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An emotional ASUTIL board- past and present – concluded the final stand-alone conference of the South American Duty Free Association last week with a dedication to all the directors who had participated over the past 21 years, and bestowed a special award of appreciation on Neutral CEO Enrique Urioste, who had served as the first head of the fledgling organization when it was formed more than 20 years ago. Page 1.
MORE ASUTIL NEWS.
The travel retail industry in Latin America is “back on track” and ready to move forward, said ASUTIL president and Dufry Brasil and Bolivia COO Gustavo Fagundes, during his welcome to delegates on Wednesday morning, June 7, at the 2017 ASUTIL Conference that took place last week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fagundes also presented an in-depth review of Dufry’s operations in Brazil. Page 2.
ASUTIL Secretary General Jose Luis Donagray – in his annual state of the industry in the region review -confirmed the recovery, reporting that sales in the region increased by 30% in first quarter 2016 versus first quarter 2017, higher than the +23% increase in passenger traffic. More details on page 2.
With Rio de Janeiro the host city of the 2017 ASUTIL Conference, Dufry took advantage of the location to showcase its stunning, state-of-the-art stores in Rio. A detailed report begins on page 3.
TMI will detail reports on other key presentations in upcoming issues, including an eye opening analysis of price perceptions among travelers in Latin America, compiled by Peter Mohn’s m1nd-set, economic observations from two regional experts, and Rafael Parodi’s discussion of the evolution of border store Sineriz Shopping on the Uruguay border.
