Zhaoshu Island has well-built facilities and lush gardens. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Visitors will be able to spend nights on the islands. Sansha Mayor Xiao Jie told me in an exclusive interview that the city will become a major tourist attraction comparable to the Maldives.

The city, he said, will develop some islands and reefs to accommodate a select number of tourists.

The sites open to the public and tourists will be islands and reefs that do not need a military presence, he added. So far, to my knowledge, only citizens from the Chinese mainland can take the cruises.

Though far from the Chinese mainland, Xiao said, tourists will not face unreasonable charges, though the route is very popular.