Hainan duty-free sales reach 855m yuan in first National Day holiday after customs closure
In short
Hainan's offshore duty-free shopping totalled 855 million yuan from October 1 to 7, the first National Day holiday since the Hainan Free Trade Port's customs closure (封关), with 123,000 shoppers, Haikou Customs said. Passengers entering and leaving the island reached 1,649,500, up 11.76% on 2025, according to the Hainan Provincial Department of Transport, and border inspection authorities reported 54,000 cross-border travellers, up 13.4% year on year.
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Hainan's offshore duty-free shopping totalled 855 million yuan from October 1 to 7, the first National Day holiday since the Hainan Free Trade Port's customs closure, Haikou Customs said on October 8. It counted 123,000 shoppers and 696,800 items. A CCTV News item carried by 36Kr and Jiemian said the number of shoppers rose 10.41% year on year and described the period as a boom in duty-free shopping. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
The Hainan Provincial Department of Transport said 1,649,500 passengers entered and left the island over the seven days, up 8.47% from 2024 and 11.76% from 2025, China News Service reported. [ 4 ]
The Haikou Exit-Entry Border Inspection General Station said that as of 16:00 on October 7 it had cleared 409 aircraft and vessel trips and 54,000 cross-border travellers, up 12.1% and 13.4% from the same period last year. Haikou Meilan International Airport port handled 30,000 travellers, up 3.4%, and Sanya Phoenix International Airport port handled 22,000, up 28.7%. China News Service said travel by tourists, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents returning home and overseas Chinese visiting relatives brought a peak at Hainan's three main airport ports. [ 1 ]
According to the station's data, inbound travellers came mainly from Russia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Belarus, while Chinese citizens travelled mainly to Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Hong Kong. China News Service said citizens of 88 countries holding ordinary passports can enter Hainan visa-free, and that border authorities published expected peak periods in advance, monitored passenger flows in real time, opened all inspection lanes and added signage on site. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The figures give a first National Day holiday reading since the free trade port's customs closure, covering duty-free shopping, island travel and cross-border traffic. China News Service said visa-free entry, open to ordinary passport holders from 88 countries, and expanding international routes are making travel to and from Hainan more convenient.
Key facts
- The 2026 National Day holiday was the first since the Hainan Free Trade Port's customs closure. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Haikou Customs said offshore duty-free shopping from October 1 to 7 totalled 855 million yuan, with 123,000 shoppers and 696,800 items. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Shopper numbers rose 10.41% year on year, according to Haikou Customs figures reported by CCTV News. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The Hainan Provincial Department of Transport said 1,649,500 passengers entered and left the island from October 1 to 7, up 8.47% from 2024 and 11.76% from 2025. [ 4 ]
- As of 16:00 on October 7, the Haikou Exit-Entry Border Inspection General Station had cleared 54,000 cross-border travellers and 409 aircraft and vessel trips, up 13.4% and 12.1% year on year. [ 1 ]
- Haikou Meilan International Airport port handled 30,000 cross-border travellers, up 3.4%, and Sanya Phoenix International Airport port 22,000, up 28.7%. [ 1 ]
- Citizens of 88 countries holding ordinary passports can enter Hainan visa-free, China News Service reported. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Hainan offshore duty-free shopping totalled 855 million yuan during the October 1-7 holiday. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Duty-free shoppers numbered 123,000 during the holiday. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Close to 700,000 duty-free items were sold; Haikou Customs gave the figure as 696,800. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Passengers entering and leaving Hainan island totalled 1,649,500 from October 1 to 7, up 11.76% from 2025. [ 4 ]
- Cross-border travellers cleared by Haikou border inspection reached 54,000 as of 16:00 on October 7, up 13.4% year on year. [ 1 ]
Still unclear
- How the 855 million yuan in duty-free sales compares with the same holiday last year. The documents give a year-on-year change for shopper numbers but not for the sales amount.
- The full-holiday total for cross-border travellers. The border inspection figures run only to 16:00 on October 7.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- October 7: cut-off for the Haikou border inspection station's holiday figures of 54,000 cross-border travellers. [ 1 ]
- October 7: China News Service reports the cross-border traveller figures. [ 1 ]
- October 8: 36Kr reports 855 million yuan in duty-free sales, citing CCTV News. [ 2 ]
- October 8: China News Service reports 1,649,500 passengers entering and leaving the island. [ 4 ]
- October 8: China News Service reports Haikou Customs' duty-free figures. [ 5 ]