China News Service, April 14 (Reporter Pang Wuji) Under the epidemic, Hainan duty-free shops exploded against the trend.

Many people regard it as a mecca for consumption, and long queues for shopping during peak seasons such as the Spring Festival have become the norm.

  According to the latest data released by Haikou Customs, in the first quarter of this year, the total amount of duty-free shopping on Hainan outlying islands was 14.72 billion yuan, an increase of 8.4% year-on-year; the number of shopping items was 20.27 million, an increase of 14.2%; the per capita shopping value was 8,372 yuan, an increase of 10.2%.

  Prior to this, the duty-free sales in the outlying islands of Hainan had grown rapidly for two consecutive years.

In 2020, the actual total sales of duty-free shops on outlying islands in Hainan Province exceeded 32 billion yuan. In 2021, this amount exceeded 60 billion yuan, of which the duty-free shopping amounted to 50.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of over 80%.

  Since the pilot implementation of the outlying island tax-free policy on April 20, 2011, duty-free shopping has become a highlight of tourism in Hainan Province.

In the past 11 years, the duty-free policy of Hainan's outlying islands has been adjusted 8 times, and the "gold content" of the policy has continued to increase.

  After more than 10 years of development, under the outlying island duty-free policy, the duty-free shopping quota for tourists from Hainan outlying islands has been increased to 100,000 yuan, and the types of duty-free commodities have increased to 45 categories.

At the same time, the policy has also continued to optimize the purchase method of duty-free goods, adding delivery methods for outlying island passengers, and island residents returning to the island for pickup.

  According to statistics, since the implementation of the "delivery by mail" policy in February 2021, the postal express industry in Hainan Province has received and sent more than 1 million parcels of duty-free goods from outlying islands, serving about 100,000 duty-free shopping consumers in outlying islands per month.

  "Hainan duty-free products are competitively priced, and you can buy your favorite products without going abroad. This is the main reason why Hainan's duty-free shops continue to be popular and attract domestic consumers." Gao Xujiang, executive director of Duty Free Group Sanya City Duty Free Shop Co., Ltd.

In recent years, the scale of duty-free shopping in Hainan has continued to expand, and "come to Hainan and enjoy duty-free shopping on outlying islands" has become the first choice for many domestic consumers.

  CDFG, a subsidiary of China Tourism Group, has Sanya International Duty Free City, Sanya Phoenix Airport Duty Free Shop, Haikou Riyue Plaza Duty Free Shop, Haikou Meilan Airport Duty Free Shop and Qionghai Boao Duty Free Shop in Hainan. Complete travel retailer.

  "After the implementation of the new duty-free policy for outlying islands in 2020, Sanya International Duty Free City has added new categories of commodities with strong consumer demand, such as alcohol and electronic products. After the implementation of the new policy, the sales momentum has been good, adding more space for exploration in the store. By providing a wide range of products and carrying out promotional activities such as discounts, full discounts, and coupons, we will release the effect of the new tax-free policy for outlying islands to a greater extent." Gao Xujiang said.

  In the future, in the face of a broader domestic market, CDFG stated that it will strengthen communication and exchanges with industry partners, do a good job in the "three synchronizations" of duty-free commodities and international origins in terms of brand, variety and price, and introduce more in the Hainan market. Brands and limited edition products provide better prices and better activate the effect of the "gravitational field" of duty-free consumption in outlying islands.

  Chi Fulin, director of the China (Hainan) Reform and Development Research Institute, predicts that by 2025, the scale of the duty-free shopping market in Hainan's outlying islands will exceed 160 billion yuan, and it may become the world's largest duty-free shopping market in outlying islands.

  It is worth noting that while the duty-free of outlying islands continues to be popular, China Tourism Group, the parent company of CDFG, also regards Hainan as the main battlefield for business development.

After the central enterprise relocated the group's domestic headquarters to Haikou in September 2018, it gradually formed a pattern with tax-free as the core and the entire industrial chain gathered in Qiong.

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