MANILA, Philippines - Duty Free Philippines (DFP), an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT), bagged the Duty Free Frontier Award for “Outstanding Contribution to the Industry” at the Annual Duty and Tax Free Global Summit held last month in Cannes, France.
The award was given to “honor those outstanding travel retail professionals or groups whose achievements transcend individual businesses to bring enduring benefits to the industry as a whole.” This was the first time that the award was given to a corporation.
In the past 27 years, DFP has been cited for its consistent innovation in the travel retail industry for programs such as Pasalubong Shopping with the Family, which has strengthened the profile of arrival shopping; the Travelite Program, which gave travelers the convenience of paying for purchases before they depart and picking these up upon arrival; and the well-loved Pasalubong Packs, value for money bundled packages of chocolates and liquor.
It has also been recognized for the services and support its programs provide to returning overseas Filipino workers and balikbayans such as the DFP OFW Business Center, the Balikbayan Plus Card and the Kabuhayan (Livelihood) Shopping Program.
DFP’s latest contribution to the industry is DFP CARES or DFP Coordinated Action in Response to Emergency Situations, launched to help victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) and galvanize the global duty free industry to help the Philippines in its time of need.
DFP was a finalist in two categories: Celebrate and Donate – a collaboration with Diageo wherein for every Johnnie Walker product sold, $1 was donated to victims of Typhoon Yolanda – was a finalist in the Partnership Initiative of the Year category. Media Noche Pack, also a finalist in the Specialty Concept of the Year, was a project of DFP Fiestamall wherein customers bought and donated baskets of food and drinks to be given to Typhoon Yolanda victims for their traditional New Year’s Eve family get-together.