“The Philippines is in a position to join the ranks of countries whose Duty Free industry is expected to grow by an average of 40 percent in the next decade,” said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo at the recently-concluded 2017 Duty Free & Travel Retail Global Summit held at Cannes, France. Teo expressed optimism that the global premium brands are now looking to increase their presence in the country in anticipation of the steady growth in arrival of Chinese tourists.

“Bringing in the global premium brands would be an additional incentive to attract more Chinese tourists, particularly the luxury segment,” Secretary Teo added.

In July this year, China outranked the US, bringing it up as the country’s second largest tourist market source, next to Korea. Chinese tourists are known to enjoy the outdoor destinations and shopping of premium brands.

Joining Teo at the summit were DOT Undersecretary Benito C. Bengzon, Jr., DFP COO Vicente Pelagio Angala, DOT Assistant Secretaries Arlene Mancao and Frederick Alegre.

The summit is a flagship event of the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) wherein thousands of delegates gather in October for a week of business and networking. The much-attended duty free industry event combines a shop window for premium brands with an experts forum and the chance to network with key influencers.

This year, 515 companies registered as exhibitors based across 472 stands, an increase of 4.7 percent from 492 in 2016. This year’s show expects to outdo last year’s 6,500 delegates and 6,400 visitors with the launch of the new Digital Village, which showcases how new technologies can be utilized in duty-free and travel retail.