Duty Free Philippines competes in Frontier Awards anew

MANILA, Philippines -Duty Free Philippines (DFP), an attached agency of the Department of Tourism, proudly announces that for the third year running, it was proclaimed a finalist in the 29th Tax Free World Frontier Awards – the Oscars of the world duty free industry – under the ‘Best Marketing Campaign’ and ‘Best Downtown Retailer of the Year’ categories. Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. is hopeful that the DFP could finally bag this prestigious award this year.

DFP’s entry for the Best Marketing Campaign category covers its several 25th anniversary activities which highlighted the company’s historical journey since its creation in 1987.

This campaign hopefully meets the Frontier Awards’ judges’ nod; criteria of which are: creativity, customer awareness and a clear translation into sales.

 For the Best Downtown Retailer of the Year’ Category, DFP is optimistic that its flagship store, the Fiestamall, would also notch top honors as it hopefully rates well based on  the following criteria: exemplary standards in retail; imagination in the development and execution of retail strategies; and creative and dynamic operations.

 The Frontier Awards gives recognition to retail marketing in the travel-retail sector worldwide.  With a rich heritage stretching back to the very first gathering of the duty-free community in the south of France in 1985, the Frontier Awards were instigated to raise the standards of retailing and the quality of products in travel-retail.

One of the factors that make the award special is the unique judging process. Each year, the thorough and rigorous judging process is undertaken by a panel of six top executives from the industry who collectively boast a wealth of experience in the various product categories and geographical regions. 

 It was during the Cory Aquino administration when DFP had its first taste of success in the Frontier Awards.  The year was 1989 when its two entries, “Airport Operator of the Year” (for its NAIA departure outlet) and “Best Marketing Campaign” (for the Travelite program), both bagged top honors.  Now under the current Benigno S. Aquino III administration, the state-owned retailer is once again in a position to duplicate this historic feat.