HAIKOU, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's southern province of Hainan will start building a scenic highway around the island in the first half of 2019, sources from the provincial transport department said Saturday.

The main line of the highway will measure 1,040 km for the major purpose of tourism. Tourists will enjoy ocean views on about one-fifth of the dual-lane highway, along which a total of 46 tourism stations are planned to be built, according to the construction plan.

The highway will stretch through 12 cities and counties in Hainan and will be built according to existing topography, with consideration for the protection of plants and cultural landscapes, said Lin Dong, director of the department.

The highway is also to be constructed with the help of a series of high-tech means, such as GPS positioning and big data, in order to realize the aim of building a modern and "smart" road with intelligent management and real-time monitoring.

The construction of the highway will help Hainan build a sightseeing belt around the island to further boost local tourism development, according to the plan.