China's resort island launches arbitration center for tourism

Southern China's island province of Hainan launched an arbitration center for tourism on Wednesday as its latest efforts to build itself into a popular international travel destination.

The arbitration center mainly deals with tourism-related civil and commercial disputes in Hainan, including consumption, investment and project construction, local authorities said.

The center was jointly established by the Hainan Court of International Arbitration and the provincial department of tourism, culture, radio, television and sports.

Ao Liyong, deputy head of the provincial department of tourism, culture, radio, television and sports, said the establishment of the center will further improve the arbitration and resolution mechanism for tourism-related disputes, safeguard the legitimate rights of investors and consumers and boost the development of Hainan's tourism industry.

China aims to build Hainan into an international tourism and consumption center by 2025, with plans to ease restrictions on its offshore duty-free policy and develop cross-border cruise tourism.

Data from the province's tourism authority showed that more than 76 million domestic and overseas tourists visited the resort island in 2018, up 11.8 percent year on year.