Duty-free sales enjoy Spring Festival boost

During the Spring Festival holiday spanning from Jan 28 through Tuesday, Haikou Customs recorded transactions totaling 2.09 billion yuan ($287 million) in duty-free shopping, with 240,500 travelers departing from Hainan province engaging in duty-free purchases, averaging 8,706 yuan per person, surpassing last year's figure of 8,358 yuan.

Noteworthy was the achievement of 1.44 billion yuan in duty-free sales in Sanya. From Saturday to Tuesday, duty-free sales in the city exceeded 200 million yuan for four consecutive days. As of Wednesday, duty-free sales in Sanya had risen by 18.1 percent year-on-year, with shopping and foot traffic increasing by 21.9 percent and 13.8 percent, respectively, setting a new high.

"There are many more brands than the last time I visited, and the products are very comprehensive. I also used government consumption vouchers," said a tourist surnamed Zhang from Beijing, at Sanya International Duty Free City on Tuesday, as she took advantage of her vacation to buy the coat and skincare products she had been eyeing.