During the New Year's holiday, the tax-free shopping amount on Hainan's outlying islands reached 712 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 128.9%. This was the first small holiday after the island was closed, and Hainan's cultural and tourism industry had a good start (economic focus)
The passenger flow at the airport terminal is surging, the duty-free shopping district is thriving, and the popularity of self driving around the island is increasing... On New Year's Day this year, Hainan welcomed its first holiday after the island was closed. On online platforms, terms such as "popular duty-free consumption on outlying islands" and "skyrocketing number of inbound tourists" frequently appear on the hot search list. Hot scenes, eye-catching data, inspiring, refreshing and uplifting. Standing at the new starting point of the island's closure, Hainan is steadily advancing towards its goal of becoming an international tourism consumption center.
——Editor's note:
Policy dividends are released, and the amount of duty-free shopping on outlying islands has doubled
On December 31, 2025, Wang Ren'an, the sales manager of China Duty Free Haikou International Duty Free City, spent an unforgettable New Year's Eve: "It's already late at night, and there are still tourists constantly entering the store. The store is open until 1am." Although busy, seeing the real growth in sales data, Wang Ren'an felt at ease outside.
I thought there were many people, but I didn't expect so many. "On New Year's Day, Su Qian, a tourist from Shenzhen, Guangdong, finished shopping at Haikou International Duty Free City and prepared to go to the check-in point" Sky Secret Forest "to take photos. She stopped for a long time before taking advantage of the crowd to press the shutter button.
Why has there been an explosive growth in passenger flow during this period? According to Wang Ren'an's analysis, in addition to overlapping the peak tourism season in Hainan, the main reason is that the closure of the entire island attracts attention and attracts many consumers. At the same time, the new tax exemption policy implemented in November last year clarified that residents on the island who have a record of leaving the island once a year can purchase goods on the "buy and pick up" list unlimited times within the limit, further stimulating local residents' shopping enthusiasm.
Expectations are high, policies are active, and duty-free shops across the island are heating up. According to data from Haikou Customs, during the New Year holiday, the sales of duty-free goods on Hainan's outlying islands reached 442000 units, a year-on-year increase of 52.4%; The number of shoppers was 83500, a year-on-year increase of 60.6%; The shopping amount was 712 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 128.9%.
Walking in Haikou International Duty Free City, signs and notices of activity discounts can be seen everywhere, and "New Policy Interpreters" answer questions and clarify doubts in densely populated areas. I've already calculated that buying skincare products and a mobile phone, combined with government consumption vouchers, can save on accommodation and airfare costs. It's really worth it! "Su Qian smiled.
Duty free shops across the island are seizing opportunities through various activities while the iron is hot. We have launched a 'three piece one discount' promotion for some duty-free items, and also integrated parade performances, giant egg twisting machines, and murder mystery games. The rich consumption scenes have taken consumers' shopping experience to the next level, "said Wang Ren'an.
"To build Hainan into a global boutique shopping destination, we need to make good use of the key policy of duty-free shopping." Xia Feng, a researcher at the School of Marxism, Hainan University, said that we need to improve the multi-level supply system of "tax exemption for outlying islands+tax exemption for daily consumer goods for island residents+cross-border e-commerce" by enriching the supply of China-Chic brands, Hainan featured goods and new scientific and technological products, and promote the upgrading of duty-free consumption.
A good start made Wang Ren'an have more hopes for 2026: "I hope the duty-free shopping policy will be more awesome after the customs closure, so that enterprises and residents in the island will have a more sense of gain."
This expectation may be realized soon. In December 2025, the Department of Commerce of Hainan Province announced the "Management Measures for Zero Tariff Imported Goods Business Entities and Duty Free Stores for Residents in Hainan Free Trade Island (Trial) (Draft for Comments)", publicly soliciting opinions. Enterprises and residents on the island are expected to enjoy a wider range of tax-free policy dividends.
Relying on resource endowment, island cultural and tourism activities have distinct characteristics
On the second day of the New Year holiday, Su Qian and her friends took a sightseeing bus to visit Haikou Holiday Beach and Wanlv Garden, immersing themselves in the festive atmosphere. She attributed this wonderful journey to her initial idea of going to Haikou to watch the New Year's Eve concert.
