In fact, we, local residents, are not as excited as people have anticipated. For one thing, Hainan lags far behind other island cities in every aspect. My colleagues and I think it might be too soon to build Hainan into an internationally reputable tourist destination. For another, we are really concerned about the damages to the environment with an influx of tourists. The natural environment is our bread and butter. If we do not protect the environment as much as possible, we will eventually lose the only gift nature has given us and drive the tourists away from the island.

In addition, high housing prices, which have been pushed up by speculators, have put local residents in a bad situation. After the Central Government decided to build Hainan into an international tourist destination, some housing projects have reportedly raised their prices by 5,000 yuan ($732) per square meter overnight.

Fang Shan (Chinese student at Northwestern University in the United States):

In general, I strongly support the idea to build Hainan into an island with an international reputation.

I went to the island on my honeymoon in 2007 and was deeply impressed by its blue sea, beautiful sunshine and nice tropical scenery.

But sadly, Hainan does not enjoy as high a worldwide reputation as Bali and the Maldives. Maybe we are not promoting it as heavily as the other two countries. I believe this is the time to make Hainan known to the world.

Personally, I am looking forward to the casinos and duty-free shops, which have proven to be strong tourist draws in other parts of the world. Hainan cannot make a world-class spot without upgrading its tourist attractions.

The world's most successful tourist destinations don't just sell products. Instead, they sell a unique experience, where people can escape from their routine life and become another person, release their hidden identity, or treat themselves with indulgence. If Hainan can offer this kind of unique experience to tourists, it will be able to distinguish itself from other vacation locales.

As much as I love Hainan and its beautiful sceneries, I'm worried how it will handle the high volume of tourists. How can damages to the environment and increased pollution be prevented?

During my stay in Hainan, I noticed many problems. As an island known for tourism, services were not as good as I had expected. The waiters lacked a focus on the customers, and government functions were insufficient. All people in the tourism industry must be trained properly to match the image of an international tourist destination.

Yan Tingjun (Macao resident):

I recently learned the Central Government has in principle agreed to explore prospects into sports lotteries. I am mostly concerned about this news as Macao, where I've lived for 30 years, relies heavily on gambling as a primary source of income.

In spite of the government's efforts, I don't think the island will catch up with Macao in the same business and won't pose any direct competition to Macao. I've talked to many people in the financial and lottery industries. All of them believe the unique system and tradition of Macao will maintain itself as a highly competitive casino.

But one thing worth considering is how the Macao authorities can improve services and infrastructure for lottery business in case the Central Government agrees to build casinos in Hainan. When and if that really happens, Hainan will prove to be a strong competitor.

Layla Chong (a Chinese-German and junior consultant in Beijing)

I really enjoyed my visit to Hainan last December. It looks very similar to Thailand and Viet Nam, with its beautiful beaches and warm weather. I was able to just lie out on the sand all day and soak up the sun.

In general, Hainan is very touristy, but the locals and the atmosphere are still very Chinese. There were a lot of Russian tourists and even some of the locals there spoke Russian.

I was impressed with how cheap everything was. The local seafood restaurants all had great food at cheap prices. You could buy cheap pearls and other souvenirs at the nice night market as well.

Some of the restaurants right at the beaches were too expensive and the portions were too small. Also, I wouldn't suggest renting electric bikes for long distance travel, since you may have difficulties charging them later. But the bus system and sanlunche (tricycle) were very convenient to get to places nearby.

Overall, I had a really great time and would definitely go back, especially because of the beaches and nice weather.