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Hainan's 2021 duty-free store sales grew 84% to $9.4 billion

Some 9.6 million people visited duty-free shops on the island last year

HAIKOU /China/, January 3. /TASS/. The sales volume of duty-free stores in the South China province of Hainan exceeded 60 billion yuan (about $ 9.4 billion)last year, having increased by 84%, the Department of Commerce of the region reported.

According to its data, 9.6 million people visited duty-free stores on the island in 12 months, which is 73% more than the previous year. They bought 53.4 million items (an increase of 71%).

As noted in a statement published on the ministry’s WeChat page, such dynamic growth is due to a number of government incentives. For example, tourists visiting Hainan in 2021 had the opportunity to send things purchased in duty-free stores home or to a specified address via express mail, which meant they did not have to burdenthemselves with unnecessary cargo on their return flight. In addition, residents of the island, having purchased goods in airports, can now leave them in storage and pick them upon their return.

The statement also stressed that, simultaneously,the provincial authorities have strengthened anti-smuggling measures. A wide range of luxury products of Chinese and foreign brands, available to customers at much lower prices than in other regions of China, has appeared in Hainan amid these changes.

In 2011 the Hainan authorities launched a pilot program to create a developed duty-free network. There are already 10 duty-free stores on the island. Thanks to the development of this retail sector, the provincial administration expects to accelerate the creation of an international consumer zone in the region.

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