2009 China Year of Ecotourism Opens

（Shao Qiwei and Luo Baoming jointly press down the starter of 2009 Chinese Year of Ecotourism.）

With the advent of a new year, everything is taking on a new start. On January 1, 2009, co-organized by National Tourism Administration and the People’s Government of Hainan Province, 2009 Chinese Year of Ecotourism was officially launched in Sanya, Hainan Province. As Shao Qiwei, Director of National Tourism Administration and Luo Baoming, Governor of Hainan Province jointly pressed down the starter, 2009 Chinese Year of Ecotourism unveiled its curtain.

Also present at the launch ceremony were Wang Guangxian, Vice Director of the Committee of Population, Resources and Environment under National People’s Congress; Cai Zhenhua, Vice Director of General Administration of Sport; Cheng Fei, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce; Fang Xiaoyu, First Deputy Governor of Hainan Province; Wang Faren, Vice Director of Hainan People’s Congress; Chen Cheng, Deputy Governor of Hainan Province; Shi Yiyun, Vice Chairman of Hainan Committee of CPPCC; Liu Ping, Deputy Governor of Yunnan Province; Zhu Shanzhong, party group member of National Tourism Administration; Lu Zhiyuan, Governor Assistant of Hainan Province and Director of Hainan Bureau of Tourism; and Wang Yong, Deputy Party Secretary and Acting Mayor of Sanya. Under the theme of “walking into green tourism and experiencing ecological civilization”, the ceremony has also attracted an audience of more than 500 including leaders from over 10 provincial and municipal tourism departments, representatives from tourism business and those engaged in tourism in Hainan.

（Address by Shao Qiwei, Director of National Tourism Administration）

Shao Qiwei started his address by conveying warm greetings to 11 million workers in the tourism industry nationwide. He stated: “National Tourism Administration has identified the year of 2009 as Chinese Year of Ecotourism with the theme as “walking into green tourism and experiencing ecological civilization". It is part of overall planning on building an ecological civilization as outlined in the 17th National Congress of the CPC and a specific measure to materialize the Outlook on Comprehensive, Coordinated and Sustainable Development. This effort can help meet the ever-increasing needs for ecotourism around the world, and promote an environment-friendly tourism development idea, a cost-effective operation model in the tourism industry and harmonious coexistence between human and nature. More importantly, this is a real action to fight against the ongoing international financial crisis, develop new attractions for tourism consumption, expand domestic consumption in tourism and serve national economic and social development. I hope the whole national tourism system can create a good social environment where ecotourism is valued, participated and promoted, thus making contributions to the formation and display of a socialist ecological civilization featured by a high level of harmony between human and nature.”

　
In his address, Shao Qiwei also said, Hainan is a strong force in China’s tourism and has enough social and economic strength to speed up the development of tourism industry. National Tourism Administration will throw full weight in the efforts of Hainan to build an international island. 

（Address by Luo Baoming, Governor of Hainan Province）
　　

Luo Baoming said in his address that Hainan is home to a unique ecological environment and its marine ecological tourism has huge market potentials and advantages. In recent years, Hainan has always taken ecological environment as lifeblood of its economic and social development. In 1999 Hainan was the first in China to put forward a target of building an ecological province and shaping tourism as a pillar industry of Hainan with a focus on the development of an international tourism island and transformation and upgrading of tourism industry. Hainan will take the program as an opportunity, learn from those well-established experiences from other provinces or municipalities and create a brand of ecotourism, thus playing its due role in the development of China’s tourism industry.

　
In his address, Wang Yong said, as part of the efforts of Hainan to build an international tourism island, Sanya will highlight the “green” and “ecological” ideas of vacation and recreation, create first-class ecological environment and build Sanya into an international seaside tropical tourism city that is leading in Asia and famous around the world.

　　
It is reported that in recent years, ecotourism is booming in China and has become a popular tourism product among domestic and foreign travelers, which is environment-friendly, green and strikes a balance between human and nature. 2009 Chinese Year of Ecotourism is designed to further promote ecotourism products, raise awareness of environment-friendly tourism concepts, advocate vigorously a cost effective tourism operation mode, meet the real needs of evolving tourism consumption trend and build China’s tourism sector into a green industry with sustainability.

（The launch ceremony of 2009 Chinese Year of Ecotourism takes place in Sanya, Hainan.）