Hainan a place of exile no more as white sands and blue water beckon for tourists

Records indicate that only 18 hardy souls toured the island of Hainan by choice during the 700-year period spanning the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties.

Beyond the fringes of Han civilisation, Hainan was regarded as a godforsaken place of exile, home to barbarous head-hunting tribes and traitorous officials - certainly not a destination for a relaxing weekend break.

Today, in the southern beach resort of Sanya , barbarity is largely confined to young mainland couples garishly dressed in matching Hawaiian beach outfits and obese Russians in tiny Speedos baked lobster-red under the tropical sun.

Already a favourite of mainland holidaymakers, Hainan's turquoise waters, white sands, lush rainforests and mist-wreathed mountains are beginning to attract foreign tourists.

Last year, more than 5 million tourists flocked to Sanya's palm-fringed coast, including 522,000 from overseas, 134,000 more than the year before.

Tourist officials are criss-crossing Europe promoting Sanya as 'China's tropical paradise' in a bid to compete with more popular destinations in Southeast Asia.

'The huge increase in foreign tourists over the past few years brings the prospect of emulating Phuket, Bali and other famous tourist destinations within 20 or 30 years,' Hainan's deputy governor, Wu Changyuan, told provincial delegates at this year's meeting of the National People's Congress in Beijing.