"Duty-free shopping indeed plays a significant role in our decisions to visit Hainan. Now the duty-free offerings are getting cheaper and more extensive, so we are more willing to come here," said Xu.
She added that her family went to many famous tourist attractions, such as Wuzhizhou Island and Haitang Bay in the resort city of Sanya, and that Haikou was their final destination before heading back to Hubei.
Likewise, Yang Shan, a tourist from east China's Shandong Province, also planned her itinerary to allow visits to both Sanya and Haikou, setting aside one day for duty-free shopping with her little daughter.
"I have bought cosmetics, some of which I plan to give my friends as gifts, and also some for myself," said Yang, while adding that "duty-free discounts are so substantial that goods here are even cheaper than shopping online, and their quality is guaranteed."
This aerial photo taken on April 4, 2023 shows the Haikou International Duty-Free Shopping Complex in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
Apart from domestic tourists, foreign visitors can also be seen in the duty-free city, one of whom is Sergei Eroputov from Russia.
He said that the trip, made specifically for duty-free shopping, enabled him to find a wide range of brands, while also enjoying a captivating architectural shopping landscape as bonus.
In June 2020, China released a master plan to develop Hainan into a globally influential and high-level free trade port by the middle of this century. Over recent years, the island province has become an attractive shopping destination for consumers.
The influx of tourists during summer vacation has enhanced the duty-free shopping enthusiasm of local salespeople.
"Since summer vacation began, there has been a notable increase in foot traffic from Monday to Friday, and on weekends the number of visitors jumps even further," said Yao Xinyu, a salesman for a Swiss watch and jewelry brand in the duty-free city. "Our daily sales have increased by about 30 to 40 percent compared to the period before the holidays," Yao added.
Yao believes duty-free shopping has become an essential part of tourist visits to Hainan and that some tourists even come mainly for shopping.
In order to further release the consumption potential and stimulate the vitality of duty-free shopping, Hainan at the beginning of July launched the two-month 2023 Hainan International Duty-free Shopping Festival.
Through distribution of duty-free shopping vouchers and the hosting of summer parent-child duty-free shopping activities, the festival delivers a diversified shopping experience and real discounts to consumers.
For the Haikou International Duty-Free Shopping Complex, which opened last October, this is a first taste of the summer vacation experience. "We have organized diverse activities for groups like families and students during the summer holidays," said Sun Huiyan, the sales manager of the duty-free shopping mall.
She said that August would see a series of events related to the Qixi Festival, or the Chinese Valentine's Day, and also electronics, aimed at creating opportunities for tourists to fully indulge in the delight of duty-free shopping.
According to official statistics, in the first half of this year, Hainan received a total of about 46 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 32.8 percent, while its total sales revenue generated by offshore duty-free shops reached about 32.4 billion yuan (about 4.48 billion U.S. dollars), up 31 percent year on year.
