Global sales of duty-free products reached $46 billion in 2011, up a staggering 17.9 percent, calculated duty free analyst Generation Research.

Although the results are still preliminary and currency fluctuations may bring the growth figure down, 2011 may turn out to have been a record-breaking year.

Unsurprisingly, Asia Pacific was the star growth region, with sales rising 22.9 percent and buyers helping to fuel a resurgence in alcohol sales.

Louis Vuitton has made a spectacular airport debut in association with The Shilla Duty Free at South Korea’s Incheon International Airport.

The 550sq m Incheon store is dedicated to Louis Vuitton’s passion for travel.

It features leathergoods, women’s and men’s shoes, belts, ties, textiles, fashion, jewellery, sunglasses, watches and other accessories.

Seoul’s Incheon Airport has set a world record in duty free sales during the first half of this year, reports have suggested.

Passengers at the airport spent a whopping $727 million at the airport in the first six months of this year, a world record according to The Moodie Report.

The figure outstrips spending at Dubai Duty Free, the world’s most popular duty free outlets for the past three years, which managed $698 million in sales.

Seoul’s Incheon Airport has been named the best in the world for the sixth straight year by the Airports Council International (ACI).

ACI announced the winners of its Airport Service Quality awards February 15, noting that Asia-Pacific airports made a clean sweep of the world’s best airports for customer service and “set the bar in service excellence.”

Seoul’s Incheon International held top spot for the sixth straight year, followed by Singapore Changi, Hong Kong International, Beijing Capital International and Shanghai Pudong International airports.

Shilla Duty Free has struck a landmark agreement to open the world’s first Louis Vuitton airport store, at Incheon International Airport.

The luxury brand has traditionally rejected the airport retailing channel – though it is present in downtown travel retail through selected Gallerias run by fellow LVMH subsidiary DFS, and through high-class Korean retailers such as Shilla and Lotte.

Shilla said: “Louis Vuitton’s opening of a store in Incheon International Airport is being considered as a monumental achievement in the global tourism industry.

Dubai’s duty free shops remain the busiest duty free outlets in the world, according to figures released this week by the Dubai Duty Free and Generation Research.

Consumers spent a staggering $1.14 billion at Dubai’s duty free outlets in 200, over 5 percent of money spent at airports around the world.

Dubai’s sales put it ahead of London Heathrow and Seoul Incheon, the world’s second and third largest duty free markets respectively, which both suffered a fall in demand between 2008 and 2009.