DUBAI DUTY FREE OFFERS AN   EXCEPTIONAL SHOPPING EXPERIENCE FOR PASSENGERS TRAVELING THROUGH THE DUBAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND IS EXPECTED TO FLOURISH IN ITS NEW HOME IN THE CONCOURSE

Already an attraction unto itself for its unusual architecture, the Concourse will also be the new home of the legendary Dubai Duty Free shopping complex. Well-known as an international shoppers heaven, the new shopping arcade will be four times larger than its current home in Terminal 1, offering some 9,000 square meters of retail space.

When it opens in the new Concourse next year, Duty Free retail sales at Dubai International Airport should hit $200 million, a figure which translates into a 35% market share of all duty free sales worldwide. Opened in 1983, the shopping arcade realized $132 million in sales by its tenth year of operation. In 1997 sales were $180 million. With the opening of the Concourse, sales staff of the duty free operation will more than double, from 500 to 1,100.

Colm McLoughlin, managing director of Dubai Duty Free, is confident about the future of the retail operation, and that it will flourish in its new home in the Concourse.

"Time and again, Dubai Duty Free has been voted the best duty free by its customers, reinforcing the fact that we strive hard to achieve our goals," he said. "Our aim is to ensure that Dubai Duty Free remains one of the best in the world."

It is also in this center that travelers can try their luck at winning the Finest Surprise Draw, a drawing in which participants get a one-in-1,000 chance to win a luxury supercar. Tickets cost about $139, and since the promotion began in 1989, over 850 cars have been given away. They have included Bentleys, Mercedes, BMWs, Ferraris, and Porsches. As many as 10 cars a month are now given away by Dubai Duty Free.

The recently announced Millennium Millionaire promotion is another spectacular offer in which participants have the chance to begin the new millennium with $1 million in prize money. With a similar concept to the Finest Surprise, the ticket is priced at $278 and is limited to 5,000 for each draw. The first draw will take place on November 18, the last day of the Dubai 2000 Airshow.

Clearly not limited to just selling electronics, scarves and high-quality cosmetics, Dubai Duty Free plays a major role in sponsoring international sporting events and helping to lift the profile of Dubai as a major world leisure center. Among the sporting events owned by the Duty Free organization are championship horse racing, tennis, golf, basketball, rugby and offshore power boating.

Thanks to the stewardship of Dubai Duty Free, many of these events have become major attractions, drawing world champions in many fields for top purses. In tennis, there's the Dubai Tennis Open, with $1 million in prize money, now a leading event on the ATP Tour. An annual meeting, it is held in the 5,000-seat Dubai Tennis Stadium which was built by Dubai Duty Free for $6 million and which players rate as one of their favorite competitive venues. When there are no matches, it is a favorite concert venue, having hosted such stars as James Brown, Bryan Adams, and UB40 who played to sell-out crowds.

Duty Free also sponsors the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament, which offers $800,000 in prize money to the lucky winners. The UIM World Offshore Powerboat Championship, also an important rendezvous, is held annually at the Dubai International Marina Club and is sponsored by Dubai Duty Free, as is the $500,000 Dubai Duty Free horse race.

The area's warm, sunny climate certainly lends itself to fun afternoons in the stands at the tennis stadium or race course, but for those who prefer less competitive pursuits Dubai is also becoming a major destination for visitors seeking to relax on sandy beaches or in the cool shade of the terrace of a luxury hotel. In 1998, more than 2.54 million guests stayed in the country's splendid hotels and furnished apartments-a figure that is expected to double over the next three years.