Dubai Duty Free officially welcomed the ‘Year of the Dragon’ with a Chinese-themed celebration in Terminal 3 – Concourse B of Dubai International Airport. The celebration was well 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 Mr. Liu Zhengjie and Vice Consul General Ms. Wang Yi as well as invited Chinese media.

To commence the celebration, a traditional dragon dance and Eye-dotting ceremony took place followed by the ribbon and cake cutting.

Following speeches by Mr. Ramesh Cidambi and Mr. Liu 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.

Mr. David T, a 53-year-old Australian national based in Abu Dhabi won a US$1 million in Series 449 with ticket number 0218, which he purchased online on 17th January.

A regular participant in Dubai Duty Free’s promotion for 10 years now, Mr. T 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.

Mr. 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.

Mr. Thomas Minninger, a 65-year-old German national based in Baden-Baden, Germany won a BMW 740i M Sport (Brooklyn Grey Metallic) car, with ticket number 0185 in Finest Surprise Series 1867, which he purchased online on 12th January.

A regular participant in Dubai Duty Free’s promotion for 5 years now. Mr. Minninger is a father of one and works as a manager for a German airline company.

“I’m very surprised and happy for this win. Thank you Dubai Duty Free,” he said.

Mr. Pravin Jogale, a 27-year-old Indian national based in Dubai won an Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory (Time Attack – Black Red) motorbike, with ticket number 0743 in Finest Surprise Series 565, which he purchased online on 23rd January.

A regular participant in Dubai Duty Free’s promotion for a year now, Mr. Jogale works as sales executive for an electrical and hardware supply company.

“Thank you for this wonderful opportunity, Dubai Duty Free,” he said.

Lastly, Mr. Nino Caponpon, a 44-year-old Filipino based in Abu Dhabi won a BMW R18 Classic (Manhattan Metallic Matt) motorbike, with ticket number 0109 in Finest Surprise Series 566, which he purchased online on 19th January.

A resident of Dubai for 15 years, Mr. Caponpon has been a regular participant in Dubai Duty Free’s promotion for 5 years and works as a warehouse logistics coordinator for DHL.

“I’m so thankful for this timely win. Thank you Dubai Duty Free,” he said.

After the draw, the Dubai Duty Free group and Chinese officials were treated to a performance of Chinese songs, followed by a group photo.