Travelers departing Hainan can now leave with a maximum of RMB8,000 (approx: US$1300) worth of duty free purchases, up from RMB5,000 (approx: US$800) per person per trip. Non-residents can now make two duty free shopping trips per year and Hainan residents are entitled to only one duty free allowance per year, the General Administration of Customs announced.
Beijing Tourism Society’s vice secretary－general Simin Liu said while the measure relaxes duty free spending quota by 60% for visitors departing by air and will enhance Hainan’s appeal as destination and expand its customer sources, it will have limited effect in attrac ting visitors as travelers generally tend not to take the initiative to declare duty-free purchases at customs anyway.
One analyst thinks that CITS will be a major beneficiary of this new rule as duty-free shopping in its massive Haitang Bay Duty Free Shopping Center in Hainan has been its“cash cow”.(Translation by David)
