Duty Free Philippines to open Palawan and Bohol airport stores this year
Duty Free Philippines is opening new stores at the Bohol-Panglao International Airport and Puerto Princessa International Airport this year
Duty Free Philippines will be opening new stores at the international airports of Puerto Princesa, Palawan and Panglao, Bohol this year.
Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Vicente Pelagio Angala announced these plans on Wednesday (January 23).
“We are in coordination with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and definitely it will happen this year,” said Angala.
<According to DFPC, this expansion will “give speed” to its target of reaching 15% of the international traveler population by 2027.
<Angala also shared that the that DFPC’s total sales reached US$217 million in 2018, which was conservatively higher than 2017. For 2019,DFPC is aiming to reach US$220 million in sales.
Currently, the majority of DFPC’s customers are Filipino tourists, Balikbayan’s and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). They contribute a total of US$59.9 million in transactions, followed by the Americans with US$4.9 million, the Chinese with US$1.5 million, and the Canadians with US$1.1 million. Balikbayans are Filipinos visiting or returning to Philippines after living in another country for a number of years.
According to DFPC, their top five best-selling categories are confectionary, liquors and spirits, perfume and cosmetics, fashion, and supermarket products.
Commenting about the growth of DFPC, Angala said: “One of the factors that contributed to this growth is our partnerships with third-party online payments solutions such as Alipay and WeChat.”
“Our collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry’s Go Lokal program has steadily grown to this day and we expected to continue to grow in the coming years,” he added.
DFPC is also in the process of adding more Pinoy-made products through the Philippines’ Finest Kiosk.
“With the challenges and hurdles the industry is facing, The DFP will stay committed to its mandate to boost the country’s tourism industry by providing Filipino travellers with an extensive range of gifts to bring home to their loved ones,” said Angala.
