More than 2,000 guests from across the globe attended the forum in Sanya in China's only tropical island province Hainan, including 60 minister-level officials, executives of world's major tourism associations and representatives from top Chinese and international firms.
The central government in January announced a plan to build the island into a top international tourist destination by 2020, which was seen as the biggest opportunity for the island since it became a separate province and the largest special economic zone of China in 1988.
Hainan authorities said the forum was an "intro with drums and gongs" for the massive tourism development plan.
