Hainan sees booming tourism market following special customs operations launch

The launch of island-wide special customs operations in South China's Hainan Province triggered a notable surge in tourism demand, though the peak season of the Spring Festival holiday is still more than a month away.

China on Dec 18 launched special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world's largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanded zero-tariff coverage and more business-friendly measures.

So far, domestic flight bookings to Hainan for the Spring Festival holiday have exceeded 110,000 tickets, with some popular routes nearly sold out.

The accommodation market is also heating up, with homestay bookings in Sanya up 45 percent year on year. Special customs operations have become a key driver of market vitality.

"Since the implementation of special customs operations, the number of tourists from Shanghai to Hainan has shown a continuous upward trend. Popular destinations like the Wuzhizhou Island and Sanya Atlantis have become top attractions for travelers," said Wang Yiming, public relations director of Ctrip, a leading Chinese online travel agency.

The first Spring Festival duty-free market since the launch of special customs operations is recording dual peaks in both bookings and consumption.

Driven by the expanded offshore duty-free policy and visa-free entry for citizens of 86 countries, bookings for Hainan's duty-free-related travel products during the Spring Festival period had surged by more than 180 percent year on year as of Jan 8.

Duty-free shopping sales are expected to exceed 3.5 billion yuan (about 501.1 million U.S. dollars).

"Since the launch of special customs operations, the number of tourists visiting Hainan has increased by about 60 percent compared with the previous two months. We believe it has exceeded our expectations. People aged between 20 and 39 account for about half of the tourists visiting Hainan," said Zhou Weihong, vice general manager of travel agency Springtour.

Hainan sees booming tourism market following special customs operations launch

China's movie industry is increasingly deriving its earnings from broader consumer economy.

Released during the 2025 summer season, the film "Nobody" became China's highest-grossing two-dimensional animated film -- and its success went beyond theaters.

Through licensing and brand partnerships, the movie has generated 2.5 billion yuan (about 358.3 million U.S. dollars) in retail sales to consumers, with more than 800 licensed products on the market.

Ranging from plush toys to food and home goods, the movie-related merchandise can be purchased from over 3,000 online and offline outlets.

Meanwhile, souvenir stores are crowded at Shanghai Disneyland's Zootopia themed land, with hats, plush toys, and collectibles seeing steady demand from visitors.

"China's film industry is no longer defined by box office revenue alone. It has become a new growth engine that links and energizes multiple cultural sectors. At the heart of every successful film is strong storytelling. High-quality productions create cultural value, which in turn enhances the commercial value of intellectual property and opens up new consumption opportunities. I believe China's film industry delivered an outstanding performance in the past year," said Chen Xiaoda, vice dean of Shanghai Vancouver Film School.

Film IP fuels expansion of consumer market