(Yicai Global) Aug. 4 -- Duty-free sales on China’s tropical island province of Hainan jumped more than three times last month in the wake of a policy easing.

Sales at the province’s four designated duty-free shops climbed to about CNY2.5 billion (USD358.1 million) in July, Hainan Daily reported today.

The surge came after the holiday destination further relaxed the annual duty-free quota for travelers to CNY100,000 (USD14,324) from CNY30,000 and added alcohol, consumer electronics and other goods to a list of categories exempt from tax. It also set no limit to the number of purchases of various categories.

“I believe the new policy’s advantages in categories and prices will more effectively guide Chinese residents, who are eager to shop abroad, to turn to Hainan,” the report quoted Huang Shengqiang, dean of the School of Customs and Public Administration of Shanghai Customs College, as saying.

Shoppers spent an average of CNY5,527 each in Hainan’s duty-free shops last month, up 82 percent from a year earlier, according to figures from the local finance department.

The three most popular new classes of goods were mobile phones, alcohol and tablets. Their sales accounted for 66 percent, 22 percent, and 7 percent of the total for newly added categories, or 95 percent overall.

Editor: Peter Thomas