Duty-free shopping in south China's resort island province of Hainan is off to a strong start in 2026, with offshore duty-free sales reaching 1.21 billion yuan (about 173.4 million U.S. dollars) in the first week, up 88 percent year on year, according to Haikou Customs. The Customs recorded the sale of 824,000 duty-free items from Jan 1 to 7, up 30.3 percent compared with the same period last year, while the number of shoppers rose 38.3 percent year on year to 149,000. Along with a surge in shoppers, the most popular four duty-free stores in Sanya City of Hainan sold nearly 800 million yuan (about 115 million U.S. dollars) worth of goods in the period. The rapid growth follows a new duty-free policy implemented in November 2025, which expanded the range of eligible goods from 45 categories to 47 categories. Duty-free shopping complexes in the cities of Haikou, Sanya, and Wanning have set up special zones for new products with specialized shop assistants deployed and discounts offered to improve consumers' shopping experience. Travelers visiting the island can enjoy a duty-free shopping quota of 100,000 yuan per person each year. The province has reported strong offshore duty-free sales over the past few years since raising its annual tax-free shopping quota from 30,000 yuan to the current quota on July 1, 2020. Shotlist: Hainan Province, south China - Recent: 1. Aerial shots of coastal area, duty-free shopping complex; 2. Various of shoppers in mall; cellphones, clothes on display; 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Shopper (name not given) (ending with shot 4): "I bought some cosmetics and had a great experience. The service was very warm and attentive."; 4. Various of shoppers at makeup store; products on display; 5. Shoppers in mall; 6. Screen showing information about duty-free policy; 7. Various of shoppers in mall; 8. Various of products on display, signs of discounts; 9. Various of shopper checking out; 10. Shoes on display; 11. Various of shoppers at clothing, makeup stores; 12. Various of shoppers in mall. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]