Wedding Event To Coincide With Haikou Yacht Economy Forum 2010, Opening March 19#
Late last year, the Chinese government announced controversial plans to develop the country's southernmost province, Hainan island, into an international travel hub. Despite protests in neighboring Vietnam, warnings that a luxury property bubble (similar to that seen in the 1990s) may be forming, and dozens of op-ed pieces criticizing everything from skyrocketing room rates in Sanya to a language gap that threatens to frustrate international tourists, plans for the island's luxury facelift seem to be moving ahead relatively unhindered.
Part of Hainan's "luxurification" campaign appears to include holding a number of high-profile luxury- and travel-focused events in Sanya and Haikou -- Hainan's marquee cities. Next month, Hainan Rendez-Vous (previously on Jing Daily) will bring together everyone from private jet manufacturers to luxury real estate developers to lifestyle brands at Sanya's new Mandarin Oriental hotel.
Later this month, Haikou will host the Yacht Economy Forum, part of the larger Boao International Tourism Forum. According to China.org.cn, 30 yachts will be displayed at the forum, and as Xinhua writes, a drawing will be held for a lucky couple to win a wedding ceremony aboard a luxury yacht. This event may sound somewhat arbitrary, but apparently fits in with the hopes of Hainan tourism officials that the island will become a popular wedding and honeymoon destination for Chinese couples in coming years:
As part of the Haikou Yacht Economy Forum 2010 which opens on March 19, a group of couples will be selected to take part in an ultra-fashionable wedding ceremony in a romantic setting with "mystery guests" in attendance. Couples throughout China can apply to take part by calling the telephone hotline 0898-66819999. Lines open on March 1 for 8 days.
The ceremony will be held at the Haikou Bay International Yacht Club on March 20. It will be hosted by the Haikou TV Broadcasting Station and the Haikou Film and TV Artists Association and is certain to be an unforgettable experience for the chosen couples.
Looking to the future, Hainan plans to promote the island as a wedding and honeymoon destination with similar ultra-romantic wedding ceremonies. The tourism authorities believe the option to get married in a tropical paradise will prove irresistible to Chinese couples and that within a few years yacht weddings will be big business on the island.