Hainan visitors splurge after policy relaxation

One of two pilot duty-free shops in the island province of Hainan took in unprecedented sums during the Chinese New Year holiday after authorities relaxed restrictions on the amount shoppers could spend.

Nearly 30,000 customers spent more than 60 million yuan ($9.1 million) at the duty-free store in Meilan International Airport in Haikou from Feb 7 to 13, according to customs sources.

The 16 million yuan spent on Feb 13 was the highest daily total since the government introduced duty-free shopping in Hainan in 2011 to help develop the island as a tourist destination.