Hainan island hopes to become China's Phuket
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-03-11 09:34

To that end, the province, which is also a center of rubber, sugar and banana production, may ban plastic bags, Wei said.

But foreign tourists who have been to Hainan for a beach holiday say it still has a long way to go before being able to give Thailand a run for its money.

"It's very beautiful but there's not much to do compared to Thailand, like water skiing," said U.S. citizen Karen Fang.

Cultural differences perplex too, in a country where having a sun tan has traditionally been looked down on as a sign of hard work under a blazing sky in the fields.

"It's very relaxing, and there's not very many people on the beach, but you might get stared at if you're in your bikini," Fang said. "Groups of men -- and women -- would come up and stare at us."