This is Hainan

BoBoYeah is a popular mascot representing Hainan's tourism and culture. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2019 Japan Tourism Expo, one of the world's leading tourism trade events, was held in Osaka from Oct 24 to 27, and China's tropical island Hainan sent a delegation of representatives of its tourism industry to further increase the global exposure of its tourism resources.

At the expo which was attended by over 1,400 enterprises and exhibitors from across the world, Hainan showcased its tourism image and spotlighted the island's tourism products, such as coastal leisure events, high-end resort hotels, emerging resort complexes, golf and surfing sports, as well as airline flights.

In addition, it also promoted its diversified cultures by staging a dance performance by BoBoYeah, a popular mascot of Hainan's tourism and culture, as well as organizing an interactive activity, broadcasting promotional videos, and giving away publicity materials on Hainan. 

On Oct 23, the delegation brought BoBoYeah to Kumamoto Prefecture, where the iconic Hainan mascot met with its renowned Japanese counterpart, the rosy-cheeked brown bear Kumamon. The Hainan team communicated with their Japanese counterparts on how to develop the "mascot economy" and sought cooperation to improve BoBoYeah's image in Japan.

Japan has consistently been an important source market for Hainan province. In February of this year, the Haikou-Osaka air route was re-opened, which was a key step for the province to further develop its presence in the Japanese market. The South China province is seeking to increase its advertising efforts in Japan and give a boost to its tourism economy by attracting Japanese visitors.