Tourists visit the CDF Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex during the 2026 Chinese New Year Holiday. (Source: hinews.cn)

Hainan's exciting new opportunities following the launch of island-wide special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) became a focus at the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's (NCCPPCC) press conference on China's 2026 "Two Sessions" on the afternoon of March 3.

Responding to reporters' questions, NCCPPCC spokesperson Liu Jieyi stated that since the launch of special customs operations, the Hainan FTP has become evidently more liberalized and convenient, highlighted by increasingly open international links. Driving this point further, he presented some impressive figures: during the 2026 Chinese New Year holiday period, Hainan's island-departure duty-free sales saw growth of 30.8% compared to the same period last year, and visa-free entries increased by 75.6%, clearly demonstrating the FTP's commitment to further liberalizing and facilitating the flow of goods and people.

Why were these figures brought up at the very first "Two Sessions" press conference?

While demonstrating Hainan's popularity as a Chinese New Year travel destination, these two metrics point to something more crucial: the growing attractiveness and vitality of the Hainan FTP since it launched special customs operations back in December 2025.

In Liu's words, this landmark initiative represents a new exploration by China in expanding institutional opening-up in rules, regulations, administration, standards, and other aspects, demonstrating the country's firm resolve to follow through with reform and opening-up. Hainan is therefore the ideal window through which the world can witness a China whose "door will never close and will only open even wider."

Be it Russian tourists experiencing Hainan's intangible cultural heritage in Sanya or US tourists participating in bamboo dances in Baoting, each holiday scene witnessed in Hainan this year has been a vivid microcosm of global factors and resources being draw into China's high-quality development.

The hottest thing about Chinese New Year in Hainan this year wasn't just its bustling tourism market, but the FTP's confidence and desire to share Hainan's and China's opportunities with the world.