The Vision Plan for the County of Ledong aims to retain the rural character and lifestyle of its people and protect existing agricultural land and forests while planning for a doubling of the existing population by 2035, the addition of many new jobs, and significantly increased tourism.
The recommended new job centers are located to take full advantage of the existing transportation infrastructure, and will be anchored by added-value agricultural activity including food processing, and the increase in jobs will stabilize the local community many of whose incomes are currently seasonal. New tourism will be concentrated along the scenic coastline, and the County has agreed to set back development far enough to allow retention of the coastal dunes where there are also important archaeological and cultural artifacts. The expansion of inland tourism includes cultural tourism that will bring new revenues to small villages, and the inland towns that serve as historic trade and governing centers have each been individually planned to grow, accommodate new health and education facilities, and develop local industries ranging from snall-scale agro-manufacturing to paper-making and other local crafts.
An expanded inland road network will improve access to the interior and to the major urban center to Ledong’s north (Haikou) and south (Sanya), and a strategic new network of BRT bus routes will connect existing towns and new urban centers to one another and to high-speed rail and the planned new international airport.