Dubai Duty Free voted 'Best Duty Free Shopping in the Middle East.' for a record 24th consecutive year at the Business Traveller Middle East Awards
Launched in 2002, the annual Business Traveller Middle East Awards organised by Motivate Media Group and Ink, recognise the best of the best across 40 categories spanning three main divisions including Airlines, Airports and Hotels.
Dubai Duty Free came out top in the readers' and online survey conducted by the Business Traveller magazine from 4th February to 7th March and beat stiff competition among the other nominated airport retailers in Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.
Commenting on the award, Dubai Duty Free Managing Director, Ramesh Cidambi said:' We are truly honoured to be recognised as the 'Best Duty Free Shopping in the Middle East' for a record 24 consecutive years. Our thanks to everyone who voted for Dubai Duty Free and it is incredible to think that we have been the recipient of this award every year since they were introduced.
'I join our Chairman, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, in congratulating our entire team of staff and thank them for their ongoing support and hard work,' added Cidambi.
The awards ceremony, which was held to mark the first day of the Arabian Travel Market, was attended by over 300 guests and the award was presented by Anthony Milne, Chief Commercial Officer for Motivate Media Group to Ramesh Cidambi and Sinead El Sibai, Senior Vice President – Marketing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
5 days ago
- Khaleej Times
'World tour, Labubu for daughter': Dubai's Indian expat wins $1 million, reveals plans
Dubai's newest millionaire, Sabish Peroth, plans to buy a 'cute Labubu' for his daughter and take his family on a world tour. The Dubai-born and raised Indian expat shared this in his first comment to Khaleej Times after winning $1 million Dubai Duty Free draw, which he had been participating for the past six years. The 42-year-old senior operations supervisor at a logistics company has been pooling money with his colleagues to buy raffle tickets regularly. 'There were 20 of us when we started, but only 10 have continued for the last two years. This time, we got lucky,' said Sabish, who hails from Thrissur in Kerala. The winning ticket (4296) was purchased online on July 4, and when Sabish received the call, he couldn't believe it. 'I thought it was a prank or some promotional call. When they asked for my details and announced that I had won, my hands began to shake. I couldn't breathe,' he said. Sabish, who has been working in the same company for 17 years, said the group plans to divide the money equally. 'Each of us will get approximately Dh370,000. Most of us are settled here. We will continue working, but this will also help us start a small business. It's a great boost,' he said. He said his wife, who works in Sharjah, and his young daughter were equally excited. 'My daughter was shocked, but now she just wants her toys, especially Labubu. She keeps reminding me.' After years of hoping for a win, Sabish believes the wait was worth it. 'We were not expecting it, but somewhere in our hearts, we believed one day it would happen.' First-ever Russian winner Joining Sabish in the millionaire ranks is Maen Saleh, a 57-year-old Russian based in Doha, Qatar. He won in Series 509 with ticket number 1184, becoming the first Russian national to take home the $1 million prize. 'This win will help me build a house in my village in Suzdal and support my son's education in Malta,' he said. The Dubai Duty Free draw also saw four others win luxury vehicles. Czech national Alice Semianova won a Mercedes-Benz S500, while Indian expat Sridhar Ankam Bhikshapathi, a porter at Dubai Airport, won a Bentley Bentayga V8. Indian national Roby Devassy won a Ducati Multistrada motorbike, and British expat Robert Miggels, based in Ras Al Khaimah, rode away with a BMW S 1000 R.
