Foreign tourists visit Volcano Park in Haikou. [Photo/Haikou Tourism Development Commission]

A Boeing 737 luxury passenger plane took off from the Haikou Meilan International Airport before dawn on Jan 17 and arrived in Kuching, Malaysia at 7 am local time, marking the opening of Hainan's first international flight of 2019. 

The newest airplane has 12 first-class cabins and 150 economy seats. It operates twice a week, every Monday and Thursday. It leaves Haikou, Hainan province at 3:15 am and returns from Kuching International Airport at 10:35 pm local time.

Kuching is the capital of Negeri Sarawak and the largest city with the longest history in East Malaysia. It is the first city in the country to receive Chinese immigrants and its population accounts for over 25 percent of Malaysia's total.

China implemented a visa-free policy on May 1, 2018 that allows visitors from 59 countries to stay in Hainan province for 30 days without a visa. About 80,000 tourists from Malaysia come to Hainan every year to travel or visit friends or families.

The opening of the Haikou-Kuching flight finally connected Hainan with East Malaysia. It will make things more convenient for travelers and boost tourism in Haikou.

Statistics show that the Haikou Meilan International Airport served about 1.15 million passengers and Haikou received 261,300 inbound overnight visitors in 2018.

According to a representative from the Haikou Tourism Development Commission, Haikou will add more international flights this year to Paris, France, Berlin, Germany, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Astana, Kazakhstan, Osaka, Japan and some major tourist destinations in Southeast Asia. Increasing characteristic air routes and products are also expected to attract more international tourists to Hainan and further integrate tourism with culture.

The signing ceremony for the Haikou-Kuching air route is held in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 22, 2018. [Photo by Chen Yue/Chinanews.com]