News
BFA airport plans 2010 take-off
By Zhang Xin (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-17 08:07
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Greater convenience for delegates and reduced transit times are now the long-term aims of organizers of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA).
The key element of this policy has been the development of a dedicated Boao Airport, scheduled to open to passengers before the end of 2010.
Fu Xuanchao, mayor of Qionghai, said: "Construction has already begun on Boao Airport. In the future it will be the key means of participants gaining access to the forum. We believe that this will be a major contribution to further developing the annual Boao event as Asia's leading economic forum."
The forum has now been held annually in Boao, a small town under the administration of Qionghai, for the last eight years.
As a well-established, high-profile international platform for government ministers, academics and business leaders from across the world to assemble and address issues of global concern, the forum now commands attendance from some of the world's most high-profile individuals.
The 2008 event saw the leaders of 10 different countries traveling to Boao.
Explaining the need for the new facilities, Fu said: "It usually takes some two hours for participants to travel by car from either Haikou or Sanya airports. In future, it will only take delegates 15 minutes to travel from the new airport to the conference center. At the moment, even the existing helipad facilities at Boao are somewhat limited.
He added that Boao Airport, which will be open to both the public and to business travelers, will reduce local reliance on Haikou and Sanya airports
The new airport will be located in Zhongyuan Village, approximately 12 km from the Boao forum venues and cover an area of 2 million sq m.
Investment in the new facility is said to have exceeded 800 million yuan and will see the construction of a runway suitable for international air traffic, including Boeing 737s and the Airbus 320.
Besides providing air transportation for the annual Boao Forum, the new airport will also support local service industries, including tourism, exhibitions and conventions.
Fu said:"The service sector has grown hugely in Boao in recent years. This has been fuelled by the natural beauty of the area, our excellent leisure facilities and knock-on fame from the Forum itself."
Boao currently has seven star rated hotels across its two primary development zones, the Binhai Tourism Development Zone and the Shuicheng International Convention and Leisure Center.
(China Daily 04/17/2009 page24)
