HAIKOU- China's southernmost island province, Hainan, saw its GDP grow by 9.2 percent in 2023, as booming tourism turbocharged economic recovery, according to Hainan governor Liu Xiaoming.

The province is eyeing GDP growth of around 8 percent for 2024, Liu said while delivering a government work report at the annual session of Hainan Provincial People's Congress.

Hainan reported a 49.9-percent increase in tourist arrivals and a 71.9-percent rise in tourism revenue last year, Liu said.

More than 90 million tourists visited the tropical island province last year, pushing its tourism revenue up to about 181.3 billion yuan ($25.5 billion), the provincial government said earlier this month.

In 2020, China released a master plan to build Hainan into a globally influential tourism and consumption destination by 2035.