MANILA -- The official launch of Duty Free Philippines' outlet in Pasay City, the Duty Free Luxe, is seen to boost the country's shopping tourism.
"(Today) marks the culmination of an idea that began years ago. An idea of a world-class duty-free store that will put the Philippines as a top-of-mind shopping destination to boost the country's shopping tourism," Duty Free Philippines Corp. Chief Operating Officer Vicente Angala said during the store's grand launch on Friday.
Citing a United Nations World Tourism Organization report, Angala shared that shopping is now a "determinant factor affecting destination choice" and is often a "prime travel motivation."
"Duty Free Philippines Corp. acknowledged that vital role and to stay ahead of our competitors and strengthen the Philippines as a great destination for travelers, we continued to explore ways to offer unique and extraordinary experiences that others cannot replicate easily," he said.
During the grand launch and Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Angala, together with Senator Nancy Binay, also opened new boutiques and introduced the Marahuyo, an all-Filipino concept store, inside Luxe.
"We need additional spaces, especially in airports, so we can invite more brands to come in. Definitely, once we have additional brands, our sales will increase," he added.
'Attracting more'
Meanwhile, Angala bared that Duty Free Philippines is also working on partnering with foreign posts in the country to boost the state-owned outlets' promotion to other nationalities.
"We're partnering with different embassies and we're actually finalizing the memorandum of agreement," he told reporters in an interview.
"Hopefully, by next year we tie-up already with almost all the embassies," Angala said, noting that France, Argentina, Iran, Sri Lanka, as well as the representative of Taiwan, have already signified support for the initiative. (PNA)
