PHILIPPINES. Department of Tourism Secretary Alberto Aldaba Lim has underlined the importance of state-owned Duty Free Philippines to the country’s tourism industry, and pledged to support the travel retailer’s ambitious store improvement and development programme.
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Enchong Formoso celebrates Duty Free Philippines’ 25th anniversary |
In an exclusive interview with The Moodie Report in Manila this week, the Secretary said: “Duty Free Philippines was created to support the Department’s tourism promotional efforts, so we continue to count on its success to enhance our ability to promote the Philippines’ tourism sector.
“The more success it has, the more money we have to promote the country.”
Lim said that the government aims to double tourism arrivals within six years, an ambitious target, albeit from a relatively small base.
He said his department is committed to a sharp improvement in tourism infrastructure, including the refurbishment and development of international airports around the country.
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Department of Tourism Secretary Alberto Aldaba Lim (centre) meets with Duty Free Philippines Chief Operating Officer Lorenzo ‘Enchong’ Formoso and The Moodie Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie in Manila yesterday |
The Department is working particularly hard to also promote the country’s attractions to overseas-based descendants of Filipinos, particularly in North America, where Lim recently led a major tourism delegation that included Duty Free Philippines Chief Operating Officer Lorenzo “˜Enchong’ Formoso.
“We have a huge tourism potential in this country which has not been realised,” Lim told The Moodie Report.
Formoso said that the company is proceeding at pace with its rejuvenation. “Duty Free Philippines has been sleeping for the past ten years,” he said. “Now it’s very exciting. All this activity is going to cause a stir not only for our consumers but also for suppliers and the whole duty free industry. And can you imagine, we’re also celebrating our 25th anniversary. So the timing is perfect.”
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 Fiesta time in Manila |
| The average spend is around US$300 and from what I saw this week a lot of people go much higher than that. The Moodie Blog |
He promised to back Duty Free Philippine’s store upgrading programme, noting: “In the past duty free could not do this because the Department did not allow it to happen – it took all the earnings and nothing was reinvested.
“Now we are encouraging reinvestment.”
NOTE: The full interview with Secretary Lim will appear in the September issue of The Moodie Report Print Edition, published to coincide with the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.
We’ll be featuring a major report on Duty Free Philippines, including interviews with Enchong Formoso and other leading industry stakeholders.
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Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1, where Duty Free Philippines is set to radically revamp its flagship store |
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Investment in a new-look Arrivals store at Terminal 2 immediately drove a +19% increase in sales |
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The much-improved perfumes & cosmetics department in Terminal 2 Departures |
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Open for business: The controversial Terminal 3 already hosts some international flights and duty free is trading solidly |
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