Will Poseidon’s US$17,200 undersea duplex at Atlantis resort be Hainan’s tourism calling card?

At the Poseidon Suite at Fosun Group’s new Atlantis resort in Sanya, several floor-to-ceiling windows in the submerged duplex offer views out into the undersea world of the Ambassador Lagoon, one of the world’s largest open-air aquariums, containing close to 100,000 marine animals.

The 340-square metre (3,660 sq ft) suite, which will set its occupants back an auspicious 108,888 yuan (US$17,200) per night, is one of five completely submerged rooms under the lagoon, served exclusively by two lifts.

The 1,314-room sail-shaped hotel, is a replica of similar properties in The Bahamas, Dubai and one being built on Oahu in the Hawaiian islands. It is the poster child for China’s southernmost province of Hainan – known as “China’s Hawaii”, which plans to double the number of foreign tourists to 2 million by the end of this year to bolster one of the country’s most underdeveloped regions.

Hainan’s government earlier this month unveiled a plan to provide visa-free entry to visitors from 59 countries, the first such rule allowed for a local government on mainland China.

“Hainan is facing an unprecedented opportunity for growth and development,” said Xu Xiaoliang, Fosun’s co-president, during the resort’s opening this recent weekend. “The government’s policies for nurturing the province’s growth were the equivalent of a big fat red envelope for the island.”