CHINA. The 2025 National Day Golden Week concluded on 8 October, and China Duty Free Group’s (CDFG) six stores in Hainan region delivered an impressive performance, together receiving over 450,000 visitors and surpassing RMB800 million (US$112.4 million) in total sales during the eight-day holiday.
This year’s Golden Week also included the Mid-Autumn Festival, which fell on 6 October.
All six CDFG stores in Hainan participated in the major island-wide campaign, including cdf Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex, cdf Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex, cdf Haikou Mova Mall store, cdf Meilan International Airport, cdf Sanya Phoenix International Airport and cdf Qionghai Bo’ao.
During the holiday, the stores saw a number of international brands launching their first Hainan travel retail boutiques, releases of new duty-free products, and a variety of events, turning the CDFG locations into “consumption magnets” that attracted global tourists, the retailer said.
CDFG said the combination of winning elements created a one-stop experience that integrated duty free retail with cultural and leisure activities, significantly boosting the appeal of Hainan’s offshore duty-free market and showcasing the vitality of consumer enthusiasm.
‘Firsts’ strategy and diverse brand offering spark fresh buzz
This Golden Week, CDFG fully leveraged the benefits of what it calls the ‘first-store economy’, introducing several key debuts and successfully driving a new wave of consumption through the deep integration of duty-free retail and cultural tourism.
At cdf Sanya, the national debut of the DIMOO exhibition and the first Care Bears Café in Mainland China, alongside themed pop-up stores from brands such as Gucci and La Mer, significantly boosted customer engagement.
cdf Haikou, on the other hand, focused on trendy and family-friendly experiences, introducing interactive installations such as the ‘MAX Coin’ play zone and a giant capsule toy machine.
In addition, DIPTYQUE made its debut at cdf Sanya International Airport and opened an extra pop-up space, while cdf Haikou Mova Mall incorporated fun activities to drum up excitement and interaction.
“By continuously bringing in new brands, stores and scenarios while diversifying and integrating different business formats, we are able to transform traditional retail spaces into new cultural tourism landmarks that are immersive, interactive, and shareable,” CDFG noted.
Attractive discounts and thoughtful service spark consumer enthusiasm
During the holiday period, CDFG’s Hainan stores rolled out a series of ‘stackable’ promotions, offering a wide range of benefits including lucky draws, bonus reward points, bundled discounts, payment perks, and government-issued consumption vouchers.
“These layered incentives created a ‘discount-on-discount’ effect, delivering real savings to consumers,” the retailer said.
“With a proactive and tailored approach, our staff offered personalised service to each customer to help them maximise savings. This has become a key driver in boosting conversion and building trust.”
Quality services and thoughtful details embody a people-first approach
Confronted with surging holiday traffic, CDFG’s Hainan locations responded with meticulous services rooted in a spirit of excellence and an attention to detail.
At cdf Sanya, traffic flow was optimised with the addition of temporary pick-up/drop-off zones for ride-hailing and taxis, as well as expanded parking capacity to improve overall accessibility.
Meanwhile, cdf Haikou pioneered a drone route to Haikou South Port, enabling fast and seamless delivery of duty-free goods from warehouse to port, significantly reducing customer wait times for order pick-up.
Over at cdf Meilan International Airport, special attention was paid to passengers affected by flight delays and elderly travellers, with tailored services such as shopping subsidies, dedicated access lanes, and complimentary garment ironing.
“From traffic optimisation and care for special groups, to smart navigation to pet-friendly amenities, our Hainan store continued to uphold the group’s commitment to providing high-quality, human-centric service, consistently enhancing customer satisfaction,” CDFG commented.
‘Duty free+’ ecosystem continues to empower Hainan’s duty-free market
With the Golden Week holiday wrapped up for another year, CDFG pledged to continue leveraging its ‘duty free+’ strategy as a core driver to integrate brand partnerships, cultural tourism, and innovative retail experiences, with the goal of creating differentiated consumer journeys and immersive shopping environments all year long.
cLooking ahead, the group pledged to further enhance its brand mix, improve services, and expand the integration of tourism and retail. These efforts aim to inject sustained momentum into Hainan’s Q4 consumption market and accelerate the island’s development as a world-class tourism and retail destination. 🏝️
