Duty-free shopping on Hainan islands attracts overseas consumption

Xinhua News Agency, Haikou, October 7

- In this rare long "October" Golden Week, Hainan has become one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.

Attracting tourists from all directions to Hainan, in addition to the natural scenery of coconut wind and sea rhyme and the vacation and leisure of high-end hotels, there is also the fun of "buy, buy and buy" duty-free shopping.

  In Sanya International Duty Free City in Haitang Bay, Sanya, there are long lines in front of some luxury brand stores.

Shao Kehui, a tourist from Zhejiang, lined up for more than 20 minutes and entered the Gucci store. After some selection, he finally bought a favorite bag.

  She told reporters that due to the impact of the epidemic, it is currently not possible to go abroad. It is also a good choice to travel to Hainan and do duty-free shopping.

"Compared to going abroad, it is more convenient and cheaper to come to Hainan." She said that she plans to buy some skin care products and cosmetics.

  Starting from July 1 this year, Hainan’s outlying island’s duty-free shopping quota has been increased from 30,000 yuan per person per year to 100,000 yuan, the 8,000 yuan tax-free limit for a single product has been cancelled, and 7 categories of products favored by consumers including mobile phones and tablets have been added. This is also the biggest adjustment in Hainan's outlying island tax exemption policy since its implementation in 2011.

In particular, the single purchase quantity of cosmetics increased from 12 to 30, meeting the needs of many female consumers.

  In the Fragrance Special Zone of Sanya International Duty Free City, the crowd is bustling and very lively.

Yang Yi, a tourist from Shanghai, selected more than 10 skin care products at one time at a counter.

"Brands are abundant and prices are relatively favorable," she said. Girls have a great demand for skin care products, and the policy has been relaxed, so you can buy more and help friends bring some back.

  According to a sample survey by the Sanya Tourism and Culture Bureau, after the implementation of the Hainan Islands Duty Free New Deal, 80% of Sanya tourists choose to go shopping at duty-free shops, and Sanya International Duty Free City has become a popular choice for tourists.

  At present, Hainan has a total of four outlying island duty-free shops in Haikou, Sanya and Qionghai Boao. Among them, Sanya International Duty Free City is the largest duty-free shop with a total construction area of ​​approximately 120,000 square meters.

  Gao Xujiang, executive director and general manager of CDFG Sanya Duty Free Shop Co., Ltd., said that in the two months after the implementation of the new tax-free policy, the number of visitors to Sanya International Duty Free City exceeded 1.8 million, an increase of more than 60% over the same period last year. The city's revenue reached 4.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 228%.

"The new policy has a very big impact on guiding the return of overseas consumption." He said.

  According to Haikou Customs statistics, from July 1 to September 30, the amount of duty-free shopping on Hainan’s outlying islands reached 8.61 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 227.5%; the number of shoppers was 1.29 million, a year-on-year increase of 62%.

  In order to further optimize the outlying island duty-free layout and better meet consumer needs, the Hainan Provincial Government has recently approved two provincial enterprises to enjoy the outlying island duty-free business qualifications, and plans to open three new duty-free shops in Sanya this year. Through competitive negotiation, Among the enterprises outside the province with qualifications for operating duty-free goods, one enterprise is selected as the main body of duty-free operation on outlying islands, forming a healthy competition pattern.

  Liu Feng, director of the Research Center for the Free Trade Port with Chinese Characteristics of Hainan Normal University, said that Chinese people have a great demand for shopping and consumption. The introduction of more market entities in Hainan’s outlying islands will greatly enhance effective supply and allow tourists to have a better consumption experience. Attract overseas consumption to return.

(Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Huimin)