"This is Hainan trying hard to forge its branding as an international destination," said Michael Zhou, founder of Jingjian, a consultancy specializing in China tourism. The tropical island of Hainan, dubbed the "Hawaii of China," has long been a top travel destination for domestic tourists. According to Zhou, the bulk of Hainan's tourism income comes from hotel stays and duty-free shopping. "As it is the largest duty-free channel in China, Hainan's duty-free sales decline is inevitable," said Charlie Chen, head of Asian Research at China Renaissance, a financial institution. Ye and the China connectionCDF Haikou International Duty Free City is one of many duty-free malls on the Chinese island of Hainan.

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Persons: Du, Ye, Michael Zhou, Zhou, netizens, Ye's, Charlie Chen, Hainan's, Luo Yunfei Organizations: straitlaced Communist Party, Communist, Hainan's Provincial, of Statistics, Haikou, Asian Research, Duty, China News Service, Getty Locations: Hainan, Shanghai, China, Weibo, Beijing, Ye, Hawaii