Duty-free shopping in south China's resort island province of Hainan is off to a strong start in 2026, with offshore duty-free sales reaching 1.21 billion yuan (about 173.4 million U.S. dollars) in the first week, up 88 percent year on year, according to Haikou Customs.
The Customs recorded the sale of 824,000 duty-free items from Jan 1 to 7, up 30.3 percent compared with the same period last year, while the number of shoppers rose 38.3 percent year on year to 149,000.
Along with a surge in shoppers, the most popular four duty-free stores in Sanya City of Hainan sold nearly 800 million yuan (about 115 million U.S. dollars) worth of goods in the period.
"I bought some cosmetics and had a great experience. The service was very warm and attentive," said a shopper.
The rapid growth follows a new duty-free policy implemented in November 2025, which expanded the range of eligible goods from 45 categories to 47 categories.
Duty-free shopping complexes in the cities of Haikou, Sanya, and Wanning have set up special zones for new products with specialized shop assistants deployed and discounts offered to improve consumers' shopping experience.
Travelers visiting the island can enjoy a duty-free shopping quota of 100,000 yuan per person each year. The province has reported strong offshore duty-free sales over the past few years since raising its annual tax-free shopping quota from 30,000 yuan to the current quota on July 1, 2020.
Duty-free sales in Hainan exceed 1.2 bln yuan in first week of 2026
Duty-free sales in Hainan exceed 1.2 bln yuan in first week of 2026
Duty-free sales in Hainan exceed 1.2 bln yuan in first week of 2026
Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Italy and Greece on Saturday to protest against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, with protesters in Rome, Milan and Athens condemning Washington's actions and calling for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.
In Rome, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched toward the area near the U.S. Embassy, calling on Washington to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Police blocked roads around the embassy to prevent protesters from approaching the building, but demonstrators continued to denounce U.S. actions.
"First of all, we oppose U.S. imperialist aggression. This kind of behavior is shameful. The U.S. is attacking a sovereign country, and as [U.S. President Donald] Trump himself has said, this is for oil interests," said protester Giovanni Barbera.
Saturday's rally marked the second large-scale protest in Rome this month against U.S. military operations in Venezuela, following an earlier one on on Jan 3.
Participants included members of multiple political parties, labor unions and social organizations. The protesters held banners reading "Stop imperialist interference" and "Free Maduro," urging the international community to respect Venezuela's sovereignty and the will of its people, and condemning the U.S. for violating international law.
"We are protesting the way the U.S. handles international politics. Since the events of January 3, we have seen violations of international law, and we are very concerned about how the global situation is developing," said protester Stefano De Angelis.
Organizers said solidarity rallies in support of Venezuela were held in 30 Italian cities on the same day.
Meanwhile, similar protests were also staged in Greece. About 200 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, voicing support for Venezuela and opposition to U.S. military actions.
"We oppose U.S. imperialism and its attack on Venezuela. At the same time, the U.S. is also threatening Cuba, Mexico and Greenland. We must stand up against this behavior," said Greek protester Argiro Sirmakezi.
Protesters rally in Italy, Greece against U.S. military operation in Venezuela
