 |
VIETNAM. The duty free store at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport has reopened with plans to expand the product offering to include fragrances & cosmetics, according to VietnamNet Bridge news agency.
The duty free store, which is operated by Vietnam Airlines-owned Southern Airport Services Co (SASCO), currently sells only liquor, cigarettes and confectionery items.
The reopening of the store provides the airport with competition between the airport’s retailers and adds a critical source of income from passengers, including growing numbers of Russian tourists, the report said.
Last year, 250,000 Russians visited Vietnam, a +71% rise compared to 2012, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. The Vietnamese tourism authority is planning to grow that number this year to 300,000.
The airport has recently started operating new direct flights to the country, including Saint Petersburg and Moscow routes. Vietnam Airlines has doubled its Moscow flights in the six months since they began and has plans to increase them to three times a week in early 2014.
Travellers entering Vietnam through international airports are allowed to purchase a 1.5l bottle of wine above 22% ABV or two litre bottles under 22% ABV and 400 cigarettes.
Travellers are allowed to spend VND 5 million (US$237.50) on other items.
[houseAd5]
