CENTRAL VISAYAS: MACTAN, CEBU
Cebu Duty Free shops contribute 11% to DFPC sales
THE TWO Duty Free outlets in Cebu contributed 11% to the stateowned Duty Free Philippines Corp.’s (DFPC) $217 million sales in 2018, DFPC Marketing Officer-in-Charge Ma. Lourdes P. Malabuyo said. The DFPC shops in Cebu are located at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 1 and 2. Ms. Malabuyo said the 11% share is considered significant as there are only 11 Duty Free outlets across the country. DFPC recently closed two offsite outlets in Cebu, located at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino and at SM City Cebu. Meanwhile, the company, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism, will open two stores this year, one in Panglao Island, Bohol and another in Palawan. Duty Free stores’ top shoppers are Filipino tourists, balikbayans (homecoming Filipinos living abroad), and overseas Filipino workers. An emerging market is the growing number of Chinese tourists visiting the country. —