This Xiamen downtown duty-free shop is on the first floor of the China City Shopping Center. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]

A national notice was recently issued, specifying that starting from Oct 1, in accordance with the "Interim Measures for the Management of Downtown Duty-Free Shops", the management of downtown duty-free shops will be standardized to promote their healthy and orderly development. 

The Xiamen downtown duty-free shop will also be managed in accordance with the measures.

The new measures mainly focus on sales targets, shopping limits, product ranges and management requirements. They specify that passengers who are about to board a plane or an international cruise within 60 days (including but not limited to Chinese passengers) will be eligible for duty-free shopping.

Currently, there are six downtown duty-free shops in China, including the Xiamen shop. It officially opened to the public on May 1, 2019, making it the first duty-free shop in Fujian province.

The Xiamen duty-free shop is equivalent to a display and sales window for duty-free goods within its shopping mall. Currently, eligible consumers who are about to depart can purchase goods at the store. 

They can then pick up their purchases at a designated duty-free goods pick-up point within the exit isolation area at the Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport.

An important point to highlight is that in terms of product range, the regulations encourage the sale of China-chic products. This emphasis on supporting domestic products aims to help enhance the influence and market share of Chinese brands.