Premier Wen Jiabao said that the infrastructure in south China's Hainan Province should be improved to make tourism a pillar of the island's economy.

Wen made the remarks during a weekend visit.

Developing tourism amid the global downturn would do much to boost economic growth and employment and expand domestic consumption, he said.

More effort should be made to improve tourism services, build scenic sites and attract more domestic and foreign tourists.

He said the tropical province should accelerate development of modern service industry and high-efficient tropical agriculture.

Wen also encouraged local enterprises to tap into the overseas market while expanding domestically.

Hainan became a province in 1988 and later was designated a special economic zone.

Last year, the island hosted 18.4 million tourists, reaping 17.1 billion yuan (US$2.5 billion).

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2009)