OREANDA-NEWS. The total sales of duty-free shops in the southern Chinese province of Hainan over nine years of operation exceeded 55 billion yuan (about $ 7.78 billion). This was reported by the customs department of the city of Haikou (the administrative center of the province).

Over the nine years since the launch of the pilot program for the development of duty-free shops on the island, more than 16 million customers have visited them; the volume of goods sold has reached 72 million. Currently, there are four duty-free shops on the island - two in Haikou, one each in the resort town of Sanya in the southern part of the island and in Qünhai in the east of the province.

Due to the coronavirus epidemic, Hainan duty-free shops temporarily suspended their operations, however, from February 19, they reopened to visitors. According to the customs administration, by the end of March, the network’s sales reached 80% of revenue at the end of the first quarter of last year.