CHINA. GDF Plaza unveiled an array of ‘China chic’-themed activities and promotions to celebrate the National Day Golden Week holiday, which took place from 28 September to 7 October.
The Golden Week shopping event is designed to “ignite the enthusiasm of shoppers through a retail feast that combines Chinese brands, cultural tourism and unique experiences, celebrates Chinese culture and products, and supports the strong recovery of the tourism and travel retail industries”, the retailer said.
On 28 September, GDF Plaza kicked off its National Day festivities with a special event that paid homage to the life and work of the Song dynasty poet Su Dongpo.
Titled ‘A Rendezvous with Dongpo’, the event invited shoppers to travel back in time to the Song dynasty and enjoy an immersive ‘China chic’ experience by participating in a variety of interactive games through four themed zones. Visitors were treated to a live concert that combined traditional Chinese culture with modern beats.
On the same day, GDF Plaza also hosted several activations in partnership with popular brands, including Huawei, Rémy Martin and Rituals.
Throughout Golden Week, GDF Plaza welcomed new stores by French beauty house Laura Mercier and Korean skincare brand Sulwhasoo, while Marc Jacobs and Rémy Martin also unveiled pop-ups. These openings gave travellers enhanced duty-free retail offerings during the Golden Week holiday, the retailer said.
To help drive Hainan’s tourist traffic and duty-free consumption during the National Day Golden Week, GDF Plaza worked with the Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce, Hainan Airlines and China Southern Airlines in rolling out a number of airfare promotional schemes. In addition, shoppers could use Haikou government-issued duty-free shopping vouchers at GDF Plaza across all categories.
With US rapper Kanye West’s world tour setting Haikou abuzz in late September, GDF Plaza introduced exclusive, limited-time benefits specifically for fans of the hip-hop superstar, including a pop-up merchandise store. Fans could also use the retailer’s car-booking service to make their journey to and from GDF Plaza more convenient.
During the Golden Week holiday, Alipay users enjoyed discounts and even had the chance to shop for free by paying with the Alipay app at GDF Plaza.
Meanwhile, social media and online shopping platforms such as Douyin and Meituan launched coupons and vouchers to be used in conjunction with store discounts.
A GDF Plaza spokesperson said: “This Golden Week, we sincerely invite travellers from across the country to visit Hainan, enjoy the retail and cultural experiences we’ve curated for you at GDF Plaza and spend an unforgettable holiday.
“GDF Plaza will keep innovating and introducing more high-quality services and fun activities to our consumers. We are committed to helping stimulate cultural and tourist consumption on the island, further releasing the potential of its tourism industry, and continuously bringing new vitality into the development of Hainan’s offshore duty-free sector and Hainan Free Trade Port.” 🏝️
