May Day break sees duty-free sales hit $107 million in Sanya

A tourist shops at a duty-free store in Sanya, Hainan province, during the May Day holiday. [Photo/China News Service]

Duty-free sales in Sanya increased by 206 percent year-on-year to 692 million yuan ($107 million) during the May Day holiday, accounting for 69.6 percent of Hainan's total, according to data released by Sanya Customs.

Four duty-free shops in the city held a series of promotional activities, offering discounts including 20 percent off three cosmetic products, 25 percent off five cosmetic products, and cash coupons with no minimum spend during the five-day holiday.

In addition, duty-free shopping quotas in Hainan were lifted from the previous annual limit of 30,000 yuan per person to 100,000 yuan, starting from July 2020. New collection methods such as home delivery, which started in February, have also helped to boost consumption.

According to Haikou Customs, nearly 1.35 million duty-free items were sold on the island between May 1 and 5, generating total sales revenue of 993 million yuan, up 229 percent and 248 percent year-on-year respectively. The number of tourists who went duty-free shopping during the holiday stood at 121,000, up 141 percent over the same period in 2020.