DFS opens in Okinawa

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A ceremony was held this week to mark the openings of two duty-free shops for domestic travellers by DFS Group at Naha airport in Japan's southern Okinawa island

The stores are the first for Japanese domestic travellers to be opened in the country.

The 1998 revised Okinawa promotion and development law allows for duty-free shops for domestic travellers, with which it aims to promote its economic development and independence.

The law allows travellers leaving Okinawa prefecture to purchase Y200,000 ($1,575) worth of duty-free goods of all types. The 300sq m (3,228sq ft) shops are expected to expand to 740sq m (7,962sq ft).

Okinawa governor Keiichi Inamine thanked those who worked to open the shops saying, "Okinawa may become one of the great shopping destinations on par with international counterparts, as it aims to lure 6.5m tourists per year."