According to Haikou Customs, between November, 2025, when Hainan’s new island departure duty-free sales policy came into effect, and April 30, 2026, eligible sales totaled $3.27 billion, a year-on-year increase of 22.6%, with over 2.9 million shoppers, up 9.4% over the previous year, purchasing a total of 17.45 million items, an increase of 5.5%.

“Since the implementation of the new policy, we have noticed a significant increase in both customer traffic and sales at our stores,” said a representative from Wanning’s Wangfujing International Duty-Free Port (one of Hainan’s 12 island departure duty-free shops). “We have also increased the number of items we carry to better meet the needs of different consumers.”

Hainan’s new island departure duty-free sales policy, which came into effect in November, 2025, is optimized for three main consumer groups: vacationers, island residents, and outbound travelers. The number of duty-free product categories has increased from 45 to 47, and now includes pet supplies and portable musical instruments. Existing product categories have also been expanded, adding 15 new small appliance categories including robot vacuum cleaners, other vacuum cleaners, and sleep aids, and two new types of consumer electronics - digital photography equipment and drones - have also been added in order to better meet shoppers’ needs.

The new policy also allows six new categories of high-quality domestic products to be added to the shelves of Hainan’s duty-free shops, including shoes, hats, scarves, and ceramics, in order to promote the development of China’s domestic brands and Hainan’s specialty products while also catering to both high-end and everyday consumer needs.

The policy also significantly reduces restrictions on both the date and number of shopping trips for island residents. Hainan residents with proof of departure within one calendar year can now purchase duty-free goods an unlimited number of times throughout the year, which means duty-free shopping is no longer just for tourists!

"After the implementation of the new policy, we focused on upgrading smart supervision," said a representative of the Haikou Customs Supervision Department. "We implemented a ‘one item, one code’ management system for in-store sales, on-site pickup, and departure verification, making use of big data models to dynamically monitor consumer sales, predict peak numbers in advance, and intelligently allocate supervisory resources."

Going forward, Haikou Customs plans to further expand the range of duty-free goods, improve smart supervision, strengthen business services, and continue to increase policy benefits, ensuring that the new duty-free policy will bring more savings to a wider range of travelers.