Indian rupee now accepted at Dubai Duty Free shops
What comes as good news for Indian passengers, the Indian rupee will now be accepted for all transactions at Duty Free shops of Dubai airports. Previously, Indian travelers had to convert their money into Dollar, Dirham or Euro before they could make any payment at these shops, which naturally meant considerable monetary losses due to the International exchange rates. Here are the details.
Indian rupee becomes 16th currency accepted at Dubai Duty Free
According to a Gulf News report, Indian currency will now be accepted at all three terminals of the Dubai International Airport, and at Al Maktoum Airport. Confirming the report, a Duty Free staffer said, "Yes, we have started accepting the Indian rupee." With this, the Indian rupee has become the 16th currency to be accepted at Dubai Duty Free since its inception in 1983.
Indians make the highest number of overnight visitors to Dubai
The said move will benefit the large number of Indians traveling to the UAE each year. Last year, out of the total 90 million passengers passing through Dubai airports, a whopping 12.22 million were Indians, with a majority of them hailing from metro cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Cochin. This makes Indian tourists the highest number of overnight visitors in the country.
Dubai Duty Free is one of biggest travel retail operators
Meanwhile, over the past two decades, the Dubai Duty Free has grown into one of the biggest travel retail operators across the globe. Last year in December, as the organization clocked its 35th anniversary, it crossed $2 billion mark. Today, employing more than 6,100 people, they operate some 38,000sqm of retail space at Dubai International Airport and 4,000sqm at Al Maktoum International Airport.
