Three new duty free projects are coming to Hainan beginning this November, according to Amos Xu, deputy general manager of the Haikou Meilan Airport Duty Free Shop.
The three projects are the Haikou Aviation Tourism Duty Free Plaza, Sanya Aviation Tourism Duty Free Plaza, and the Haikou Mova Plaza. These three new projects will join existing duty free shops in Haikou and Sanya, including the world’s largest duty free mall, the Haitang Bay Duty Free Shopping Center.
“We have come to a new stage of development and there is still huge potential for us to explore,” said Xu.
The Haikou Aviation Tourism Duty Free plaza [totalling 300,000sqm] will be located at Haikou’s Meilan Airport, and will be linked to the departure lounge via an underground passage. What’s included in the plaza? NH Hotel, an Aviation Experience Museum, a duty free shop and cinema, outlets, restaurants and other entertainment will all be present.
Also in Haikou, the Mova Plaza [totalling 500,000sqm] will be located in the Haikou Dayingshan CBD (Central Business District). The Mova Plaza will offer a duty free shop, department store, supermarket, cinema, restaurants and fast-fashion outlets in the downtown area of the province’s capital city.
The Sanya Aviation Tourism Duty Free Plaza [totalling158,000sqm] will be situated in front of Sanya’s Phoenix International Airport. The Sanya location will include an NH Hotel, a duty free shop, outlets, and duty paid products, as well as additional restaurant and entertainment venues.
XU said these three projects will be complementary but conceptually different with brands selected based on location. This will give travellers more convenient shopping options while in Hainan.
Revenue from Hainan province??s offshore duty free program totalled approximately ?5.54 billion [$842 million] in 2015, according to customs sources and is projected to be even higher in 2016.
In February, the Chinese government raised the cap on offshore duty free shopping allowances, from ?8,000 [$1,216] to ?16,000 [$2,433] before departure flights, with no restrictions on number of purchases. This new policy has already increased duty free revenues in Hainan significantly.
