One year after the new policy was implemented, duty-free shopping on Hainan’s outlying islands amounted to 33.45 billion yuan

China News Service, Haikou, November 5 (Reporter Wang Ziqian) On November 1, 2025, the optimization and adjustment of Hainan’s offshore island tax-free policy will be one year old. Haikou Customs disclosed on the 5th that from November 2025 to October 2026, the amount of duty-free shopping, the number of shoppers, and the number of purchases on Hainan’s outlying islands were 33.45 billion yuan (RMB, the same below), 4.879 million person-times, and 27.644 million items respectively, a year-on-year increase of 13.8%, 8.6%, and 2.4% respectively.

After the adjustment of Hainan's outlying island duty-free policy, the categories of outlying island duty-free goods have been expanded from 45 to 47 categories, and 6 categories of high-quality domestic goods, including clothing, shoes and hats, and tea, have been sold through duty-free channels. Haikou Customs statistics show that in the past year, the sales of new categories of goods under supervision were 210 million yuan, and the sales of domestic goods were 240 million yuan.

This adjustment to the offshore duty-free policy, coupled with the effect of the Hainan Free Trade Port closure, has driven up the popularity of duty-free consumption. In Haikou International Duty Free City, a subsidiary of China Duty Free (Group) Co., Ltd., many international brands have opened their first stores in the past year, and promotional activities featuring "duty free + cultural tourism" have been held one after another. Ruan Shufang, deputy sales manager of Haikou International Duty Free City, said that as of October 18, the customer flow into the store increased by 32.8% year-on-year.

Hainan’s new tax-free policy for outlying islands allows for the first time “visitors who are leaving the island and leaving the country” to enjoy the duty-free shopping policy on outlying islands. Relying on the opening advantages of visa-free entry and the continued increase in international routes, duty-free products on outlying islands have gradually become the first choice of “souvenirs” for overseas tourists. Haikou Customs disclosed that on the first anniversary of the implementation of the new policy, 24,000 outbound tourists were monitored for shopping, with a shopping amount of 160 million yuan. Indonesian tourist Murshid Yusma bought a large-capacity power bank at Haikou International Duty Free City. "Not only is there a rich variety of products, but the discounts are also very attractive."

The new policy also optimizes the "buy now and pick up" policy for residents in Hainan Island. Drive local residents' tax-free consumption to transform from periodic shopping to normal daily consumption. According to customs statistics, in the past year, residents of Hainan Island have spent 410 million yuan in "buy now and pick up" purchases.