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Niksa Milanovic: “It’s good news as an operator and good news for Croatia” |
CROATIA. Dubrovnik Airport Manager Trade Department Niksa Milanovic has reacted with delight to a major breakthrough for the country’s duty free industry yesterday.
The EU Aviation Security Regulatory Committee voted to add Croatia to a list of EU-approved third countries from where passengers arriving in EU airports will no longer face confiscation of duty free liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) when making connecting EU flights.
Milanovic told The Moodie Report: “It’s good news for us as an operator and good news for Croatia.”
Dubrovnik (where just 15% of outbound traffic is transit) was not as hard hit by the transfer question as the capital Zagreb. But the issue caused “psychological” damage in the travelling consumers’ minds, Milanovic said, because of widespread uncertainty over who could buy what.
He said that the implementation of the new regime was up to the authorities but he was confident it would happen within 15 days.
Meanwhile Dubrovnik Duty Free is experiencing a strong year, he said. Passenger numbers for the first half rose by around +7% while duty free sales increased by +10%.
“We’re looking forward to a very good season – it looks like being ahead of last year,” he said. While the passenger profile is dominated by British and Irish, French and Germans, Dubrovnik Airport is also seeing a welcome increase in Russian, Spanish and Japanese traffic (eight flights a week are coming in from Tokyo Narita and Osaka Kansai during the holiday season).
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NOTE: Dubrovnik Duty Free was profiled in The Moodie Report Print Edition for Cannes 2006. Click here to download.
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