At a duty-free store in Sanya, a coastal city in South China's island province of Hainan, Li Wenhao was lining up to make a purchase at a cosmetics counter.

Li, a tourist from East China's Jiangsu province, enjoyed a vacation on the resort island for the first time.

"There are so many international brands and the prices are favorable, especially the skincare products and cosmetics," said Li. "The store is just like a tourist site, where I can happily spend hours."

During the three-day Tomb-sweeping Day holiday that ended on Monday, the four offshore duty-free shops in Hainan received a total of 19,900 customers, down 26 percent over the same period last year due to the COVID-19 epidemic. However, sales rose to 125 million yuan (about $17.7 million), up 31.58 percent year on year.