BEIJING: Offshore duty-free shops on the island province of Hainan sold more than 25.6 billion yuan (around 3.7 billion U.S. dollars) of goods over the past six years, official data showed. According to Haikou customs, the two duty-free shops, one in the provincial capital of Haikou and one in the resort city of Sanya, received more than 8 million customers and sold over 32 million items since offshore duty-free sales began in 2011.
The State Council gave Hainan the permission to run a trial duty-free program in April 2011 to help make the island a world-class tourist destination by 2020. Without any restrictions on the number of purchases, non-locals are allowed to buy duty-free products worth up to 16,000 yuan a year before they take flights or trains to leave the island. Travelers can also order on the Internet and pick up goods at the airport or railway station.
