開欄語：

　　首屆中國國際消費品博覽會將于2021年5月7日至10日在海南海口舉行，有1200多個全球知名品牌參展。為迎接這場國際消費盛會，即日起，新海南客戶端、南海網、南國都市報、海南國際傳播中心聯合推出《穆迪連線》獨家專欄，世界知名旅游零售媒體《穆迪戴維特報告》創始人馬丁·穆迪先生將擔任專欄主筆，從國際視角和行業分析的角度，關注消博會亮點和成果，與全球讀者分享他對全球免稅市場的理解和判斷，以及對海南免稅業發展的觀察和洞見。

　　我很高興成為新海南客戶端的專欄作家。在接下來的幾個月里，我將幫助讀者了解海南和海外的免稅行業，并研究一些令人興奮的發展狀況。

　　It is my great pleasure to become a regular columnist for the Hainan International Media Center. Over the coming months, I will be helping readers understand the duty-free industry in Hainan and overseas and examining some of the most exciting developments.

　　海南現在是全球免稅行業中最熱的詞。這個島素來是一個自然的天堂，它結合了原始的環境、溫暖的無冬氣候、松軟的沙灘和迷人的熱帶風光。但自2011年以來，它也逐漸成為了購物天堂。

　　Hainan is now the hottest word in the global duty-free industry’s language. The island has long been a natural paradise, combining a pristine environment, a balmy winter-free climate, soft sand beaches, and beguiling tropical scenery. But since 2011 it has also become a shopping paradise.

　　2020年，富有遠見的大幅放寬離島免稅購物政策出臺，此舉旨在刺激島內經濟和提振國內消費。在持續完善的政策推動下，這個雙重目標得以實現。2020年，海南成為全球免稅產業的中心，在原本黯淡的行業中成為“燈塔”。

　　In that year, a visionary government policy saw the introduction of ‘offshore duty-free’ shopping, an initiative designed to stimulate the island’s economy and raise domestic consumption. Boosted by regular improvements to the policy, those dual aims have been triumphantly met and in 2020 Hainan became the epicentre of the global duty-free industry, a ‘lighthouse’ in an otherwise darkened sector.

　　雖然全球免稅業因新冠疫情停滯，但海南卻實現了超速發展。在疫情導致今年緩慢開局之后，游客人數和免稅銷售額迅速回升。盡管2020年海南游客人數下降了22.3%至6455萬，但離島免稅銷售額（包括含稅項目）較2019年猛增了127%，超過320億人民幣。

　　While the duty-free industry worldwide stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hainan went into overdrive. After a slow start to the year due to the coronavirus, visitor numbers and duty-free sales picked up fast. And although 2020 did see a 22.2% drop in visitors to Hainan to 64.6 million, offshore duty-free sales (including tax-paid items) surged by 127% over 2019 exceeding RMB32 billion.

　　在全球免稅熱點——韓國和迪拜免稅店的銷售額分別較2019年下降了38%和65%之際，這一成果驚人。有多種因素推動海南表現亮眼。首先，疫情造成的旅行限制使得大陸人不能出境游。而隨著年初海南疫情得到控制，在國內海島度假的設想越來越吸引人。其次，在7月份推出促進購物政策后，這種吸引力更是劇增。

　　This was an astonishing result in a year when sales at the world’s previous duty-free hot spots, the Republic of Korea and Dubai Duty-Free, fell by 38% and 65% respectively over 2019. Hainan’s performance was driven by a combination of factors. Firstly, the travel restrictions resulting from the pandemic meant that mainlanders could not travel overseas. With Hainan COVID-free from early in the year, the prospect of a domestic holiday on an island paradise grew in attraction. Secondly, that attraction soared following the introduction of an enhanced shopping policy in July.

　　人均年度免稅額度達到10萬元；離島免稅商品從38種擴大到45種（包括手機和酒類）；取消之前單件商品8000元（1250美元）限額；化妝品限量從12件提高到30件。

　　The annual duty-free shopping allowance was tripled to RMB100,000; the number of categories of duty-free items extended from 38 to 45 (including cell phones and alcohol); the previous single purchase limit of RMB8,000 (US$1,250) removed; and the limit on cosmetics items raised from 12 to 30.

　　這一政策所帶來的影響令人吃驚。7月1日至12月31日，化妝品銷售額增長了1.4倍，達到105.3億元。手表和珠寶——受益于取消單次購買限額——銷售額增長了3.4倍，達到48.9億元。

　　The impact was startling. From July 1 to December 31, sales of cosmetics rose 1.4-fold to RMB10.53 billion. Watches and jewellery – helped by the removal of the single purchase limit – saw sales boom by 3.4 times to RMB4.89 billion.

　　根據《穆迪·戴維特免稅報告》統計的數據，中免集團去年因為海南成為全球最大免稅零售商，高于2019年的第四位。這家公司在海南經營了數家商店，包括地處海棠灣壯觀的三亞國際免稅城。

　　Buoyed by its performance in Hainan, where it operates several shops including the spectacular Sanya International Duty-Free Shopping City in Haitang Bay, China Duty-Free Group became the world’s number one duty-free retailer last year, according to data compiled by The Moodie Davitt Report, up from number four in 2019.

　　這一地位證明了海南離島免稅購物政策的成功。我預計這一業務未來將更加繁榮，尤其是近幾個月以來，更多的零售商在海口和三亞開業。免稅熱度將進一步攀升。

　　That status is a testament to the success of the Hainan offshore duty-free shopping policy. I expect the business to flourish even more in the future, especially as more retailers have opened in recent months in Haikou and Sanya. The temperature in duty-free’s hot spot is about to be turned up even further.