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World News / World’s largest duty free shop
A coastal city in south-eastern China has opened the world’s largest duty free shop to lure tourists and luxury shoppers who are prepared to drop fistfuls of cash. With a footprint of nearly one million square feet, the gigantic Haitang Bay shopping centre in downtown Sanya is like a duty free shop on steroids. Thousands of shoppers flocked to the mall, which has stores spread over three levels and a glass cavernous atrium, when it officially opened its doors on Monday. The shopping centre on the island province of Hainan is a haven for holidaymakers whose tastes include high-end fashion, expensive jewellery, designer perfume, fancy sweets or imported liquor. With nearly 300 international brands under one roof, it is the first time that several of them, including Prada, Rolex and Giorgio Armani, have been included in a duty free shop on mainland China. Operated by the China Duty Free Group, the colossal shopping paradise cost nearly £500m to build and it replaces an overcrowded shop that was just one seventh of the new building’s size. It’s part of an effort to transform Hainan Island into a world-class tourist destination by the end of the decade. For well-to-do locals, the shopping centre is promising competitive prices to convince them to spend their money at home instead of the luxury shopping mecca of Hong Kong. Duty free shopping is relatively new in Hainan. The island opened two shops in April 2011 as part of a trial program that was authorised by China’s State Council. Tourists are allowed to make duty free purchases twice a year when leaving the island, but they face a spending limit of just under £800, Xinhua News Agency said. The Hainan Tourism Development Commission is expecting 40 million overnight tourists in 2014. The average visitor spent almost £300 in 2013.
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