Shenzhen sees surge in departure tax refunds during Spring Festival holiday

South China's tech hub of Shenzhen saw a sharp surge in departure tax refunds during the official nine-day Spring Festival holiday running through Monday.

Customs data show that from Chinese New Year's Eve on February 16 to the sixth day of the Chinese New Year on February 22, the city's customs authorities processed 1,976 refund applications, with the total purchases reaching 22.424 million yuan (about 3.2 million U.S. dollars).

It represents a 7.4-fold increase in the number of transactions and a 1.4-fold rise in total value compared to the same period last year.

Domestic products, including smartphones, action cameras, laptops and tablets, accounted for roughly 40 percent of all purchases.

The spike highlights strong spending power among overseas tourists shopping in China under the departure tax refund scheme.