Swiss duty-free retailer Dufry on Friday said its turnover in the first half of the year nearly doubled and surpassed the pre-pandemic level thanks to a global travel boom after the pandemic.

The company, which runs shops at airports, on cruise liners, in seaports, and other tourist locations worldwide, posted a jump in its turnover of 95.6 percent to 5.72 billion Swiss francs ($6.54 billion), which is 27 percent above the pre-pandemic 2019 level.

Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) reached 491.8 million francs.

Dufry said business in Southern Europe, the Middle East and in Africa, which saw 87.5 percent turnover growth, was largely driven by holiday trips.

A strong domestic market helped in the United States, while business in Canada was still impacted by less Chinese travelers. Turnover in its North American region was up 151.7 percent.

It’s turnover in the Asia-Pacific region grew 272 percent year-on-year from a very low base, helped by domestic travel in China and intra-regional travel.

The company said it expects strong demand at its travel retail and its food and beverage divisions into the start of the second half of the year.

By Ozan Ergenay and Anastasiia Kozlova; Editor: Kirsti Knolle

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