Dubai Duty Free opened for business on December 20th 1983 and over the past 34 years has grown to become one of the leading airport retailers in the world. Its founding principle of providing travellers with a first class retail experience in a shopper-friendly environment and a diverse range of products still holds true to this day. Employing almost 6,000 people, Dubai Duty Free has consistently raised the benchmark for airport retailing and it continues to grow. Duty Free currently operates some 36,000 sqm of retail space at Dubai International Airport and 2,500 sqm at Al Maktoum International that will grow in line with the massive development plans of Dubai South, which will ultimately cover some 80,000 sqm of retail. In addition to the retail division Dubai Duty Free operates a Leisure Division which includes The Irish Village, both in Garhoud and Riverland, the Century Village, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, home to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel. To date Dubai Duty Free has received over 550 awards which bear testimony to the operation's retail success including this year’s Duty Free News International (DFNI) Asia/Pacific Award for “Middle East Travel Retailer of the Year” for the seventeenth consecutive year, the DFNI Global Award for Travel-Retail Excellence for “Airport Travel Retailer of the Year” and the US Global Traveler Award “Hall of Fame” for winning the “Best Duty Free Shop” for ten consecutive years.