Hainan's duty-free shopping booms during Spring Festival

According to the Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce, Hainan's duty-free shops generated 1.98 billion yuan ($311.5 million) in sales during the Spring Festival holiday, up 144 percent year on year.

Among them, the duty-free sales amounted to 1.82 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 153 percent, while the number of duty-free shoppers was 277,800, a year-on-year increase of 128 percent, and the number of duty-free items purchased totaled 1.65 million, a year-on-year increase of 143 percent.

During this year's Spring Festival holiday, which ran from Jan 31 to Feb 6, 10 offshore duty-free shops in Hainan launched various preferential activities to promote consumption.

Customers shop for cosmetics at the Global Duty-Free (GDF) Plaza in Haikou's Riyue Plaza. [Photo/hi.chinanews.com]