stress of a busy city life. Massage therapists and health spas fill their rooms with the sounds and smells of wilderness to attempt true physical and mental relaxation. But while we have all been listening to bird noise tapes and smelling incense-infused air, there has been a tropical paradise so close to home just waiting to be explored.

 

Hainan's climate and ecology have not gone unnoticed, and every year more people from around the world are coming to explore the island's ecotourism options. The island has a history of providing a sanctuary for trauma survivors to rest their minds, including children who survived the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, survivors from Russia's Beslan School hostage crisis in 2006, and more recently, the expected arrival of 500 children from quake-stricken areas of Japan.

 

Investment on the island in recent years has coincided with the development of environmentally friendly industries, with ecotourism as a priority. The island's surge in popularity is the direct result of a ten-year plan by the Chinese government to make Hainan a top international tourist destination by 2020, but one that maintains its cultural authenticity and high environmental sustainability.

 

Ecotourism is one of the fastest growing markets in the tourism sector. It has been implemented as an agent of change and its potential grasped in many areas of the world. Ecotourism means responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people, uniting conservation, communities and sustainable tourism projects.

 

Hainan has taken this concept on board and become one of China's top eco-friendly provinces and tourist destinations, ranked number 3 in China according to the National Environmental Quality Report. There are plenty of eco-tour options to choose from, many starting from the capital city Haikou, or Hainan's tourism capital Sanya.

 

Hainan Gate tourism company offers a variety of eco-friendly tours from trekking and exploring rainforest areas to diving and marine-life observation. Their tours include an experienced guide to educate their customers about the landscape and precious ecologies, as well as a culinary exploration of the islands famous food. Overnight options are available close to hot springs, many of which offer traditional Chinese massage.

 

Ecotourchina.com also offer a range of tour options through China's only tropical province, including visits to the villages of the Li and Miao minority ethnic groups. This is a fantastic way to learn about the various cultures and histories throughout the island and to connect with and provide business to the local people.

 

Hainan also prides itself on its numerous eco-friendly accommodation options, with a plethora of hotels awarded with the international 'Green Hotel' standards. The majestic Mandarin Oriental beachfront resort in central Sanya has been voted one of the top 10 eco-friendly hotels alongside winning numerous awards including the Best Luxury Resort in Hainan 2009, the Best Destination Spa award in 2010 and the CNN Traveller Best Spa Hotel for Privacy award in 2009.

 

Another luxury option is the Narada Resort and Spa which includes numerous sustainable practices into their eco-friendly resort. Nestled between the majestic Nuiling Mountain and the emerald green waters of the South China Sea, this hotel aims to blend with its natural habitat and protect the environment that surrounds it. The hotel ensures recycling of grey waters, solar heating, encouraging guests to re-use linen and recyclable fabrics to wrap amenities.

 

A quirkier eco-hotel option is Hainan's own treehouse resort, consisting of four luxury treehouses built in the tops of Tamarind trees. The treehouses are linked with rope bridges high above the forest floor. Each treehouse overlooks a pristine, empty virgin beach creating an atmosphere of boutique comfort amongst the wilderness of a deserted island.

 

The treehouses are the brainchild of self-proclaimed 'anti-architect- David Greenberg, whose unconventional ideas incorporate Zen Buddhism, Taoism and Chinese geomancy or feng shui in their structure.

 

Not far from the treehouse resort lies the Nanshan Buddhism cultural zone, Hainan's spiritual core. The zone encompasses 5000 acres of ecological park and gardens with many temples, pagodas and oriental gardens. Aside from the delicious vegetarian lunch option, the zone's highlight is the bronze statue of Guan Yin Buddha, standing 108 metres tall, larger than the statue of liberty.

 

Clearly, this tropical island has got it right when it comes to eco-tourism. Remember when you are a tourist it is always important to choose the eco-friendly option. Take a local guide who can explain the local area, people and flora and fauna, never litter, and take only photos. For more information about Hainan go to www.visithainan.com.au.

 

 

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