With the opening of a new roll-on roll-off dock in Xuwen Port in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, a new era of tourism is set to be embarked upon between the South China city and the neighboring island province of Hainan.

The roll-on roll-off dock has 16 berths for passenger and cargo vessels capable of accommodating vessels of up to 5,000 deadweight tons each, and a special berth for hazardous goods.

Travel time by ferry from Zhanjiang to Hainan province has now been cut from two to three hours, to about one hour.

Separated by the Qiongzhou Strait, Zhanjiang and Hainan province have worked together for mutual benefit in trade and tourism in the past couple of years, and with a reduced travel time by sea, the cooperation is expected to grow, local officials said.

Ning Ling, vice-president of Guangdong Ocean University, said that with Guangdong and Hainan provinces cooperating to build the Qiongzhou Strait Economic Belt, Zhanjiang's tourism industry is expected to benefit greatly.

The roll-on roll-off dock and a new duty-free shopping area at Xuwen Port are set to boost development in tourism, retail and logistics, Ning said.

A popular tourist destination, Zhanjiang's coastline accounts for 30.2 percent of Guangdong's total, and 6.9 percent of the country's coastline.

The Zhanjiang Jinsha Bay scenic spot and the Suixi Confucius cultural town have become popular tourist attractions in recent years.

Residents in Leizhou, a county-level city under the administration of Zhanjiang, celebrate Spring Festival with a drum performance at a park in 2019. CHINA DAILY

Peng Hui, director of Zhanjiang's bureau for culture, radio and television, tourism and sport, said the city will promote regional tourism and create more and better products, services, marketing and management.

The city should strengthen regional tourism integration across the Qiongzhou Strait, planning a tourism corridor focusing on the Zhanjiang section of the Guangdong Coastal Highway, Peng said.

In addition, the planning and construction of the northern area along the Qiongzhou Strait should focus on building an ecotourism village in a bid to support the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port, she added.

Official data showed that in 2019, Zhanjiang had nearly 60.23 million visits, up 16.4 percent year-on-year, and total tourism revenue reached 60.1 billion yuan ($8.9 billion), an increase of 17.6 percent year-on-year.

According to the city government's 2020 working report, Zhanjiang will enhance coastal tourism through a series of projects related to "all-in-one" tourism, in an attempt to provide a comprehensive package for visitors.

At the end of June, Zhanjiang started construction on a tourism development project funded by OCT Group, a Shenzhen-based theme park developer and operator. The project covers an area of 47.87 hectares, with a total investment of 8 billion yuan.

The project includes the construction of a Zhanjiang culture center incorporating a grand theater, art museum, and cultural and creative block.

According to this year's city government working report, the city will build administrative districts with distinct characteristics. Chikan district will exhibit ancient commercial culture, Xiashan district will be styled with coastal elements, and Leizhou characterized by its pastoral scenery.