Around 300,000 people are expected to visit the China International Consumer Products Expo in Hainan between April 10-15 in what is seen as a comeback for the holiday destination, after it was badly hurt last year by China’s tough COVID-19 curbs, including a lengthy lockdown that stranded thousands of tourists there.
The province, known at home as the “Hawaii of China”, has since 2020 become a major shopping destination in the country as Beijing pushed its travel retail status. It especially boomed during COVID, attracting Chinese shoppers unable to travel abroad due to closed borders.
That has meant that while a rebound in consumption spending has remained sluggish in many parts of the country as the economy struggles to recover, it has started off strong in Hainan after China ended its zero-COVID policy in December: duty free sales on the island rose 20% over this year’s seven-day Spring Festival holiday period in January.
And China further plans…
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