China News Service, Haikou, April 20 (Huang Jing, Li Xijian) On April 20, 2011, Hainan’s outlying island tax-free policy was officially implemented. It has been 15 years since then. Haikou Customs disclosed on the 20th that from April 20, 2011 to April 19, 2026, Haikou Customs had supervised a total of 286.4 billion yuan in duty-free shopping on Hainan’s outlying islands, with 347.8843 million items purchased and 50.8667 million shoppers.

In the past 15 years, Hainan’s outlying island tax-free policy has undergone 10 iterative upgrades: from the annual limit of 5,000 yuan per person to 100,000 yuan, from a single "port pick-up" to "mail delivery", "purchase and pick-up", "return to the island for pick-up" and other multiple pick-up methods in parallel, from 35 categories of goods to covering 47 major categories.

“In 2011, Hainan’s first outlying island duty-free store opened in Dadonghai, Sanya. At that time, the store was relatively small and the store was crowded with people. Now Hainan has the largest single duty-free store in the world, and you can’t finish it in a day.” Mr. Ma, who has lived in Hainan all year round, said that in the past, he had to go to the airport to pick up the goods in large and small packages, but now he mails them directly home, saving time and effort.

In November 2025, Hainan’s outlying island duty-free policy was last adjusted, expanding the categories of outlying island duty-free goods to 47 categories, adding new categories such as pet supplies and portable musical instruments, and adding subcategories such as sweeping robots, digital photography equipment and accessories, and micro drones. At the same time, six categories of domestic products were allowed to be sold in duty-free shops for the first time.

On January 18, customers purchased cosmetics at cdf Haikou International Duty Free City. Photo by China News Service reporter Luo Yunfei

The implementation of the new policy has not only ignited consumers’ enthusiasm for shopping, but also ushered in new development opportunities for duty-free business entities on outlying islands. "After the implementation of the new policy, the number of 'buy now and pick up' orders from island residents has increased significantly, store operation turnover efficiency has been greatly improved, and consumption stickiness has been significantly enhanced." The relevant person in charge of Haikou International Duty Free City said that the warm current of policies has stirred up the market, and iterative upgrades of policies are quietly reshaping the pattern of Hainan's duty-free retail industry.

At present, Hainan has formed an orderly competition pattern with 6 business entities and 12 duty-free shops on outlying islands. Sanya International Duty Free City has become the only duty-free shop in the country rated as a 4A-level scenic spot. The offshore tax-free policy is promoting the development and prosperity of cultural tourism, exhibitions, performing arts and other industries.

To build an international tourism consumption center, we must not only attract domestic consumers, but also embrace the world. At the new starting point of Hainan Free Trade Port's customs clearance operation, the offshore island tax-free policy is becoming a bridge connecting tourists from around the world.

“My friends like Chinese products very much. Now they can buy them directly duty-free and the prices are very attractive.” At Sanya International Duty-Free City, Russian tourist Ivanova carefully selected porcelain and tea produced in China. The new policy in November 2025 clearly allows "passengers leaving the island and leaving the country" to enjoy the duty-free shopping policy on the island, which means that international tourists can also take away duty-free goodies when leaving Hainan.

After the Hainan Free Trade Port was closed and put into operation, international tourists came in droves, and the outlying islands were tax-free. It has become not only the "golden sign" of Hainan tourism, but also a window for the Hainan Free Trade Port to open to the outside world. Statistics from Haikou Customs show that since Hainan closed its customs, departing passengers from Hainan have used the outlying island duty-free policy to shop for 67.717 million yuan. An international tourism consumption center with world influence is accelerating to take shape. (End)