As the first China International Consumer Products Expo ("CICPE" or "Hainan 
Expo") kicks off in Hainan, Sanya, located on the southern tip of Hainan 
Island, also one of the most popular destinations in China, is making a splash 
as attendees from various provinces and cities flock to the island. The Sanya 
Tourism Promotion Board has readied itself to introduce a reinvigorated New 
Sanya backed by the Hainan Free Trade Port construction plan. 

Taking place in Haikou between May 7 and 10, the Hainan Expo plays a pivotal 
role in the development of Hainan Island as an international tourism and 
consumption center and establishes a platform for the promotion and trade of 
international consumer products. With a number of innovative mechanisms to 
enrich the environment for tourism and consumption, Sanya has shown its 
commitment to turning the city into a destination of both tropical island 
vacations and duty-free shopping. 

Since China's first duty-free store landed in Sanya on April 20, 2011, Sanya 
has contributed about 77% of the province's off-island duty-free sales in the 
past decade (as of the first quarter of 2021). In the middle of last year, the 
island province introduced a new tax-free policy that increased the quota to 
RMB 100,000 and diversified the types of tax-free products on offer, which has 
set off a boom in duty-free shopping in Sanya. 

In a bid to cultivate tourism by meeting the needs of more business and leisure 
travelers, Sanya has quadrupled its duty-free shops from one to four with the 
opening of Hainan Tourism Duty Free Shopping Complex ("HTDF Shopping Mall"), 
CNSC Sanya International Duty Free Plaza ("CNSC Mall") as well as Sanya Phoenix 
International Airport duty-free store, and doubled its operating entities. With 
the generous duty-free shopping quota and a plethora of choices for consumers, 
the city is diversifying its duty-free business. 

The Sanya Tourism Promotion Board is reimagining the city as a travel hotspot 
with new activities and themes designed to appeal to different tourism 
segments. The board has launched "Wonderland Sanya", a campaign that seeks to 
attract young travelers to explore Sanya's unique and vibrant possibilities 
across the five areas of food, travel photography, culture, outdoor activities 
and luxury hospitality. Also, the board recently partnered with Tencent's Game 
for Peace to host a themed carnival, making the city's Haitang Bay a new 
landmark of e-sports culture with a "cultural tourism + video game" crossover 
approach. 

Sanya has also introduced a host of innovative mechanisms to promote the 
construction of an international tourism and consumption center. Leveraging the 
growing popularity of yachting, a yacht timeshare model has been introduced to 
make the aspirational pastime accessible and appealing to a broader range of 
tourists. It has also launched a series of reforms to support the development 
of the cruise yacht industry.

The coastal city has actively invested in a number of large-scale tourism 
projects. It has already opened the doors to the wildly successful Atlantis 
Sanya and Haichang Fantasy Town and inked an agreement to open a Hello Kitty 
Theme Park Resort in 2024. This continued investment has also attracted global 
tourism giants to settle in Sanya, with Caissa Holiday and Thomas Cook 
establishing their headquarters in the city.

Benefiting from the boundless new opportunities brought by the Hainan FTP, such 
as the Hainan Expo, Sanya looks to a new era as an international destination 
city for tourism and consumption. 

SOURCE: Sanya Tourism Promotion Board

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   Caption: Sanya Boosts Tourism and Consumption as First China International 
Consumer Products Expo Held in Hainan