QATAR. Duty free shop operator Qatar Duty Free has donated more than two tonnes of humanitarian aid to the people of the southern Iraqi city of Basra, which was ravaged by the recent war.
The aid, which comprised milk and toys, was delivered with the first Qatar Airways humanitarian flight to Basra on 10 June. Qatar Duty Free, a partnership between Aer Rianta International-Middle East and Qatar Airways, grew its sales by over +30% in 2002, making it one of the fastest growing duty free operators in the Middle East, the company said.
The stores offer perfumery, cosmetics, electronics, jewellery, watches, toys, confectionery, alcoholic beverages and cigarettes.
The Qatar Airways Group also includes Doha International Airport, Qatar Aviation Services, Qatar Aircraft Catering and United Media International. Partner Aer Rianta International-Middle East considers the location to have vast growth potential. The government of Qatar is highly ambitious about developing the country and in 2006 is hosting the Asian Games – next to the Olympic Games, the biggest athletics event in the world.
Some US$1.8 million of investment, including a new terminal, is being poured into Doha airport in preparation for the Games. The government is also mounting a major tourism drive.
Comment: Duty free is often viewed – and managed – as a peripheral, rampantly commercial business, concerned only with selling to travellers as they exit or enter a country. That may partly explain why it gets such a poor press in many parts of the world. But as an integral part of the travel experience, the industry has wider responsibilities to promote and champion a country, its culture and its products. That should not just apply to local operators but to international retailers when they function in overseas locations. Aer Rianta International-Middle East (ARI-ME) managing director John Sutcliffe often talks about “a sense of place” when he describes his firm’s retailing philosophy in the Middle East. It’s nice to see Qatar Duty Free putting that phrase into practice in such a pragmatic and humanitarian way.
