To further showcase the unique tourism and cultural resources of the Hainan Free Trade Port and deepen tourism and cultural exchange between Hainan and Malaysia, the Hainan Tourism and Culture Promotion Event, hosted by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province, was grandly held in Kuala Lumpur on April 17. The event attracted around 120 participants, including government representatives, tourism industry elites, and media professionals from both sides, to jointly explore new directions for tourism exchange and cooperation between Hainan and Malaysia.
Hainan and Malaysia share geographical proximity and convenient travel connections, creating natural advantages for deepening tourism cooperation. Currently, Hainan offers visa-free entry for citizens of 77 countries, 144-hour visa-free access for foreign tour groups from Hong Kong and Macao, and a 240-hour visa-free transit policy. Malaysia, with its mature international tourism services, complements Hainan in terms of policies and resources, providing broad prospects for cooperation and international tourism market expansion.
The event opened with a lively performance of the Hainan-themed song Cool Cool Hainan, which immediately energized the audience. In his speech, Norhayati Zainuddin, Deputy Director (East Asia Division) of Tourism Malaysia’s International Promotion Division, highlighted the strong results of recent collaborations between Malaysia and Hainan in tourism and trade, driven by shared tropical resources and cultural ties. He emphasized Malaysia’s unique appeal as the “Charm of Asia” and expressed hopes for deeper cooperation with Hainan in expanding flight routes, integrating culture and tourism, and youth exchange programs to achieve mutually beneficial development.
Yuan Xuliang, a senior researcher at the International and Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Market Promotion Division of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province, delivered a speech introducing Hainan’s abundant tourism resources, tropical allure, and rich cultural heritage. He noted that as China’s largest special economic zone and the world’s largest free trade port, Hainan is accelerating its customs closure operations and promoting integrated development of tourism and culture. Leveraging its visa-free policies, Hainan is actively expanding global tourism promotions and inbound tourism. The province also capitalizes on its unique free trade port tax incentives—such as the 15% corporate income tax, 15% individual income tax, and duty exemptions for processing value-added goods—to build itself into a paradise for tourism, entrepreneurship, and investment. He expressed hopes for shared opportunities and deeper cultural and tourism cooperation with Malaysia along the Maritime Silk Road, further expanding international tourist markets.
During the event, representatives from the Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports, the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Administration, and the Wuzhishan City Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports each delivered presentations, showcasing their unique tourism advantages and resources.
To further expand Hainan’s tourism brand influence in the Southeast Asian market, on April 18, the Hainan delegation participated in the MATTA FAIR International Travel Exhibition in Malaysia. Under the theme “Sunny Hainan, Vacation Paradise,” the Hainan booth featured visual displays, videos, and physical exhibits highlighting medical tourism, multi-destination travel products, the Hainan “dual-ring” scenic highway, and free trade port policies. Visitors could also scan QR codes to access the latest tourism and cultural information about Hainan. The exhibition served as a key initiative to strengthen Hainan’s presence in the Southeast Asian market and created a synergistic effect with the promotion event, further facilitating tourism resource sharing and joint market development between the two regions, while offering global tourists richer and more diverse travel options.
The successful hosting of the “Hainan Tourism and Culture Promotion Event (Kuala Lumpur)” not only showcased the unique charm of “Sunny Hainan, Vacation Paradise” to Malaysian tourists but also built a two-way bridge for exchange. Looking ahead, Hainan will continue to leverage its free trade port’s openness and policy advantages to deepen cooperation with Malaysia in tourism, culture, and other key areas, jointly building a model of tourism and cultural exchange along the Belt and Road, and promoting high-quality development of the tourism industry in both regions, offering global travelers more diverse and high-quality travel experiences.
