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Golf tournament precedes TFWA World Exhibition & Conference, an unmissable global gathering for the duty free and travel retail industries

Qatar Duty Free (QDF) is delighted to announce that it will be the sponsor and Exclusive Retail Partner of the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) Golf Tournament, taking place at Cannes’ magnificent Royal Mougins Golf Club, a par 71 course dotted with olive trees and old stone-wall terracing in true Provençal style, on 30 September 2018. The TFWA Golf Tournament, which began in 2006, is one of the most prestigious events on the leisure and social calendar as part of the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference. The tournament will give delegates at the exhibition the chance to enjoy some Côte d’Azur sunshine before the formal start of TFWA World Exhibition & Conference, which runs from 30 September - 5 October.

The TFWA World Exhibition & Conference is the duty free and travel retail world’s unmissable global gathering which brings together more than 3,000 duty free and travel retail brands and 500 international exhibitors, reaching over 2,000 key executives from major landlords and retailers. Delegates at the conference gain unique insight into breaking trends across all product categories, while visitors to the exhibition experience the latest innovations often before they reach the wider market. The event is a global shop window for a broad spectrum of duty free and travel retail brands providing an industry-wide forum for debate and the chance to network with key influencers.

Head of Qatar Duty Free, Mr. Thabet Musleh, said: “Qatar Duty Free is delighted to be the Exclusive Retail Partner of the TFWA Golf Tournament. Qatar Airways and Qatar Duty Free understand the power of sport in bringing people together, and are proud to be an exclusive partner of another prestigious global sporting event aligned with the Qatar National Vision 2030. At QDF, we are committed to providing customers with a memorable five-star experience, both in flight and at our home and hub at Hamad International Airport. We look forward to extending this to all guests and competitors at this year’s TFWA Golf tournament. With a range of incredible prizes on offer, we hope that more competitors than ever will sign up to play in the tournament this year and be part of this unforgettable experience.”

Mr. Erik Juul-Mortensen, TFWA president said: “We are truly delighted to welcome such a prestigious partner in sponsoring our tournament. Networking has always been an essential element of any TFWA event, and this tournament is undoubtedly one of the most popular on our social calendar. We thank our friends at Qatar Duty Free for their support, and we look forward to joining them and other colleagues from across the duty free and travel retail business on the greens at the Royal Mougins Golf Club in September.”

Prizes on offer to winners as part of the golf tournament include: US $50,000 for the ‘Hole in One’, as well as inspiring golf prizes for the ‘Nearest-The-Pin’, ‘Longest Drive’, ‘Nearest-To-The-Water’ and ‘Fourball Team’ challenges.

One of the largest duty free retailers in the world, QDF boasts more than 90 elegant boutiques and luxury, high-end stores, as well as more than 30 restaurants and cafés covering an area of 40,000 square metres at Hamad International Airport (HIA), providing travellers with a world-class shopping experience under one roof. Luxury brands available at the five-star airport include Gucci, Bulgari, Hermès, Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Moncler, Rolex and Harrods.

The innovative duty free operator is now the second-largest duty free operator in the Middle East. Just last month, QDF was awarded ‘Airport Retailer of the Year’ at the DFNI Global Awards 2018, by a judging panel of industry leaders and experts, who recognise and accolade international retailers for being best-in-class. Alongside this prestigious recognition, QDF was also recognised in April at the PAX International Readership Awards, when Qatar Airways won ‘Best In-Flight Duty Free Program’ for the Middle East and Africa, and was acknowledged as an industry leader for its outstanding in-flight duty free service, which is operated by Qatar Duty Free.

Qatar Airways and Qatar Duty Free are proud to be major sponsors of many sporting events around the world. Qatar Airways and Qatar Duty Free were the official airline and retail sponsor of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2018 and Qatar Total Open Women’s Tennis Tournament 2018, which took place in Doha. QDF was also the proud sponsor of the 2018 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Golf Championship in Doha.

Qatar Airways is the official sponsor of many top-level global sporting events, including the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ and the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™, reflecting the values of sports as a means of bringing people together, something at the core of the airline’s own brand message - Going Places Together.