Dubai Duty Free has posted its strongest-ever half-year performance, with turnover reaching AED4.118bn ($1.128bn) in the first six months of 2025.
The figure marks a 5.34 per cent increase year-on-year, exceeding the previous H1 record by AED208.95m ($57.24m).
The growth was fuelled by a surge in travel over the Eid holiday and the early summer season, with April, May and the first half of June showing particularly strong results.
Spend per passenger is also expected to surpass June 2024 levels, pending final traffic data.
Dubai Duty Free Managing Director, Ramesh Cidambi said: “We are very pleased with our record performance for the first half of 2025. Whilst we await the final passenger numbers for June 2025, the spend per passenger is likely to be better than last year June.
“This performance is a testament to our team’s hard work and the strength of Dubai as a global travel hub.”
Dubai Duty Free sales
| Category | Sales (AED) | Sales (USD) | % of Total Revenue | YoY Growth |
| Perfumes | AED 744.24m | $203.90m | 18% | +5% |
| Liquor | AED 513.37m | $140.65m | — | — |
| Cigarettes & Tobacco | AED 439.91m | $120.52m | — | +12.24% |
| Gold | AED 416.90m | $114.22m | 10.12% | +6.14% |
| Confectionery | AED 412.52m | $113.02m | 10% | +62.70% |
| Cosmetics | AED 201.51m | $55.21m | 4.89% | +3.36% |
Perfumes remained the top-selling category, contributing 18 per cent of total revenue, followed by liquor, cigarettes and tobacco, and gold. Confectionery emerged as a standout performer, recording a 62.7 per cent increase over the same period last year, while cosmetics also posted modest growth of 3.36 per cent.
Duty free sales across airport terminals continued to rise, with Terminal 3 reporting a 6.37 per cent increase and Terminal 1 up by 5.25 per cent.
All major passenger regions showed positive momentum in H1, with Europe leading at 16.89 per cent growth, followed by the Middle East at 8.15 per cent, the Russian region at 4.41 per cent and the Indian sub-continent at 1.02 per cent.
Dubai Duty Free is preparing for an equally active second half, including the opening of three luxury boutiques — Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Cartier — in Terminal 3 Concourse A. The company also completed renovations on three Arrivals Shops earlier this year as part of its broader strategy to enhance the airport retail experience.
Cidambi said: “We are looking forward to an equally busy second half of the year. Plans are very much in place for the opening of three luxury boutiques in Terminal 3 Concourse A including Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Cartier”.
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