Retail in Asia

Hainan year-end daily duty free sales average USD 20.6 million

Year-end daily sales in Hainan’s offshore duty free market for the 31 December to 2 January period averaged CNY 140 million (USD 20.6 million), according to Haikou Customs.

SEE ALSO: China’s new Covid rules spell good news for Hainan duty free

In first reporting the figures, state-owned media China Daily noted that average daily sales since mid-December have exceeded CNY 100 million (USD 14.8 million), according to Haikou Customs.

Haikou Customs said 43,000 people went duty free shopping during the three-day holiday, purchasing some 476,000 units. Average transaction value was CNY 9,816 (USD 1,450), similar to the same period in 2022.

The figures augur well for the forthcoming China New Year/Spring Festival holidays (21-27 January), especially given the central government’s recent elimination of most Covid controls across the country.

“After China’s optimisation of the Covid-19 measures, business operators expect that the tourism sector will grow vigorously,” Pan Helin, co-director of the Digital Economy and Financial Innovation Research Center at Zhejiang University’s International Business School told China Daily.

This year’s Spring Festival will feature two additional shopping attractions, the cdf Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex opened on 28 October and the trial phase of Wangfujing International Duty Free Harbour City in Wanning.

SOURCE: The Moodie Davitt report