Global Blue Lebanon, the company that refunds VAT for tourists &Lebanese expatriates, welcomed distinguished guests, mainly Shop Magazine retail advertisers, key tourism hotels, department stores, travel agencies & tour operators, car rental & taxi companies, money exchange... to celebrate several years of partnership.
Held under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Fady Abboud, Minister for Tourism, the event took place at Maillon the Club, Ashrafieh, Sofil Center.
This initiative by Global Blue is a debut & came as an appreciation to all those institutions that play a major role in spreading the Tax Free shopping awareness to tourists visiting Lebanon.
Present were H.E. Mr. Fady Abboud, Minister for Tourism, Mr. Jean Abboud, head of the Tourism & Travel Agencies syndicate, Mr. Walid Hanna, Global Blue Member of the Board & Local Partner, Mr. Joe Yacoub, Global Blue Country Manager, and a considerable number of General Managers & Marketing & Sales Directors from tourism & retail industries.
The National Anthem was followed by a speech by Mr. Joe Yacoub, who thanked H.E. Mr. Fady Abboud & valued partners & for their trust. "The idea of having this event came as a gesture of appreciation and recognition to the Shop Magazine network, and this initiative was embraced by H.E.
Mr. Fady Abboud whose encouragement made this event possible". In his speech, Mr. Yacoub emphasized the role that Global Blue plays to link the tourism industry with the retail sector.
Mr. Riccardo Canini, Advertising & Partnership Manager in the Global Blue Group, and also an expert in developing new partnerships on a global level, thanked H.E. for his efforts in promoting Lebanon.Mr. Canini sees lots of opportunities in Lebanon to attract tourists from all over the world with special emphasis on Russia & China. He expressed his interest in revisiting Lebanon "I will be morethan happy to fly back as soon as possible to such a beautiful country".
H.E. Mr. Fady Abboud, Minister for Tourism, thanked Global Blue for the efforts in promoting shopping tourism, mainly because of the role shopping plays as a main attraction for tourists flying toLebanon. H.E. also laid emphasis on the Ministry's partnership with Global Blue Lebanon & the many success stories this partnership gave birth to, namely Flavors of Lebanon, the first internationaldocumentary film about the country & the campaign to promote Lebanon on CNN.
In his speech, H.E. reiterated the important role shopping plays in Lebanon & especially in Beirut where international brands make it a demanded shopping destination that competes with biginternational cities like Paris, Rome, New York, Milan,... H.E. thanked the tourism institutions that promoted the Tax Free shopping opportunity to tourists through the distribution of Global Blue ShopMagazine & Shopping Map.
In the same context, H.E. Mr. Fady Abboud presented 2012 Distribution Awards to the winning institutions, namely ABC Ashrafieh represented by its Mall Manager, Ms. Caline Jilwane, Four Pointsby Sheraton Le Verdun represented by its General Manager, Mr. Thomas Flindt, Kurban Tours represented by Ms. Antoinette Abi Raad & Budget Rent a Car represented by its General Manager,Mr. Reslan Atallah.
A cocktail & a casual entertainment program followed in the lounge area, in the presence of H.E. About Global Blue Global Blue is a financial services company that makes retail transactions between merchants and their foreign customers, easier and more rewarding for everyone. Having invented the concept of Tax Free Shopping more than thirty years ago, Global Blue now offers a wide range of services that help consumers shop and spend wisely when they are in foreign countries, and merchants and banks increase their revenues from the lucrative traveller market.
Global Blue works with over 270,000 of the world's favourite retailers, shopping brands and hotels in over 40 countries and serves in excess of 38,000 travellers each and every day. The company'sambition is to become the beacon for international shopping and spending across the globe.Global Blue's headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.
