Dubai Duty Free celebrates the Year of the Dragon
Dubai Duty Free has officially welcomed the Year of the Dragon with a Chinese-themed celebration in Terminal 3 - Concourse B of Dubai International Airport.
The celebration was attended by Dubai Duty Free management and staff headed by Chief Operating Officer Ramesh Cidambi, along with invited guests from the Chinese Consulate in Dubai, including Vice Consul General Liu Zhengjie and Vice Consul General Wang Yi as well as invited Chinese media.
A traditional dragon dance opened the celebration, followed by the ribbon and cake cutting.
Following speeches by Cidambi and Zhengjie, the two Vice Consul Generals, along with two other officials from the Chinese Consulate in Dubai, were invited to join the draw for the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise promotions. They were joined by Joint COO Salah Tahlak; Sinead El Sibai, SVP – Marketing; Mona Al Ali, SVP – HR and Sharon Beecham, SVP – Purchasing.
David Thornley, an Australian national based in Abu Dhabi won a US$1 million in Series 449 with ticket number 0218, which he purchased online on January 17. A regular participant in Dubai Duty Free’s promotion, the winner works for a federal government department.
“Thank you, Dubai Duty Free. I’m delighted to have finally won after participating for a very long time. It’s totally worth the wait,” he said. Thornley is the ninth Australian national to have won US$1 million in the Millennium Millionaire promotion since 1999.
After the Millennium Millionaire draw, three luxury vehicle winners were also unveiled in the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise draw. Thomas Minninger, a German national based in Baden-Baden, Germany, won a BMW 740i M Sport (Brooklyn Grey Metallic) car, with a ticket he purchased online on January 12. Pravin Jogale, an Indian national based in Dubai won an Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory (Time Attack – Black Red) motorbike and Nino Caponpon, a Filipino based in Abu Dhabi, won a BMW R18 Classic (Manhattan Metallic Matt) motorbike.
After the draw, the Dubai Duty Free group and Chinese officials were treated to a performance of Chinese songs, followed by a group photo.