MANILA, Philippines – Heads up, travelers! New Duty Free stores will be open in Palawan and Bohol this year.

In a briefing on Wednesday, January 23, Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC) Chief Operating Officer Vicente Angala announced the locations for their new stores and the luxury brands they will soon sell.

“We are set to open Duty Free Philippines stores in Palawan and at the new Bohol-Panglao International Airport this year,” said Angala.

He added that coordination with concerned government agencies for the Bohol store is still ongoing, as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is still handling the new airport.

Once the DOTr turns over the Bohol-Panglao International Airport to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), that’s when they will be able to finalize where the store will be located.

CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio told Rappler that the turnover will happen “definitely this year.”

Aside from the new stores, Angala also said that Duty Free Fiestamall in Parañaque City, located near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, will be upgraded. It is their first flagship store which opened in 1997.

“DFPC has also allotted a budget of P27.2 million for the renovation of Duty Free Fiestamall,” Angala said.

In October 2018, DFPC opened its luxury store Luxe Duty Free at the SM Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City. 

Angala said Luxe Duty Free will house luxury brands such as Gucci, YSL, Kate Spade, Furla, Hugo Boss, and Hogan starting March.

Sales growth

In 2018, DFPC recorded a total of $217 million worth of sales, a 2% increase from the $213 million in 2017.

The figure is still lower than sales in 2016, when the firm raked in $218 million.

According to DFPC data, Filipino tourists, balikbayans or visiting Filipinos who live overseas, and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) remain the top source market with a total of $59.9 million worth of transactions.

They are followed by Americans ($4.9 million), Chinese ($1.5 million), and Canadians ($1.1 million).

Best-selling items are confectionery, liquors and spirits, perfume and cosmetics, fashion items, and grocery items.

Angala attributed the growth to partnerships with third-party online payment systems such as China-based Alipay and WeChat, which appeal mostly to Chinese tourists.

“For the longest time, our market [has been] the OFWs. Well, we opened our gates to the Chinese market. So we are targeting the Chinese market, with the promise of the President (Rodrigo Duterte) to increase tourists coming here,” Angala said.

China was the Philippines’ second top source of visitors from January to October 2018 with 1.06 million visitors, growing from 2017’s 810,807 visitors. It overtook the United States, with only 850,735 American tourists as of October 2018.

South Korea continued to be at the top with 1.295 million tourists. (IN NUMBERS: Foreign visitors up by 10% despite Boracay closure)

The Philippines’ friendlier ties with China under the Duterte administration has drawn more Chinese tourists to the Philippines. The government is thinking of shortening the visa on arrival process for Chinese travelers. – Rappler.com