Hainan island departure duty-free shopping sales up 84% in 2021

According to the Department of Commerce of Hainan Province, Hainan's island departure duty-free sector maintained a rapid yearly growth rate of 84% in 2021, with a total sales of over 60 billion yuan (about $9.5 billion).

Customers shopping in the beauty section at a duty-free shop in Haikou’s Mova Plaza (XINHUA / GUO CHENG)

The continuing popularity of duty-free shopping in Hainan has been a result of the return of overseas consumer activity as well as the release of several new policies in this area, which has given customers more choices and greater convenience when enjoying duty-free shopping on the tropical island. Click here to see more about the new policies. Additionally, the new policies encouraged competition in the duty-free shopping sector by lifting restrictions on the number of offshore duty-free shops and allowing more operators to join the fray.

According to Casey Lim, Vice President of Hainan Development Holdings subsidiary Global Consumer Boutique, "Since the Global Boutique Duty-Free (GDF) Plaza Phase I opened in January, 2021, so far we have seen total duty-free sales topping over 1.6 billion yuan. This is a milestone for us.”

"Since Hainan released the new duty-free shopping policies, we have held a variety of promotional activities, while increasing more popular product categories such as alcohol and electronic products, to fully take the advantage of the new policies," said Gao Xujiang, Executive Director of CDFG Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex.

Currently, Hainan is home to ten duty-free shops, selling mainly perfume and beauty products, as well as jewelry, watches, bags, electronic products, and more from over 720 international brands.