China has approved the opening of 19 additional inbound duty-free shops in 13 airports and six ports.
The new shops are expected to offer a wider selection of overseas products so that outbound passengers can make purchases after they arrive at airports or ports.
The duty-free shops will sell infant formula, diapers, bags, suitcases, cosmetics and skincare products. However, each buyer will be limited to no more than four tins of baby formula.
Under the new regulations, returning Chinese inhabitants can spend up to Rmb8,000 ($1,226) on overseas tax-free and duty-free purchases. The limit on tax-free products purchased overseas remains unchanged at Rmb5,000 per citizen.
In recent years, the number of Chinese outbound tourists has seen continuous growth. In 2014, Chinese citizens made more than 100 million overseas trips and spent more than 1 trillion yuan. During the 2016 Spring Festival travel season, outbound tourists numbered up to 6 million, hitting a record high.
The 19 shops will be located in 13 airports, including:
- Guangzhou
- Baiyun,
- Hangzhou
- Xiaoshan,
- Chengdu
- Shuangliu
- QingdaoLiuting
as well as six ports in
- Shenzhen and Zhuhai, Guangdong province and in Heihe, Heilongjiang province.
Currently, airports in Beijing and Shanghai are the only in the country running arrivals duty-free shops, operated by Sunrise Duty Free, which also runs departure shops in these locations.
N.B. Image credit:
Internet links
