Luxury CEOs Rave About Chinese Island Where Sales Are ‘On Fire’

  • Hainan helping to bolster companies like Tapestry and Capri
  • Retailers plan expansion as sales stagnate elsewhere
Customers visit a duty-free shop in Haikou, Hainan Province, China, on Jan. 31.Photographer: Guo Cheng/Xinhua/Getty Images

U.S. luxury retailers, impatient for shoppers to start buying high-end goods again, are turning their gaze to the one place in the world where that’s happening: an island in the South China Sea.

Hainan Island, China’s smallest province, is one of the few tourist destinations on the planet that’s back in full swing as virus-related restrictions squeeze international travel. The revival has caught the attention of executives like Patrice Louvet, chief executive officer of Ralph Lauren.