HAIKOU -- During the first Spring Festival holiday since the launch of island-wide special customs operations in China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the southern tropical island has become a popular destination for tourists, injecting fresh momentum into the tourism and consumption markets.

At the iconic Qilou Old Street in the capital city of Haikou, rows of red lanterns add a festive ambiance. Tourists from home and abroad stroll through the street, immersed in the historical charm and festive joy.

On the first day of the holiday, a Dutch tourist, Strobos, toured the Southeast Asian style buildings there with his Chinese wife, stopping frequently to take photos.

"It's warm," said Strobos, who was visiting Hainan for the first time. "The Qilou Old Street is very famous, so we came here. It's very beautiful. The buildings and the atmosphere are very impressive."

A street festival market features a wide range of products, from traditional festival snacks to creative cultural handicrafts, drawing large crowds.

"The Qilou Old Street is full of cultural charm and a strong sense of life," said a tourist surnamed Cao from Central China's Hunan province.

Cruise tourism also added to the holiday boost. On the first day of the lunar year, the Star Voyager, a cruise ship under Star Cruises, docked at the Sanya Phoenix Island international cruise port with more than 1,800 passengers on board, bringing new vitality to Sanya's tourism market.

A tourist from Sweden, Fredrik, said he was very happy to enjoy the cruise and the atmosphere of the Chinese Spring Festival.

According to the Haikou General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, Hainan is expected to see a peak in cross-border travel during the nine-day holiday, with the total inbound and outbound tourists projected to reach 79,300, an increase of 24.1 percent year-on-year.

Duty-free shopping, a key feature of the Hainan FTP, also surged during the holiday, thanks to optimized duty-free policies, an expanded product range, and a combination of government consumption vouchers and store discounts.

At a duty-free store in downtown Haikou, decorations themed on the Year of the Horse added to the festive vibe.

"Duty-free shopping is a must for traveling in Hainan," said a tourist surnamed Jian from Changsha, capital of Hunan province. "Skincare and cosmetic products here are much cheaper than malls back home, which really encourages spending."

It was her first duty-free shopping experience in Hainan, and she said the store offered a wider selection of goods in a comfortable shopping environment.

For many tourists, duty-free shopping has become not only a must-do for their trip in Hainan, but also a bonus for their vacation.

"I reserved a whole day just for shopping," said He Jun, a tourist from East China's Anhui province, who stayed an extra day in Haikou to visit duty-free stores before returning home.

"I researched online in advance and secured government consumption vouchers. The prices are really competitive," she said, adding that the duty-free shopping made her trip more enjoyable.

Data from Haikou Customs showed that in the first four days of the Spring Festival holiday, duty-free sales in Hainan reached 1.03 billion yuan ($149 million), with duty-free shoppers reaching 137,000. The figures represent year-on-year increases of 20.9 percent and 25.7 percent, respectively.

According to plans, China aims to build Hainan into a globally influential tourism and consumption destination by 2035.