"Travel enthusiasts" safely return to Sanya and disembark in an orderly manner.
Hainan Executive Vice Governor Tan Li emphasized at a meeting held in Haikou on the 17th that the waters of the Xisha Islands in Hainan have not yet been opened to tourism, and organizing tours there without permission constitutes illegal business operations.
The Hainan Provincial Tourism Work Conference and the Spring Festival Holiday Tourism Work Conference were held in Haikou on the 17th. Executive Vice Governor Tan Li made the above remarks when discussing the incident earlier this month in which "travel enthusiasts" illegally took a fishing boat to the Xisha Islands for tourism and encountered danger.
On January 8 of this year, 23 "travel enthusiasts" illegally took a fishing boat to the Xisha Islands for tourism. They encountered rough seas and mechanical failure on the boat, becoming stranded in the waters near Ya Gong Island in the Xisha Islands. After nearly four days of emergency rescue, they safely returned to land.
Tan Li stated that after the incident, Hainan organized rescue efforts on one hand, and on the other hand formulated relevant measures to strengthen management and penalize the illegal organizers. He said that phenomena such as "illegal tour guides" and "illegal travel agencies" have emerged in Xisha tourism.
According to a report by Xinhua Net, the act of illegally organizing Xisha tourism via the internet has existed since 2004, and has shown an increasing trend every year since then.
Sansha City in Hainan was established last July, and when the Xisha Islands will be opened to tourism has become a focus of attention. Tan Li revealed that in 2012, Hainan officially launched the preparation of the South China Sea (Xisha) tourism development plan. At present, the preliminary route planning for Xisha tourism has been completed, and trial voyages have been carried out. Hainan is awaiting approval from the National Tourism Administration to begin Xisha tourism, which is expected to be realized in 2013.