According to the latest statistics from the Baoting Tourism Bureau of Hainan Province, as of October 2014, the year’s tourist arrivals reached 2,906,623 person-times, a year-on-year increase of 26.16%, far surpassing the total number of visitors during the same period last year. As winter approaches, many domestic tourist attractions begin to enter the off-season, especially in North and Northeast China, where visitor numbers have dropped sharply. Baoting County’s tourism trend reversal is not only attributed to its unique rainforest hot spring resources, but also closely tied to the differentiated tourism image positioning by government departments, as well as the rational planning and support from the local tourism bureau.
In addition to precise positioning and sound planning, the Baoting County Government and Tourism Bureau have spared no effort in promoting local tourism. The “Water-Splashing Festival,” which has been held for 13 consecutive years, has become a representative cultural event of Baoting and has won multiple honors. In 2010, it was awarded the title of “2010 China’s Top Ten Famous Festival Brands,” and in 2011, it was recognized by the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Organization and others as “China’s Most Popular Folk Festival.” Today, the Water-Splashing Festival has become an important platform for Baoting to promote the Li and Miao cultures. Meanwhile, other ethnic cultural elements such as Li and Miao folk festivals, Nanyao (southern herbal medicine) culture, specialty cuisine, totem culture, and traditional customs have also stood out among the highly competitive array of domestic tourism offerings.
As early as 2010, the “Hainan International Tourism Island Construction Development Plan Outline” approved by the National Development and Reform Commission included Baoting County among the 17 key tourism development zones in Hainan. In October 2013, Sanya officially formed the “Greater Sanya Tourism Circle” together with six neighboring southern cities and counties including Baoting, Wanning, and Wuzhishan. As Sanya’s backyard, Baoting’s current tourism development momentum undoubtedly plays a key role in shaping the distinctive tourism blueprint of “Blue Sanya, Green Baoting, and Romantic Ends of the Earth.” Today, the Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County has become a true central tourism hub and a model of green tourism in central Hainan. Relying on its rainforests, hot springs, Nanyao resources, folk culture, and government support, Baoting has successfully established itself as China’s only tropical rainforest hot spring capital.