How did Dubai become Dubai?
Last year, I did a national-level project—the research on the development of Hainan International Tourism Consumption Center. At that time, I was thinking about a question. From a global perspective, how should Hainan be positioned? Where is Hainan’s world frame of reference?
After the establishment of the province in 1987, Hainan proposed the goal of building an Eastern Hawaii. At that time, I disagreed. This kind of goal is to put itself in a second-rate position. No matter how we do it, it is only the East. After that, I stopped talking about it and started talking about small islands. There is also an international small island forum, Jeju Island in South Korea, Bali Island in Indonesia, Okinawa Island in Japan, and a little more Cancun Island in Mexico, which belittles Hainan. In 2009, the goal of developing an international tourist island was put forward, and the State Council issued a special document, but this goal is not enough. This time I made a special trip to visit Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which are known as the world’s luxury tourist destinations, especially Dubai. I feel that they can be used as a frame of reference. The comparability is not strong, but there are many things to refer to .
If the development of Abu Dhabi is supported by oil, what about Dubai? Its oil revenue accounts for only 2%, but it is still thriving. In terms of area, Dubai is 4144 square kilometers, which is a desert, but the total GDP is 102.8 billion U.S. dollars, and the per capita is 39,000 U.S. dollars. I think there are three main points: The first is opening up, the second is transformation, and the third is leading .
The desert city does not feel like a desert at all. There are many high-rise buildings and the gate of Dubai. It has become a collection of CBDs in the world, where you can eat, drink and have fun. But the house price is not expensive, about RMB 30,000 per square meter, which is a bit unbelievable. After thinking about it again, I understand that there is nothing produced here, but everything is there. The world’s tallest building, the 828-meter Burj Khalifa, has 148 floors. Looking at the bay, the water is sparkling and the desert is vast, creating a new urban development model.
In terms of opening up, the Arab region, where most of the people are Muslims, is not easy to open up. Although Islamic culture is still dominant in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, it does not exclude other cultures. The economy is even more fully open, with a large number of foreign capital entering, and capital panning for gold in non-resource areas. The gold they can only pan for is capital gold.
In terms of transformation, Dubai was just a fishing port at the beginning, and its industries were only fishing and pearls. Later, it made up its mind to overcome all difficulties and formed a free trade zone model. The world’s capital, world tourists, and world consumption converged. After twists and turns, it finally succeeded. .
In terms of leadership, the old Sheikh of Dubai has a famous saying – “The world only knows the first” . In 1997, the sailing hotel was built, which caused a sensation in the world. Even today, it is still an Internet celebrity. In 2009, the Burj Khalifa was built, the tallest building in the world, with a light show, changing patterns, moving up and down, the 828-meter-high building came alive, and everyone was excited. The moon, palm trees, and sea water are all integrated in the tower. This is the most beautiful high-rise light show I have ever seen, bar none. The central area of Abu Dhabi, the gate of the capital, the oil headquarters, the financial building, the palace, all kinds of strange things, has become a performance venue for architects all over the world, and has a strong global influence. The Palm Island in Dubai was reclaimed into an island, and the infrastructure cost a total of 17.2 billion U.S. dollars. The first phase of the project was completed, and the world’s richest people came to buy real estate, creating another miracle.
The so-called luxury tourism is a collection of high-end products, high-end services and high-end life. The characteristics of luxury tourist destinations are that there are no limits to high-end products, an attractive brand image, the support of the public as the basis, and mid-end consumption as the mainstay .
Hainan tourism should be repositioned
The conditions for Hainan to become a world-class luxury tourist destination are fully met. One is that Dubai relies on the model of a free trade zone to open up and establish a country. Hainan has already clarified the pattern of dual free trade, and the article is even bigger.
The second is that Dubai has become the world’s financial center and a powerful trade country. Hainan’s trade structure has not yet been formed, and the financial structure has just started, but the prospect is promising. The third is Dubai tourism, as a pillar industry, everything starts from the market and stimulates consumption. The international aviation hub has been established for many years, and there are not many tourism products, but boutique products have been formed. A number of brand hotels are overcrowded and are still under active construction.
