CTG DUTY-FREE (01880) surged over 4% in early trading, reaching a 4.81% increase to HKD 76.3 by the time of reporting, with a turnover of HKD 148 million. The catalyst behind this movement is the upcoming full-island customs closure operation of the Hainan Free Trade Port, set to commence on December 18 this year.

CTG DUTY-FREE clarified that all 45 categories of goods currently eligible for duty-free purchases by departing island travelers have been included in the "Hainan Free Trade Port Import Taxable Goods Catalog." As a result, the existing duty-free system for departing travelers will remain operational for a certain period post-closure. Meanwhile, both tourist and business travel numbers are expected to grow steadily alongside the development of the free trade port, benefiting consumer services with a high reliance on the duty-free sector.

Oriental Securities highlighted a recovery in Hainan's departing traveler duty-free sales. From November 1–7, duty-free shopping in Hainan totaled RMB 506 million, with 72,900 shoppers, marking year-on-year increases of 34.86% and 3.37%, respectively. The bank attributed this growth to a low base effect, new duty-free policies, large-scale events like concerts, and promotional campaigns.

Additionally, the discouragement of travel to Japan may redirect some overseas shopping demand back to domestic markets. Coupled with the wealth effect from this year's stock market performance, winter tourism and duty-free sales in Hainan are poised to benefit further.