Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways hopes to launch at least one daily flight each to two cities in\u00a0Hainan province, the airline\u2019s CEO has said, but did not give a timeline for the plan.<\/p>\n
Ronald Lam Siu-por raised the possibility on Saturday on a trip to the island province, organised by Beijing\u2019s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
\u201cCathay Pacific currently has four flights a week to Haikou, while HK Express will have four flights to Sanya every week \u2013 this is only the beginning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the future, we hope to have at least one flight flying to each of these cities every day, perhaps covering even more cities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others involved in the five-day trip to Hainan that kicked off on Monday included representatives from consulates in Hong Kong, the heads of foreign business chambers and senior managers from multinational companies.<\/p>\n
Cui Jianchun, the commissioner of the foreign ministry\u2019s office in Hong Kong, said the trip was designed to help people explore new opportunities for cooperation with Hainan.<\/p>\n
China aims to develop Hainan into the world\u2019s biggest free-trade port, with an independent customs regime set up by the end of next year.<\/p>\n
The tropical island is about the size of Taiwan and wants to attract business and individual investors through reduced taxes and relaxed visa regulations.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s National Immigration Administration in February expanded its visa-free policy to allow passport holders from 59 countries to enter Hainan for business, family visits, medical treatment, exhibitions and sporting events, as well as for tourism, for up to 30 days without a visa.<\/p>\n
Beijing hopes to turn Hainan into an offshore finance and duty-free shopping centre, in a bid to bring it up to par with Hong Kong and Singapore.<\/p>\n
Andrew Yuen Chi-lok, director of policy research and knowledge transfer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong\u2019s aviation policy and research centre, said that Cathay Pacific Airways, as a premium airline, placed significant importance on business travellers.<\/p>\n
Yuen said the announcement of the Hainan free-trade port plan meant that it has emerged as one of the fastest growing provinces for foreign direct investment and that its duty-free allowance policy also attracted tourists.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the increasing demand from both business travellers and tourists, Hainan presents an attractive opportunity for Cathay Pacific,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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