From the environmental point of view, the resource conditions of Hainan are incomparable to Dubai. Hainan is a green island, but in a desert city like Dubai, the cost of greening is extremely high, and maintaining a palm tree costs thousands of dollars a year.
From the perspective of climate conditions, Dubai is located at 25 degrees north latitude, and in the dry season, the temperature is as high as 50 degrees, making it almost impossible to carry out outdoor activities. In terms of facilities, there are already a number of world-class resort hotels in Hainan, and there are three Atlantis hotels in the world. In terms of hotel facilities and facilities, Sanya ranks first, but Dubai ranks first in terms of operating results. From the perspective of shopping, the promotion of the dual free trade to promote the development of the duty-free industry will also narrow the gap between Hainan and Dubai. From the perspective of scenic spots, the existing projects in Hainan are sufficient, and they are gradually upgrading to a complex model, which will become more attractive.
In short, Dubai has the same conditions as Hainan, and Hainan has the conditions that Dubai can’t match. However, the total GDP of Dubai is 102.8 billion U.S. dollars, and Hainan’s GDP was only more than 70 billion U.S. dollars last year, and the per capita GDP is even more incomparable.
Where is the gap? The first is the concept . Great opening up requires a great liberation of the mind. After the dual free trade was proposed, Hainan introduced dual restrictions on houses and cars. What kind of free trade zone is this? The second is the implementation of policies. There are many policies in Hainan, but not many have been implemented on the ground, and even fewer have actually seen results. The third is structure , involving several aspects such as spatial structure, product structure, industrial structure, and consumption structure.
From a tourism point of view, it is a question of destination image. For many years, it has been the keynote for Hainan to become a resort for the people of the whole country. This statement is politically correct and can be said for a long time, but it is not realistic. Long-distance transportation limits the achievement of the goal. Now it has become a paradise for the population of migratory birds. Wealth also occupies resources. In fact, Hainan should be a paradise for the rich, a feast for the middle class, and an opportunity for the poor.
From a global perspective, Hainan should clearly brand itself as a world luxury tourist destination, gather first-class products, and create Chinese boutiques. The traditional Tianya Haijiao, Xiaodongtian, Luhuitou, etc. need to be upgraded to tourist complexes. The Nanshan Cultural Garden and Yanoda that have already emerged need to be strengthened. The emerging Qingshuiwan Resort, Mangrove Resort World, Haichang Ocean Paradise, Phoenix Island Etc. needs to create a collective brand. In addition, the current regional pattern of hot in the south and warm in the north, high in the east and low in the west also depends on development. Judging from Dubai’s experience, luxury is also layered, which can completely form a systematic pattern.
In short, compared with Dubai, the main gap from the perspective of tourism is that the image of a luxury tourist destination has not been established , especially the collective brand has not been formed, and good things cannot be sold at good prices. Second, the lack of endogenous demand and low per capita income must rely on external demand to form a steady stream of driving force. The third is that the iconic buildings and iconic products are not iconic enough and should be perfected in future construction. It is necessary to tell the story of Hainan well in the world, experience the emotion of Hainan, and enjoy the life of Hainan.
China already has a number of high-end products, how to integrate them is a big article. Cultural tourism, represented by the Forbidden City and Terracotta Warriors, and natural tourism, represented by Mount Huangshan and Jiuzhaigou, are the image of China’s tourism in the world and will continue to flourish. With the development, a series of high-end products have been produced one after another. Wuzhen has become a model of culture, Lingshan has become a representative of boutique products, and Chimelong has emerged as a new force. However, overall, there is not enough gathering, insufficient comprehensive supporting facilities, and no destination brand.
Drawing on the experience of the two places, destination branding should be the focus of China’s tourism development in the next step . From this point of view, Jiangsu should become a high-quality tourism destination, Zhejiang should become an urban-rural integration tourism destination, Shanghai should become an urban tourism destination, Beijing and Xi’an should become cultural tourism destinations, and the Greater Bay Area should become a bay area tourism destination. A world-class tourist destination, China is expected to become a world tourism power.
