Dong'ao, Wailingding becoming top tourist draws

Only one step remains before Dong'ao and Wailingding islands become 5A national scenic spots. On May 25, they were rated 4A, and then on July 8 a promotion conference was held at the Gree Dong'ao Hotel (former Club Med) in the Wanshan Marine Development Experimental Zone to seek the top rating for tourist attractions.

Mei Qijie, deputy director of the Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province, said island travel has become the most successful part of the city's tourism development and also serves as a starting point for high-end tourism in Wanshan. It is quite rare for two islands of one zone to be cited at the same time, he added.

Wanshan Party Secretary Ye Zhen pointed out that Wanshan's favorable location in the core area of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and rich tourism resources enable it to become a world-class tourism resort. 

Gree Dong'ao Hotel [Photo by Cheng Lin/Zhuhai Daily]

Ye revealed that the islands' development will stick to the "green" concept and target a high-end market, with focus on marine ecotourism, yachting, water sports, and leisure fishery to polish Zhuhai's image as a "city of islands."

At the conference, Gree Group signed an agreement with Guangdong (International) Hotel Management Holdings Ltd, granting the latter with operation and management rights of the Gree Dong'ao Hotel, which has just come into trial operation.

The five-star hotel and support facilities were constructed at a cost of 1.4 billion yuan ($201 million) as part of the first phase of Gree's Lingding Seashore project on Dong'ao Island. Located next to Diamond Beach in Nansha Bay and covering 60,000 sq m, the hotel has 345 guestrooms featuring panoramic views of the beach, forest, and ocean.

According to Zhou Lewei, chairman and Party secretary of Gree Group, the project absorbed a total investment of more than 4 billion yuan ($590 million). It will occupy 400,000 sq m, to be constructed over three phases.

The second phase, a high-end and low-density ecological resort, will commence soon. Covering 124,500 sq m with floor space of 80,000 sq m, the project comprises wooden, seaside, honeymoon, and rehabilitation hotels, each with nearly 400 guest rooms.

Through construction of the second and third phases, Gree Group will turn the island into an international resort integrating tourism, transportation, sightseeing, and weddings, Zhou disclosed.