Duty-free complex welcomes cats and dogs in Hainan

The Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex welcomes pets this summer, offering dedicated play zones and dining areas for shoppers with furry companions. （Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn）

From July through August, the Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex, operated by China Duty Free Group, is hosting what it calls Hainan province's first "pet-friendly social space", inviting shoppers to interact with dozens of free-roaming cats and bring their dogs for active play.

The Super Cat Space on the mall's first floor features play areas, feeding stations, and interactive sections where shoppers can pet breeds like British Shorthairs, Devon Rexes, Persians, and Garfield.

For dogs and their owners, a 300-square-meter outdoor pet park opened on Saturday in the mall's basement level, complete with agility equipment. The mall provides free pet supplies, including strollers and waste bags, and 18 restaurants in the facility are allowing four-legged guests under a pet-friendly convention to ensure orderly behavior. "We're rethinking spaces to treat pets as valued guests, not just tolerated visitors," a mall representative said.

The campaign aims to draw animal lovers to the tropical island province, a top destination for duty-free shopping in China.

The initiative reflects China's growing pet economy. The 2025 China Pet Industry White Paper, released by the Paidu Pet Industry Big Data Platform, shows dog-related consumption rose 4.6 percent year-over-year to 155.7 billion yuan ($21.7 billion) in 2024, while cat-related spending grew faster at 10.7 percent, reaching 144.5 billion yuan. Statistics from the iiMedia Research project China's pet economy could balloon to 1.15 trillion yuan by 2028, fueled by rising incomes and the growing trend of humanizing pets among millennials and Gen Z consumers.