HAIKOU, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's southern island province of Hainan saw total offshore duty-free sales surging 25.4 percent year on year to 43.76 billion yuan (about 6.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, local customs said Monday.

Last year, over 6.7 million shoppers purchased 51.3 million duty-free products on the tropical island, according to the customs of Haikou, the capital of Hainan. The two figures grew 59.9 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively.

Since the beginning of this year, Hainan has introduced a raft of measures to boost the recovery of duty-free consumption, including simplifying purchase procedures, issuing duty-free consumption coupons, and holding duty-free shopping promotions.

China released a master plan in June 2020 to build Hainan into a globally influential and high-level free-trade port by the middle of the century. Over recent years, the island province has become an attractive shopping destination for domestic consumers.

Hainan, a renowned tourist destination, now has 12 offshore duty-free stores.