HAIKOU, Jan. 28 -- South China's island province of Hainan reported a total of 1.56 billion yuan (about 234 million U.S. dollars) in offshore duty-free sales during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday, a year-on-year increase of 5.9 percent, according to Haikou Customs.

The number of shoppers for duty-free products in Hainan from Jan. 21 to 27 totaled 157,000, up 9.5 percent from last year's Spring Festival holiday, which ran from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6. Each shopper spent an average of nearly 10,000 yuan.

China released a master plan in June 2020 to build Hainan into a globally influential and high-level free trade port by the middle of the century. Over recent years, the island province has grown into an attractive shopping destination for domestic consumers.

In October 2022, Haikou International Duty-Free Shopping Complex, the world's largest stand-alone duty-free shopping mall, opened in Haikou, the capital of Hainan.