Bo'ao

Bo'ao (博鳌; Bó​'áo​) is a town on the east coast of Hainan in China. It is administratively part of the county-level city of Qionghai.

Boao, the seat of the Boao Forum for Asia, has its share of luxury hotels. Tourist facilities are well developed, with heavy overseas Chinese investment.

This article also covers the fishing town of Tanmen (潭门), which is just 10 km north of Bo'ao's downtown area.

• 19.140556110.4588891 Qionghai Bo'ao International Airport (琼海博鳌国际机场 BAR ^IATA), Zhongyuan Town, Qionghai, ☏ +86 898 3686 0114. Open all day. Bo'ao airport (BAR IATA) opened in 2016 with regular flights from Guangzhou, Chongqing, Guiyang, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Kunming. The airport serves Qionghai and the Bo'ao area, and is about 15 km from the Bo'ao Forum. It mainly handles domestic passenger flights, although flight routes and schedules vary. Airport facilities include a passenger terminal, taxis and airport shuttle buses.  (updated Oct 2026)

• 19.138033110.4830642 Bo'ao Railway Station (博鳌站), Daxi Village, Zhongyuan Town, Qionghai. Open all day. Bo'ao Railway Station is on Hainan's eastern high-speed railway line, with services connecting the town's surrounding area to Haikou, Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning and Sanya. The station is outside the main town centre, so you will need to take a taxi or local transport to reach your accommodation and attractions.  (updated Oct 2026)

Local buses are an economical way to get around Bo'ao. Bus No. 2 is listed at ¥3 per ride. Buses are a budget-friendly option for visitors who do not mind planning their journeys around the available routes and schedules.

Taxis are a convenient option for travelling between Qionghai and Bo'ao, especially for visitors carrying luggage or travelling in a group. A taxi from Qionghai Coach Station to Bo’ao costs around ¥30–40. Agree on the fare with the driver before departure if the meter is not used.

Renting a bicycle is another way to explore Bo'ao at your own pace. Rental prices are around ¥30 per hour. Cycling may be suitable for short trips around town and visits to nearby attractions. Check the rental conditions and return time before setting off.

Motorcycle taxis are available for short trips around Bo'ao. A ride may cost around ¥5 or less, depending on the distance. Agree on the fare before starting the journey.

• 19.14639110.572751 Bo'ao Forum (Permanent Site of the Bo'ao Forum for Asia; 博鳌亚洲论坛永久会址) (from Sanya take the high speed bullet train to Boao station, taxi ¥50 to Boao Town; from Haikou take the bullet train to the Qionghai station, take a shuttle bus into Qionghai and transfer to bus #2, a taxi from the Qionghai train station to Boao will run around ¥40), ☏ +86 898-62691509. The site of an annual meeting of Asian heads of government and business leaders, which is a popular tourist attraction for Chinese tour groups. Of little interest to the average foreign tourist.  
• 19.1527110.584042 Yudai Beach (玉带滩), Located on a thin peninsula at the mouth of the Wanquan, Longgun and Jiuqu rivers (Catch a ferry from the Bo'ao Forum Establishment Site).  (updated Jan 2018)

• 19.23151110.599623 China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea (中国(海南)南海博物馆), Museum Road, Tanmen Town (潭门镇博物馆路) (about 9km north of Bo'ao in the fishing port of Tanmen; the easiest way to get here is take bus no. 15 from the Red Detachment of Women statue in Qionghai - the bus will normally stop outside the museum but beware of occasional route variations; alternatively you can catch bus no. 13 from Bo'ao to Tanmen, then walk or get a motorcycle taxi), ☏ +86 898 62605666. 9AM-5PM, no entry after 4PM, closed on Mondays. Hainan's second largest publicly-owned museum. The first exhibition hall focuses on the historical basis for China's territorial claims in the South China Sea, and includes maps and documents that purportedly demonstrate that China has exercised sovereignty over the region for centuries. Another notable exhibition is a collection of artefacts that were recovered from the Huangguangjiao One, a Chinese merchant vessel that sunk near Huangguang Reef during the Song Dynasty. A replica of the ship can be seen on the outside of the building. Free.  (updated May 2018)

• Boao Golf & Country Club (on an island of the Wanquan River), ☏ +86 898 62779659, fax: +86 898 62778315, boaogolf@hotmail.com. It is surrounded by mountains, river and ocean. The course is built totally upon the original landscape. The natural plant and surroundings have been kept unchanged. 

There is a duty-free store at the Bo'ao Forum site.

Boao has everything from five star dining, ocean front seafood dining to local eateries featuring Chinese cuisine from nearly every province. The main street of Boao is lined with outdoor restaurants and fruit sellers serving until the wee hours of the night.

Boao is surrounded by fields of pineapples. Sample a peeled pineapple on a stick for only ¥1. A tropical island, visitors to Hainan can eat fresh fruit all year round.

• Aozhuang, ☏ +86 898 62777123. One of Boao's best dining experiences is found not in a high-class restaurant but at a local seafood restaurant right on the beach near the town of Boao. The restaurant is an open air restaurant looking east towards the South China Sea. While the food is delicious, with superb local seafood and fresh vegetables, the biggest attraction is the location. To relax on a balmy evening over a cold beer, looking out over the beach and listening to the sound of the surf at evening fall, until all you can see is the lights of the fishing boats out at sea, it does not get much better than this. 

• ^{[dead link]} Boao Yudaiwan Hotel (short walk to bus stop). New, big and comfortable. Huge swimming pool, two restaurants.  ^{[dead link]}
• Boao Sofitel Hotel (on the beachfront, on tropical Dongyu Island). The resort features 437 spacious rooms, five restaurants, five bars, a business centre and indoor/outdoor spas. Recreation facilities include a swimming pool, outdoor natural hot springs, a fitness centre, tennis courts and a new world class PGA championship golf course designed by Graham Marsh. The BFA Convention Center provides extensive state-of-the-art conference facilities for up to 2,000 delegates. 

• Qionghai