CHINA. The magnificent new Haikou International Duty Free City in Hainan province is on schedule for a June 2022 opening, according to China Tourism Group Duty Free (China Tourism Group), the parent company of China Duty Free Group (CDFG) which will run the operation.
The Haikou International Duty Free City project covers some 675 mou (just over 110 acres), with a planned total construction area of about 926,000sq m. It comprises six plots, anchored by a sprawling shopping complex (plot 5) that will rank as the world’s biggest duty free retail space.
After the completion of the project, Hainan’s duty free shopping map will include a “new landmark”, forming a “north-south echo” with the existing Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Haitang Bay, Sanya, also run by CDFG, China Tourism Group said.
The RMB10 billion (US$1.6 billion) Haikou International Duty Free City project is located on the east side of the new seaport near the capital city, Haikou.
The development includes duty free and duty paid retail, offices, high-end hotels and entertainment facilities, all designed to create a new benchmark for Chinese commercial projects and for tourism-related retail, China Tourism Group said.
Tourists will enjoy not only shopping but a mixed-use wonderland incorporating a snow and rainforest environment; spectacular live theatre, plus art and world-class gourmet offerings. “This will become a one-stop comprehensive tourist destination that tourists cannot miss,” said China Tourism Group, which said that the construction of the main structure and floor slabs of the key Plot 5 project has basically been completed.
“It is expected that in June 2022… the duty free commercial centre will be officially opened. As a participant in the offshore duty free shopping industry, China Tourism Group will continue to deepen its presence in the Hainan market and help Hainan build an international tourism consumption centre.”
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