On the last day of 2025, the Hunan TV Mango TV New Year's Eve concert was held at the Wuyuanhe Sports Stadium in Haikou, attracting tens of thousands of spectators to watch. The excitement is not limited to sports stadiums and concert halls. During the New Year holiday, walking on the streets and scenic spots of Haikou, there are constant performances of intangible cultural heritage, street art, immersive theater and other special features.
In winter, the climate is warm and comfortable, and the transportation infrastructure is good. In recent years, Haikou has taken advantage of the construction of the free trade port to accelerate towards becoming the "International Performing Arts Capital", developing a city temperament that integrates tropical style, artistic style, and international style. According to tourism platform data, on New Year's Day, the increase in flight bookings to Haikou ranked among the top in the country, and the popularity of self driving tours in Haikou increased by 96% year-on-year.
Xu Yanqing, Executive Dean of the School of International Tourism and Public Administration at Hainan University, believes that the relaxed policy environment provides a fertile ground for Hainan's performing arts economy. For example, Hainan recently implemented the "Hainan Free Trade Port Tourism Regulations", encouraging foreign investors to establish performance brokerage agencies and performance venue operating units in the free trade port, and planning to allow the establishment of foreign-invested cultural and artistic performance groups controlled by the Chinese side. In recent years, the optimization of the approval process for large-scale performances such as "serving one thing" in Hainan has also made the connection of international performing arts resources smoother.
We will use the dual wheel drive of 'policies+activities' to introduce large-scale event performances, expand the scale of sports economy and performing arts economy, and comprehensively stimulate the tourism consumption potential of Hainan. "Li Haigang, Deputy Director of the Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports Department of Hainan Province, introduced that Hainan plans to introduce and hold 77 key event performances, including 37 international events, by 2026.
During the New Year holiday in Sanya, various yachts raced with thousands of sails, creating white curves on the sea surface; In Qionghai, the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone welcomes batches of health and wellness tourism groups... Various regions on the island rely on their resource endowments and policy advantages to showcase their strengths.
Convenient and friendly environment, with a significant increase in the number of inbound tourists
During the New Year holiday, strolling in the Luhuitou Scenic Area in Sanya, one can always encounter groups of foreign tourists; The beaches of Dadonghai are crowded with foreign guests enjoying sunbathing; Under the sunset glow, bars and small shops by the seaside have become a joyful ocean for tourists from all over the world.
At a hotel in Sanya, several tourists from Kazakhstan are checking in. Hotel director Wang Zhiqing said that the rooms for the New Year holiday were fully booked a month ago, with nearly half of them being foreign tourists. To help them adapt to the time difference, the hotel has extended the breakfast time to 1:30 pm.
When the Dadonghai Tourist Center was established in 2022, many tourists came to inquire every day. Now that the number of tourists has doubled, there are not as many who come to inquire. "In the view of Lu Huimin, a staff member of the scenic area, on the one hand, it is because Sanya's payment and travel environment are becoming more convenient and friendly; On the other hand, in the past two years, "China Travel" has become popular, and most foreign tourists will make sufficient travel plans in advance.
According to statistics, during the New Year holiday, the inbound and outbound passenger flow in Hainan increased by more than 20% year-on-year. On New Year's Day, the number of inbound air tickets in Haikou and Sanya increased by more than 3 times and 5 times respectively, with the main source countries being Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Kazakhstan, etc.
After the closure operation, with the successive implementation of policies such as free and convenient entry and exit of personnel, open air rights, tax-free shopping, medical and educational tourism, and the gradual reduction of tourism factor costs, the Hainan tourism market will further open up, and the total tourism revenue will grow rapidly. "Xia Feng's team predicts that after the closure operation, the total tourism revenue of Hainan will increase by 2.62% to 3.28%.
Behind the heat, calm thinking is needed. Xu Yanqing believes that Hainan inbound tourism still has room for improvement in destination brand building, supply system upgrading, special policy implementation, diversified source markets, and international standard construction. She also suggested that relevant practitioners conducting business in Hainan should fully weigh the adaptability of resources and policies, grasp the growth points of new business formats, and promote the high-quality development of the tourism industry in Hainan Free Trade Port.