CHINA. Offshore duty-free sales in Hainan province climbed +128.9% year-on-year to RMB712 million (US$101.8 million) during the three-day New Year’s holiday (1-3 January), according to Haikou Customs statistics released today.
Haikou Customs supervised the sale of 442,000 duty-free items, a year-on-year increase of +52.4% while the number of shoppers reached 83,500, up +60.6%.
As reported, the island’s duty-free retailers launched diversified promotional activities to ignite consumer enthusiasm.
Among them, China Duty Free Group stores unveiled a ‘First Year of Customs Closure’ themed promotion, continuing year-end celebration benefits.
Simultaneously, it offered a ‘Five-Fold Gift for Crazy Shopping’ campaign, offering a series of tiered discounts.
Hainan Tourism Investment Duty Free (HTDF), Sinopharm-led CNSC and other retailers combined their own allure with government consumption vouchers to offer discounts on purchases over a certain amount.
Additionally, a range pf brand-specific discounts and multiple member points benefits offered further shopping incentives.
Duty-free retailers continued to deepen the increasingly important integration of ‘duty-free + cultural tourism’, creating immersive shopping experiences through New Year’s Eve performances and other events.
Free shuttle buses were also provided to connect scenic spots and stores, synergistically driving tourism and consumption and boosting the concept of ‘shopping while playing’.
Haikou Customs said the policy dividends rendered by the enhanced offshore duty-free policy implemented in November 2025 were fully realised during the holiday period.
New product categories such as miniature drones and electric guitars became popular choices among young customers. The supply of six categories of domestic goods continued to expand after being included in the permissible duty-free categories.
Hainan residents can now enjoy unlimited ‘buy and pick up’ benefits based on their annual offshore departure records, with imported milk powder, diapers and other daily necessities already becoming key purchases. 🏝️
