HAIKOU - Duty-free sales in China's island province of Hainan reached 3.78 billion yuan ($585.5 million) in January, an increase of 143.6 percent year-on-year, Haikou Customs said.

Hainan's offshore duty-free shops received some 509,000 customers and sold 5.11 million products during the period, up 29 percent and 146.6 percent year-on-year, respectively.

Hainan vows to build itself into an international tourism consumption center and has increased annual duty-free shopping quota per person from 30,000 yuan to 100,000 yuan from July 1, 2020. The categories of duty-free goods have also been expanded from 38 to 45, with electronic products such as mobile phones and laptops added to the duty-free list.

On Jan 31, two new offshore duty-free shops opened in Haikou, the provincial capital, raising the number of duty-free shops in the province to nine.

The province has rolled out a range of policies such as flexible pick-up services to facilitate customers during the Spring Festival holiday.