Dance shows, basketball games, and sold‑out phones — in the first two days of the holidays, sales rose by 7.2 percent

Duty-free shopping malls on the southern island of Hainan are reporting a sharp increase in the number of shoppers during the holiday period. Significant discounts and themed events have attracted tens of thousands of people on Labor Day. This report is from CCTV+.

The revival of Hainan's status as one of China's leading domestic tourist destinations has led to brisk sales and packed duty-free halls throughout the five-day holidays. Compared with ordinary days, this year there is a noticeable rise in the number of buyers.

To stimulate consumer demand, shopping malls held dance shows and interactive games. Large discounts kept demand high for cosmetics and electronics.

A visitor, Liu Xiangjin, said she is looking at electronics — phones and watches. She visited several stores. The discounts are really good, she said, and many products are already sold out.

Wei Yingying, head of sales at Global Duty-Free Plaza in Hainan, says they launched a series of events that combine different sectors. For sports lovers, they organized a run and basketball games. Discounts reach up to seventy percent. This May holiday, she said, has truly been enjoyable for shoppers.

According to Haikou Customs, duty-free sales in Hainan on May 1 and 2 reached 209 million yuan — about 30.6 million US dollars. A total of 34,000 purchases were made, averaging 6,129 yuan each.

This result represents a 7.2 percent increase in sales compared with the same period last year. The number of visitors rose by 5.9 percent. Spending per capita increased by 0.9 percent.

To meet the demand, customs authorities said they are shortening delivery times for duty-free goods. The main goal is to ensure stable supply during the holiday