据国际有关组织的报告称,全世界免税品年销售额已达90亿美元以上。近几年,欧洲免税品的销售额约占全世界免税销售总额的50%,为45亿美元左右。欧洲免税业始于第二次世界大战以后。当时,欧洲民航业开始发展,40年代末期世界上第一个免税店便在欧洲的爱尔兰香农机场 According to reports of international organizations, the annual sales of duty-free goods in the world have reached more than 9 billion US dollars. In recent years, sales of duty-free goods in Europe accounted for about 50% of the total tax-free sales worldwide, which is about US$4.5 billion. The European tax-free industry began after the Second World War. At the time, the European civil aviation industry began to develop. In the late 1940s, the world’s first duty-free shop was at the Irish Shannon Airport in Europe.