The Middle East & Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA) FZE became an officially recognised entity within the global duty free and travel retail business in May 2001. MEADFA is a non-profit making trade association consisting mainly of Middle East & Africa based duty-free retail organizations including, border, seaport, and diplomatic shops, airport landlords, brand owners, suppliers, related association and distributors. Its main purpose is to bring official recognition to the region's duty-free industry, raise awareness of the industry's contribution to the greater travel and tourism industry infrastructure, and provide representation for its member companies. The key objective of the association is to encourage successful working relationships between MEADFA members, brands, suppliers and the duty-free community as a whole. MEADFA represents the region’s duty-free industry and the interests of its members in interactions with all public and private bodies. Its strategic focus is to create a platform for its members to facilitate the growth of the travel retail industry, and to establish standards for quality and excellence (a hallmark of duty-free trading in the Middle East & Africa region). MEADFA is also the right platform to share and highlight important research and data studies relevant to the industry and the region.