CHINA. China Duty Free Group (CDFG) reported robust footfall during its Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday campaign in Hainan, recording more than 720,000 visits, up +21% year on year.
The increase was reflected in strong results acrosss the island province’s wider offshore duty-free market, with Haikou Customs data showing sales of CNY855 million (US$127.57 million) during the National Day holiday (1-7 October) period, generated by 123,000 shoppers who purchased 696,800 items.
Tapping into one of the busiest travel seasons in China, the ‘take three days off, get 13 days off’ extended-leave strategy for ‘Super Golden Week’ sparked a surge in travel, with Hainan emerging as a popular domestic destination.
Amid the first major extended Golden Week since the island began independent customs operations, CDFG took the opportunity to capture holiday spending and drive sales.
Cultural activations drive holiday retail engagement
During the holiday period, CDFG expanded its offer beyond traditional duty-free shopping, combining seasonal promotions, entertainment and customer services to encourage more immersive retail experiences.
At cdf Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex, the retailer marked its 12th anniversary with character parades featuring popular licensed characters and drone shows, alongside promotional offers including 10x loyalty points, gifts with purchase and spend-to-enter raffles.
The programme combined shopping with dining, entertainment and leisure activities, drawing visitors to the shopping emporium.
The retailer also brought its holiday experience to departing passengers at its Sanya Phoenix International Airport store, featuring boarding-gate pop-ups with product recommendations, scan-to-order facilities and home-delivery services.
The campaign extended to the vast cdf Haikou shopping emporium, where CDFG staged a Mid-Autumn-themed installation alongside a programme of holiday activities designed to appeal to tourists and leisure travellers.
These included themed parades, candy factory theatre, magic shows and Mid-Autumn cultural workshops.
The retailer also offered guidance on offshore duty-free policies and shopping consultations, supported by a dedicated service and crowd management measures.
At cdf Haikou Mova Mall store, an autumn garden party featured mooncake-making contests, blind box auctions and timed prize draws on a large screen. Popular beauty brands also joined the celebrations with appearances on decorated carts.
Bringing the holiday campaign to Haikou Meilan Airport, CDFG installed 34 character-themed photo spots at its duty-free store, alongside fragrance and food sampling stations and NPC-led interactive activities.
Service enhancements for holiday travellers
To manage peak holiday visitor traffic, CDFG strengthened its services across its six Hainan locations with additional measures, including visitor flow management, shopping assistance and customer guidance.
cdf Sanya, the country’s first national 4A-level tourist attraction, was supported by eight service systems and 98 service standards to maintain operations during the holiday peak.
To manage increased holiday traffic, the cdf Haikou store adopted a service process targeting an initial response within 30 seconds and detailed follow-up within 15 minutes.
CDFG highlighted the growing role of Hainan residents in the island’s duty-free market, with local shoppers accounting for a notable share of consumer activity during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays.
The rising contribution of local consumers reflects the continued adjustments to resident-focused duty-free policies.
Under revised duty-free rules effective from November 2025, Hainan residents with departure records in the province within the calendar year may purchase duty-free goods from the ‘buy and pickup’ category without purchase frequency limitations.
A CDFG representative attributed the holiday performance to the integration of duty-free retail and cultural tourism, policy support and improvements in service delivery.
Looking forward, CDFG said it would review its performance over the holiday period, develop new shopping concepts with brand partners, refine its strategies to attract visitors and continue enhancing customer service.
The retailer will also prepare for the fourth-quarter peak season and the start of next year, in line with Hainan’s wider ambition to strengthen its position as an international tourism and retail destination. 🏝️
