The island province of Hainan in south China has boosted consumption and tourism spending by broadening the scope of its offshore duty-free goods and reducing duty-free shopping barriers for residents.
As of Saturday, two new categories had been added to the province's offshore duty-free goods list: pet supplies and portable musical instruments.
With this update, the island's offshore duty-free shopping list covers a total of 47 goods categories.
The policy upgrade also brings good news for island residents. As long as they have a record of leaving the island at least once within a calendar year, they can purchase duty-free goods without limits during that year.
Driven by the new duty-free shopping policy, Haikou CDF Mall in the provincial capital has established a one-stop shopping market that features a variety of new products, including pet supplies, musical instruments, small appliances and photography equipment.
"When I come here, I'm actually much more interested in Chinese brands, and I know the quality is just as good, if not better than, in many cases. So, given that it expands the opportunities for shopping for foreigners like me, it's something only to be appreciated," said Vincent Thomes, a Canadian tourist.
Haikou GDF Plaza has also set up dedicated areas for small household appliances, trendy Chinese cultural products and pet supplies, allowing consumers to purchase goods at more attractive prices on the first day of the policy change.
Staff at Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex have received training on the new regulations to enhance the shopping experience for consumers.
"After the new policy was released, we quickly organized comprehensive training for all our employees to prepare them to answer consumer questions about the new policy when they enter the store," said Su Haiyun, assistant sales director at the Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex.
"When we were shopping earlier, the sales staff told us about the new policy, so we changed our flight in order to make a purchase," said a tourist.
China released a master plan in June 2020 to build Hainan into a globally influential, high-level free trade port by the middle of the century.
The country aims to build Hainan into a globally influential tourism and consumption destination by 2035. In recent years, the island province has become an attractive shopping destination for domestic consumers.
Following years of efforts to enhance the local tourism and shopping sectors, Hainan now boasts 12 offshore duty-free stores.
Hainan's new duty-free shopping policy stimulates consumption, tourism spending
