According to Sanya Customs, from January to July, there were 2.46 million visitors who made duty-free purchases, with 20.18 million items sold. The total off-shore duty-free sales hit 18.92 billion yuan ($2.6 billion).
Since the summer, Hainan has been issuing a raft of duty-free shopping vouchers and its major duty-free shops have launched a series of promotions to ignite tourists' enthusiasm to spend up big.
To further boost duty-free spending, Hainan held the 2nd Hainan International Offshore Duty-Free Shopping Festival, with over 30 themed promotional events and multiple rounds of government vouchers distributed.
Sanya's duty-free operators have also launched a series of marketing drives tailored to their own strengths. The CDF Sanya International Duty-Free Complex, along with other six stores in Hainan, for example, brings together over 800 domestic and international brands in 45 categories.
At the same time, as one of the activities for the 5th China Duty-Free Hainan Offshore Shopping Festival, the China Duty Free Group conducted a three-month nationwide promotions campaign.
Starting in Chengdu, it continued on to cities such as Guangzhou, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Nanjing, Xi'an, Changsha, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Beijing.
The campaign targeted specific customer groups, promoting the advantages of its duty-free policies and showcasing the charms of its offshore duty-free shopping, attracting more tourists during the summer travel season.
