Hainan steps up efforts to attract investment and boost consumption after customs operation launch

(ECNS) — South China's Hainan Province is stepping up efforts to attract investment and stimulate consumption following the launch of full customs operations for its free trade port, with early data showing gains in tourism, duty-free sales and business activity.

At the start of the year, China's Hainan Province released more than 100 investment projects across its 18 cities and counties, covering sectors such as the low-altitude economy and tropical agriculture.

Tourism has rebounded sharply. Data from online travel platforms showed that during the first week of the year, inbound arrivals to Sanya and Haikou rose 28% and 15%, respectively, from a year earlier, with visitors mainly from South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia, helped by visa-free entry policies.

Consumption has also accelerated. According to Haikou Customs, offshore duty-free shopping in Hainan reached 1.21 billion yuan ($170 million) in the first week of the year, up 88% year-on-year, while the number of shoppers rose 38.3% to nearly 150,000.

Hou Xiaofei, marketing director of Hainan Global Duty Free City, said that compared with last year, the mall has stockpiled 10% more products, including musical instruments, drones, pets, and fragrance and cosmetic items, in preparation for the peak Spring Festival shopping season.

Business activity is picking up alongside consumption. Since the customs closure, Hainan has registered 4,396 new foreign trade filing companies. Several firms said new policies had lowered costs and encouraged expansion, particularly through zero-tariff imports of equipment and inputs.

Jiang Ganlin, manager of Baiwei Gene Biotechnology, said the firm has already introduced biomedical technology equipment worth over 5 million yuan under the "zero" tariff, saving nearly 1 million yuan.

"We expect to implement cooperative projects worth more than 20 million yuan this year," Jiang said.

Danzhou Weida Chemical is expecting its 2026 orders to increase by about 20% compared with 2025, said Hu Ding, deputy general manager of the company.

(By Zhang Jiahao)