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IN MEMORIAM: DAVID TILLMAN
Oct. 21, 1956 – August 9, 2022
David Tillman passed away earlier this week, on August 9, after a grueling three-year battle against lymphoma. He was 65.
The New York-based travel retail colleague had recovered enough to see many of his colleagues at the Summit of the Americas in April, but had then gone into a slow and steady decline. David began his career in Elizabeth Arden, and went on to head up Cosmopolitan Cosmetics North American Travel Retail business before starting his own company Beauty2Market, among other endeavors. He most recently was one of the partners in Blue of Copenhagen.
David’s family has set up a web site to keep his family and friends updated and as a place to share memories, pictures or videos. It can be accessed here:
The funeral is scheduled for Sunday, August 14, in Larchmont, New York.
The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Camp Kesem, or the charity of your choosing.
Lois and Michael Pasternak add our deepest condolences to the Tillman family.
BREAKING NEWS: As we “go to press” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just issued new COVID-19 guidelines, easing some of its key recommendations in the United States.
Saying that COVID-19 is here to stay, the new guidelines are designed to prevent severe illness, said the agency.
In brief, the new guidelines say:
People who are exposed to the virus no longer need to quarantine at home, regardless of their vaccination status, although they should wear a mask for 10 days and get tested for the virus on day 5. Routine surveillance testing of people without symptoms is no longer recommended in most settings.
People who test positive for the virus should still isolate at home for at least five days. The CDC still recommends that people wear masks indoors in places where community COVID-19 levels are high.
Today’s issue of Travel Markets Insider is all about the numbers.
AIR TRAFFIC & TR
IATA reports on strong air passenger demand for June, with the easing of some Omicron-related restrictions in China’s domestic markets spurring optimism. IATA’s reporting begins on page 1.
A report by the European Travel Retail Confederation’s Business Performance Index continues the positive news, even though the significant pace of recovery of Travel Retail in that region at the second half of 2021 has showed somewhat.
See more detail on page 1.
TOURISM
Despite mounting challenges, international tourism also saw a strong rebound in the first five months of the year, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, with tourism spending also on the rise, says the agency. Europe and the Americas continue to lead the recovery and some sub-regions (Caribbean and Central America, among them) are approaching pre-pandemic levels. Page 2.
DUFRY
Indicating that travel retail is indeed coming back, Dufry reports that it recorded more than US$3 billion in revenues in the first half year, stronger than anticipated. The positive trend continued into July, as the giant retailer now says it has more than 90% of its operations re-opened. Dufry’s management also talk about its progress with its pending alliance with Autogrill: Dufry expects to close on the first stage of the deal in the first quarter of 2023, with the transfer of Edizone’s 50.3% stake in Autogrill to Dufry. Page 3.
CANADA
The numbers out of Canada’s land borders are not positive, however. In an economic report released today, the Frontier Duty Free Association indicates that the US/Canada border business is down by 45% as the COVID measures still in place by the federal government are hindering cross-border land travel and causing a severe sales decline for border business. See story and survey results on page 4.
Further driving home the FDFA’s argument that the measures in place at the land border do not make sense when restrictions have eased for air travel, Vancouver International Airport welcomed its 10 millionth passenger on August 5, and expects its busiest day since March 2020 to take place before the end of this month. Page 5.
CARIBBEAN
Jamaica reports that tourism arrivals have almost fully recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching about 90% of pre-pandemic levels. Tourism earnings are still lagging however.
An even better report comes out of the Dominican Republic, which reported record arrival numbers for April, May, June and July – putting the country on course for its best year on record. Page 5.
CRUISE
As it prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary at the end of this year, Carnival Cruise Line announced that it has welcomed 3 million guests since the restart of guest operations in July 2021 – with projections of reaching 110% of capacity this summer. See news about Carnival’s busiest homeports, new itineraries, most popular ports of call and its new CEO, on page 6.
SUPPLY SIDE
Onboard brewing.
Carnival Cruise Line –the first cruise line to can and keg its own private label beers crafted in-house—has also introduced a new flavor in honor of International Beer Day (Aug. 5). CCL now features onboard breweries on four of its ships, with a fifth to open next November. See details on page 7.
Tito’s in a Can!
Tito’s Handmade Vodka has taken the U.S. beverage market by storm with the introduction of a limited edition, completely empty (but reusable) can. Bucking the trend of introducing ready-to-drink cocktails, it says that the “ground-breaking innovation” allows Tito’s drinkers to make their own cocktails the way they like them. The can is $20, but all proceeds go to charity. See full story on page 7.
Sustainability.
As part of its sustainability efforts, The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has announced its commitment to transition 100% of its global corporate fleet of vehicles to electric by 2030. More detail on page 7.
