Published on : Saturday, June 23, 2018
Hainan is the Chinese tropical island seeking to become a global tourism attraction. Recently, the Chinese government has taken some measures to promote tourism. The government is allowing the foreign visitors access to currently blocked sites as Youtube and Facebook.
The usage of services including Facebook and Twitter would be allowed in areas of Hainan’s two biggest cities of Haikou and Sanya. It is according to the provincial Chinese government’s three-year plan posted on its official website.
The document said that the network access would be granted in areas where tourists gather, without being more specific. It also didn’t say if the proposal has the support of the national government.
The foreign tourists are now hoping to visit the Chinese island of Hainan under a new “visa-free” scheme may end up spending a day in the arrivals lounge “being processed” and will have their fingerprints taken.
The Beijing Government waived the visa requirement to lure travellers to the tropical province, which it also plans to develop as a free-trade port. Under the new policy, which was announced in April by the State Immigration Administration, individuals and groups from 59 countries – including Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States – are allowed to visit Hainan for up to 30 days without a visa.
Wang Huailiang, a spokesman for Hainan’s Exit and Entry Administration, said that the foreign visitors who are entitled to visa-free entry to Hainan must submit their personal information to the public security bureau and immigration inspection agency via a local travel agency. People are advised to submit their documents to a travel agency 48 hours before entry. Local travel agents will then pass them on to the relevant authorities.
Previously, the Chinese government blocks a raft of foreign websites and social networks through a sophisticated network of censors known as the Great Firewall, restricting access to Instagram and Snapchat as well as foreign media including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Google has had most of its services blocked for years after the company refused to self-censor search results.But now, for the foreign access they are aiming to cut the censorship.
Tags: china, Haikou and Sanya, hainan island