Dubai: When it comes to airport shopping, flyers passing through Dubai are quite an eager bunch, and they don't seem to hesitate to open their wallets.
So far this year, sales at duty-free shops in Dubai have reached Dh21.23 million daily or in excess of Dh600 million monthly, and shoppers have been spending most of their travel money on perfumes, tobacco products and beverages, according to the latest data.
Airport retailer Dubai Duty Free said on Thursday that its sales for the first three months of the year hit a whopping Dh1.91 billion, representing an 11 per cent jump over the sales recorded in the same period in 2017.
Sales for the month of March alone reached Dh660.36 million, up by 10 per cent from the same month last year.
“We are very pleased with the first-quarter-of-the-year sales and are focused on reaching our targets for the year,” said Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free.
“Sales are ahead of passenger numbers at Dubai International Airport and we are seeing double-digit growth across a wide number of categories.”
Between January and March, travellers bought Dh276 million worth of perfumes, Dh220 million worth of tobacco and Dh183 million worth of cosmetics.
Gadgets and other electronic items were also popular among flyers, accounting for Dh169 million in sales, while watches sold amounted to Dh127 million in three months.
