Just a 3.5-hour flight from Beijing, Hainan Island promises visitors a truly tropical escape with its palm-edged beaches, lush rainforests, dormant volcanoes and spectacular mountainous interior. And in December Key Travel supply chain manager Ronan Prat got to experience it first-hand, when he joined an incredible fam hosted by Manchester Airport and Hainan Airlines, alongside the Chinese National Tourism Organisation.

Ronan started his trip at Manchester, flying with Hainan Airlines. He explains: “The flight was excellent, Hainan Airlines is a five-star airline, offering a five-star experience – I was very impressed. There was a really good level of service and the team really pay attention to travellers. The quality of the aircraft was brilliant, and we had a choice of delicious Chinese and international food.”

Flying on the Airbus A330, passengers on the route can choose from economy and business class cabins, with both offering exemplary customer service that has won the airline multiple Skytrax awards. For corporate travellers and those looking to upgrade their flight, business class boasts a fully-flat bed, excellent in-flight entertainment, Rituals amenities, sleepwear and slippers.

Daily flights from Manchester 

The airline operates daily flights from Manchester’s new Terminal 2, departing at the convenient time of 11.15am each day. Flying to Beijing Capital International Airport, the route takes approximately 10 hours. And departing from the northern England gateway means clients can avoid a connecting flight to London or travelling via a European hub, ensuring a smoother and quicker journey. In fact, Manchester’s long-haul catchment area places around 22 million people and 60% of all UK businesses within a two-hour drive time.

Clients will also be travelling in style from the very start of their journey, as Manchester’s Terminal 2 offers three sleek lounges, delicious food from restaurants including San Carlo, Evergreen, and their newly opened Fever Tree Cocktail & Champagne Bar, alongside an impressive retail offering including Pandora, Lego, and Rituals

Many corporate and leisure travellers will choose to explore Beijing, but they can also opt for onward travel with Hainan Airlines, which offers an extensive domestic network as well as seamless connections to destinations including Tokyo.

While not all clients will be familiar with Hainan Airlines, they are a trusted partner the trade can rely on. The airline has operated from the airport since 2016, and celebrates its 10-year anniversary this June.

Exploring Hainan Island

On the fam, Ronan took the airline’s 3.5-hour connection from Beijing to Haikou in the north of Hainan Island. He explains: “It was all very smooth. Our transit was really well organised, and we were guided through security and check-in and onto a brand-new aircraft.”  

As China's southernmost province, Ronan describes Hainan Island as “a real surprise”. He explains: “It was a tropical paradise, as it was 28°C in December, with clear blue water and several volcanoes. The food was lovely too, and we tried so many different Chinese meals.”

He highlights the value for money the destination offers, explaining: “You get a five-star hotel for the same price as a three-star in the UK, and all the bedrooms we stayed in were huge.”

Visitors can enjoy the island’s beautiful beaches, choosing from secluded coves and stretches of white-sand. There’s plenty to satisfy watersports enthusiasts too, with excellent diving and snorkelling opportunities.

The island’s terrain ranges from the majestic – with Five Finger Mountain being the island’s highest – to the rugged, such as Jianfengling Tropical Rainforest National Park, which is the largest forest of its kind in China. The Bawangling National Forest Reserve is home to protected species including black gibbons and clouded leopards, while the Wanquan River Valley Scenic Area is the perfect location for river rafting.

Cuisine is another draw, and fresh seafood plays a central role in many dishes. Trying delicious street food is a must, such as at Sanya’s night food market in the south of the island. Nicknamed “coconut island”, the fruit is the island’s national symbol and is a staple ingredient.

The island also boasts a range of accommodation options, including from Shangri-La, Mandarin Oriental, Hilton and Ritz-Carlton.

Selling China 

China is an incredibly diverse country, meaning throughout the year visitors can choose from different regions and climates. As a financial and business hub China is naturally a key destination for corporate travellers, but Hainan Island highlights why the country should also be on agents’ radars as a fantastic leisure destination.

Ronan believes Hainan Island will appeal to a broad range of clients, including families, couples and solo travellers, and adds: “This is definitely an up-and-coming luxury destination. Visitors could get a bit of a cultural shock with China, but here you have a tropical environment, so you’re getting a Maldives style, but in China. And they do describe themselves as the Hawaii of China!”  

On the fam the agents were also invited to Chinese International Travel Mart (CITM), a large-scale exhibition for both B2C and B2B tourism. “It was like WTM London, but times 10!” Ronan explains. “It was very impressive, and there was a really good mix of DMCs, resorts, airlines and operators, so it was very interesting.”