This aerial photo taken on June 25, 2023 shows the scenery along the Hainan coastal highway for sightseeing in Qionghai, south China's Hainan Province. The opening ceremony of the Hainan coastal highway for sightseeing was held in Haikou on Monday. This 988-kilometer ring road connects most bays, capes, specialty townships, scenic spots and resorts along the coast of this island province. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)

A scenic highway circling the main island of south China's Hainan Province opened to traffic on Monday, according to a press conference in Haikou, the provincial capital.

The project had a total estimated investment of 16.35 billion yuan (2.3 billion U.S. dollars), said Huang Peng, chief engineer of the provincial transport department. The highway is 988 kilometers in length and has 45 viewing platforms, 25 parking areas, 66 roadside parking belts and 14 electric vehicle charging stations, Huang said.

It runs through 12 coastal cities and counties, 64 coastal townships and more than 1,200 villages, Huang added.

The highway loop connects the province's 31 level-A scenic areas, 21 coastal tourist resorts, seven maritime sports bases, 61 traditional Chinese villages, 27 prehistoric cultural sites, three historic towns, nine intangible cultural heritage towns and 40 tourist sites popular among social media celebrities, said Wang Zhongyun, deputy director of the provincial culture, radio, television, tourism and sports department.

The highway will help promote the development of Hainan's tourism industry, according to Wang.