China's Hainan sees soaring duty-free sales in 2021

Customers smell perfumes in a duty-free shop in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

HAIKOU, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Offshore duty-free sales in south China's island province of Hainan reached 60.2 billion yuan (about 9.4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2021, an increase of 84 percent year on year, said the provincial department of commerce.

According to the department, the number of shoppers totaled nearly 9.7 million in 2021, with about 53.5 million items purchased, up 73 percent and 71 percent year on year, respectively.

Three more duty-free shops opened last year in Hainan, raising the total number to 10. The duty-free shops host more than 720 brands in a total shopping area of 220,000 square meters.

Since July 1, 2020, Hainan has raised its annual tax-free shopping quota from 30,000 yuan to 100,000 yuan per person. The duty-free purchase limit for cosmetics has been raised from 12 items to 30.

The province has also rolled out a range of policies such as flexible pick-up services to provide a better experience for customers.

China released a master plan in June 2020 to build the island province into a globally influential and high-level free trade port by the middle of the century. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Hainan has grown into an attractive shopping destination for domestic consumers.