According to the Hainan Provincial Tourism Bureau, Hainan has decided to lift the ban on allowing those enterprises with qualifications to set up travel agencies in the province.

Since 2002, Hainan suspended giving approval of establishing travel agencies in the region so that the number of travel agencies around the province remained at a total of more than 150. To push the process of building an international tourism island and encourage the healthy development of the travel agency industry, Hainan has restored the policy of examination and approval that allows all enterprises that meet the corresponding conditions to apply to set up travel agencies in the province. The policy encourages large overseas travel companies or tourism groups with routes and customer sources to establish wholly-owned, joint-venture and cooperation travel agencies in Hainan. Meanwhile, Hainan hopes local travel agencies will set up branches outside the province and will also give support to travel agencies to develop their networks, brands and scales.

Hainan also says that those travel agencies that have obtained licenses and registered in provincial industrial and commercial administrative departments are allowed to operate legal business throughout the province — there is no need to set up a branch within the province.

Currently, Hainan Provincial Tourism Bureau has received application from 22 domestic and international travel agencies. The first of these, Japanese travel company Highest International Standards and SAL Holiday cooperated to apply for a joint venture in Hainan and obtained the approval.

(China Hospitality News August 13, 2008）