Duty-free shopping surges in tourism-focused Hainan

Email|Print|Comments       twitter     facebook     Sina Microblog     reddit    

South China's Hainan Province has seen surging offshore duty-free shopping, with sales revenue in the first 10 months of 2013 approaching 3.19 billion yuan (523.8 million U.S. dollars).

The figure was a 62-percent year-on-year increase contributed to by 1.09 million tourist arrivals buying 4.31 million items in two offshore duty-free stores, according to data released on Sunday by Haikou Customs.

Hainan currently has two duty-free shops, one in the provincial capital of Haikou and the other in the resort city of Sanya.

During the Spring Festival Holiday in February, the two stores gained a sales volume of 170 million yuan, a 95-percent year-on-year increase.

The offshore duty-free program, put into place in April 2011 on a trial basis, is part of an effort to promote Hainan as an international tourist destination.

Individual tourists and local residents aged 16 or above can enjoy duty exemptions on certain imported commodities worth no more than 8,000 yuan before flying to other destinations within China.

• Sanya's duty-free shop attracts numerous customers during May Day holiday
• HK, Jeju and Okinawa, now Hainan!
• Shanghai gives green light to duty-free store
• Hainan cashes in on expanded duty-free policy
• Hainan to raise duty free limits
• 2nd phase of duty-free store starts trial operation in China's Haikou
• City aims to stimulate with duty-free shopping project
• Offshore duty-free shop opened in Haikou
• Hainan sees daily duty-free sales soar

We Recommend

• Luxury-cars parade held in Dubai
• Special forces take tough training sessions
• Fire guts 22-storey Nigeria commercial building in Lagos
• A girl takes care of paralyzed father for 10 years
  
• A record of Beijing air quality change
• In pictures: explosions occur in Taiyuan
• Hello! Horror Halloween Celebration!
• The catwalk to the world of fashion
  
• Cruise trip to Taiwan