China looks to domestic shoppers for Golden Week boost

Che Yingjie has not flown in more than a year, but on Saturday she is headed with a friend to China's southern island province of Hainan from Beijing for a three-day shopping spree. "It is a trip that I have longed for," said Che, a tutor, who before COVID-19 usually made an annual overseas shopping trip with her friend. This time, after getting vaccinated, she is targeting nine malls in Hainan where domestic travelers can buy imported goods duty-free.

"I want to get some cosmetic products that Shiseido is launching, as international travel is still difficult," she said, referring to the Japanese consumer-goods group. Che's plans for the Labor Day holiday, which runs through Wednesday, will provide a test for President Xi Jinping's "dual circulation" model that calls for utilizing China's sizable domestic market to offset trade tensions with the U.S. and international economic uncertainty.

Various official tourism and shopping events are kicking off nationwide on Saturday and the days following, in partnership with industry players, to spur private consumption.

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