Dubai Duty Free signs strategic agreement with Tencent

Airport retailer, Dubai Duty Free (DDF) has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Tencent Holdings Limited, internet value-added services provider in China, in order to enhance the Chinese visitors’ travel and shopping experiences at DDF.

The agreement aims to leverage Tencent’s expertise and digital platforms in China, while building upon DDF’s global status as a retail destination, in order to boost the retail operator’s integrated marketing outreach in China. The collaboration will also enhance the Chinese visitors’ travel experience in Dubai using Tencent’s “Social and Smart Retail Solutions.” These include but are not limited to WeChat Pay, WeChat Mini Program and Tencent Cloud. The co-operation will also deepen DDF’s insight into the Chinese travellers’ consumption behaviour.

The signing of the agreement took place at Tencent Binhai Tower in Shenzhen, China. The ceremony was attended by Ramesh Cidambi, COO of DDF and Norman Tam, general manager, Hong Kong and Taiwan Office, International Business Group, Tencent.

Commenting on the agreement, Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman & CEO, DDF says, “China is an important market for us and Dubai Duty Free is continually looking at ways that will further enhance our appeal to Chinese travellers. With its long-standing reputation for innovation, Tencent is an exciting partner for Dubai Duty Free and we look forward to working with them in the coming year.”

“I was very impressed during my visit to the Tencent offices in Shenzhen and to see first-hand this remarkable success story. We believe that this collaboration with Tencent will dramatically increase our engagement with Chinese travellers, which is something we have been focused on for some time, and will provide our Chinese customers with product knowledge and insights that will enhance their travel experience in Dubai. We look forward to launching a number of future forward initiatives in the coming weeks,” adds Cidambi.

“We are excited to partner with Dubai Duty Free to strengthen their marketing outreach efforts to consumers in China, with the Middle East being one of the major travel destinations among Chinese tourists. Building on the success of our collaboration with Dubai Tourism, we are well-positioned to support Dubai Duty Free in understanding their consuming preferences and better connecting with Chinse travellers, leveraging our Social and Smart Retail Solutions. We look forward to working closely with Dubai Duty Free to enrich the travel and shopping experience of Chinese tourists,” states Tam.