This southernmost Chinese province of Hainan hosted 11.24 million domestic and overseas tourists last year, up 9.2 percent from the same period over 2000.

The province earned 8.65 billion yuan (about US$ 1.04 billion) in tourism industry in the same year, a rise of 10.1 percent, said sources from local tourism administrative bureau.

The island province, with a population of 7 million, also saw a rise of 30 percent in the number of overseas tourists last year.

Hainan is especially attractive among domestic and overseas tourists for its large number of hot springs, plenty of sunshine, beautiful beaches and unpolluted seawater.

The island province is also one of the country's five special economic zones where preferential treatment in economic development has been practiced.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2002)