Guo Jichao, 62, a retired teacher who has lived in Boao, never thought his tranquil hometown could grow so fast.

Since Boao, a little town in south China's Hainan Province, was chosen to host the annual Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in 2000, everything has changed, said Guo. Overnight, the little town seems to have become known to the world, sending tourists flocking to its streets.

At only 86 square kilometers, the 15,000 residents living in Boao, which is on the eastern coast of Hainan, used to rely on fishing to make a living.

But booming tourism since 2000 has brought new opportunities for the locals. Like many of his neighbors, Guo now runs a small shop which takes and develops pictures for tourists.

The population in Boao has doubled and it now receives an average of 5,000 tourists every day.

Over 600 hectares of land in the rural areas of Boao were requisitioned to be the construction sites for the forum, causing many residents to build new homes downtown.

Lu Jialin, 47, used to live on the island of Dongyu. He moved to downtown Boao in 2001 after his home was requisitioned and opened a family hotel here.

With five floors and an attic, his hotel now has 18 guest rooms and a gift shop that sells hand-made bracelets. "I was really worried right after I left my old houses, but things started to go well later. With the compensation from the government, I got to start my own business and live better now," he said.

"The forum has made Boao famous and has boosted the local economy," said Wang Huiya, head of the town. Since 2000, Boao has hosted over three hundred domestic and international conferences. Seventeen big projects with investments of 260 million yuan (about 30 million US dollars) has started in Boao so far.

As of 2004, 40 percent of laborers here are engaged in the tertiary sector, including restaurants and family hotels. The gross product of the tertiary industry has increased by 150 percent since 2000.

Boao residents live a busier life now, and remain as friendly as before. "Boao is small, but we hope visitors can enjoy their visit here and have fun," said one local resident.

Source: Xinhua