Sanya Haitang Bay DFS to open in September

The world’s largest duty-free shop (DFS), the Haitang Bay Duty-Free Shopping Center in Sanya, will officially open on Sept 1. Since the beginning of Hainan province’s offshore duty-free policy, duty-free shopping has become a major draw for tourists in Sanya.

Since the policy’s initial trial launch on April 20, 2011, the DFS income in Sanya has reached a total of 7 billion yuan ($1.12 billion) as of May 31, 2014. The total number of customers topped out at 12 million, or 10,700 per day.

At present, Sanya’s DFS business area is about 10,000 square meters, which is becoming steadily more crowded due to the ever-increasing customer numbers. The Haitang Bay Duty-Free Shopping Center, created from an investment by the China International Travel Service (CITS) Group Corporation, is expected to satisfy the need for more duty-free shopping.

The shopping center sits on the Haitang Bay national seashore and has an area of 70,000 square meters. With a total investment of over 5 billion yuan, it hosts duty-free shops, general stores, restaurants and leisure- and culture-related spaces. The center has already attracted many famous international and luxury brands.

DFS centers in Sanya will host a summer shopping festival to promote the opening of Haitang Bay Duty-Free Shopping Center. During the festival, people can register with IDs and student cards to claim a 200-yuan coupon for duty-free commodities. Local residents will enjoy a 10-percent discount when shopping and several international brands will offer specials of their own.

Liu Xiaoli contributed to the story.