Khaleej Times
5 days ago
- Khaleej Times
Indian expat in Dubai wins $1 million with colleagues after 6-year Duty Free effort
An Indian and a Russian have been named the newest millionaires in the latest Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draw, held on Wednesday at Concourse B of Dubai International Airport. One of the winners, Sabish Peroth, a 42-year-old Indian living in Dubai, won $1 million in Millennium Millionaire Series 508 with ticket number 4296, which he purchased online on July 4. Born and raised in Dubai, Peroth shares the prize with nine of his Indian colleagues. The group has been consistently participating in the Dubai Duty Free promotion for the past six years. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. A father of one and a senior operations supervisor at GAC Group, Mr Peroth expressed his excitement upon receiving the life-changing news. 'I'm totally shocked! Thank you Dubai Duty Free. We, as a group, will definitely continue participating,' he said. Originally from Kerala, Mr Peroth becomes the 254th Indian national to win $1 million in the Millennium Millionaire promotion since its inception in 1999. Indian nationals remain the top buyers of tickets in the long-running draw. Maen Saleh, a 57-year-old Russian based in Doha, also won in Millennium Millionaire Series 509 with ticket number 1184 which he purchased online on July 7. A resident of Doha for 26 years now, Saleh who is of Syrian origin has been participating in the Dubai Duty Free promotion for 15 years. He is a father of one and works as an IT support manager for Dolphin Energy. 'This is a great surprise! Thank you so much Dubai Duty Free,' he said. When asked about his plans for the winnings, he said, 'This win will help me build a house in my village in Suzdal, a town northeast of Moscow and support my son's education as he pursues his master's degree in Malta.' Saleh is the first Russian national to have won $1 million in the Millennium Millionaire promotion. Following the Millennium Millionaire draw, the Finest Surprise draw was conducted for two luxury cars and motorbikes. Alice Semianova, a 56-year-old Czech national based in Kly, Czech Republic won a Mercedes Benz S500 (Obsidian Black Metallic) car with ticket number 1469 in the Finest Surprise Series 1927 which she purchased in Concourse B on July 6. Semianova is a mother of one and works as an accountant. "Thank you Dubai Duty Free; it's a pleasure to participate in your promotion,' she said. Meanwhile, Sridhar Ankam Bhikshapathi, a 39-year-old Indian national based in Dubai won a Bentley Bentayga V8 (Dark Sapphire) car with ticket number 1405 in the Finest Surprise Series 1928 which he purchased in Terminal 3 Public Shop on July 3. A regular participant in Dubai Duty Free's promotion since 2019, Mr. Bhikshapathi is a father of one and works as a porter in Dubai Airport. "Thank you Dubai Duty Free. I'm very thankful for this win," he said. Meanwhile, Roby Devassy, an Indian national based in the UAE won a Ducati Multistrada V2 S (Storm Green) motorbike with ticket number 0601 in the Finest Surprise Series 630 which he purchased in Concourse B on June 30. Devassy is currently uncontactable, but will no doubt be delighted to learn of her win. Lastly, Robert Miggels, a 57-year-old British national based in Ras Al-Khaimah won a BMW S 1000 R (Black Storm Metallic) motorbike with ticket number 0930 in the Finest Surprise Series 631 which he purchased online on July 7. A regular participant in Dubai Duty Free's promotion for the past 5-6 years, Miggels recently moved to Ras Al Khaimah after living in Dubai for six years. He is a divorced father of two and works as a self-employed business consultant in Dubai. 'Thank you for the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives, because that's what I believe Dubai Duty Free does. I'm grateful and humbled to have won today,' he said.
Zawya
5 days ago
- Zawya
Citi wins record Haul at The Euromoney Awards For Excellence 2025
Over 50 awards recognize Citi's global network Including six regional and country awards in Middle East and Africa Dubai — Citi won a record 52 global, regional and local market awards from Euromoney, including CEO Jane Fraser's 'Banker of The Year' award, at the annual Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025 event, held in London on July 17th, Including six regional and country awards in Middle East and Africa. The Banker of the Year award recognized Jane's unique leadership style and ability to influence significant change across the bank, highlighting Citi's record financial performance in recent quarters and across each of its five businesses. 'Euromoney names Jane Fraser its banker of the year for her decisive action to reshape Citi into a simpler and more coherent bank, bringing the firm new business momentum over the past year,' said Euromoney in the editorial write-up announcing the award. Fraser said, 'These awards are a testament to the extraordinary dedication of our colleagues around the world. Their hard work, innovation and commitment to our clients are driving Citi forward. I'm proud of the progress we're making against our strategy — and this recognition affirms that we're on the right path.' Euromoney, a leading global financial markets magazine, recognizes the best in banking across key areas that are most important to a bank's key stakeholders, clients, board and executive management teams. The period of consideration for the awards was the 2024 calendar year. This is a milestone moment for our team in the Middle East and Africa', said Ebru Pakcan, Middle East & Africa Cluster and Banking Head. 'The six awards are a testament to the collaboration and drive I see across the region every day, and a reflection of the Citi team's talent, tenacity, and client focus.' Citi received multiple regional and local market awards in the Middle East and Africa, including: Africa's Best Investment Bank for Financing The Middle East's Best Investment Bank for M&A Kazakhstan's Best International Bank Pakistan's Best Bank for Securities Services Turkey's Best Investment Bank The UAE's Best Investment Bank for M&A ' In its 30th edition, the 2025 Euromoney Awards recognized Citi as: The World's Best Investment Bank for Financing The World's Best Investment Bank for Debt Capital Markets (DCM) The World's Best Bank for Research The World's Best Digital Bank for Large Corporates
