South American Duty Free Association, ASUTIL, and CEFSU, the Chamber of Uruguayan Free Shops, held a two-day virtual conference on Nov. 24-25, that examined new opportunities arising from the opening of duty free shops on the Brazilian border, during which government officials unveiled increased duty free allowances and details of new store openings. Originally planned […]
Latin America
New border shops open in Brazil despite slowdown
Border store openings in Brazil slowed down towards the end of 2019 when the Brazilian economy stagnated and did not advance in line with expectations. The pandemic clearly made the situation much worse for all operators and business was non-existent during the second quarter of this year. As of the beginning of the third quarter, […]
Latin America sees first hints of recovery from COVID-19 shut downs
The COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Latin America at the end of February this year. Initially, cases were few and far between and the speedy introduction of lockdowns and border closings by most governments helped control the spread of the virus. But in the second quarter of the year Brazil swiftly became one of the worst […]
ASUTIL negotiating border allowances and transaction fees in Brazil, as it works on behalf of LATAM industry struck by COVID travel bans
South American Duty Free Association ASUTIL (Asociación Sudamericana de Tiendas Libres) has been working diligently on a number of issues critical to the industry in South America, in addition to its efforts to help com-bat the results of the travel halt from COVID-19. ASUTIL Secretary General José Luis Donagaray informed media that the Association has been […]
Uruguayan border stores begin slow recovery
In spite of closed borders throughout Latin America, several duty free stores are continuing to operate on the Uruguay – Brazil border. The stores on the Uruguayan side of the border are looking after the shopping needs of their Brazilian customers, who reside in neighboring twin towns immediately adjacent to their Uruguayan border. The depressed […]
ASUTIL’s Donagaray promises “We are Walking” as he pledges assistance to LA industry at latest regional webinar
Speakers at the latest monthly webinar hosted by South American Duty Free Association ASUTIL continued to paint a dire picture of the travel industry in Latin America and the impact of COVID-19, with forecasts of air traffic for the full year predicted to be down more than 50%. But ASUTIL Secretary General José Luis Donagaray […]
Aeromexico files for bankruptcy protection
Grupo Aeromexico SAB, Mexico’s second-largest airline, filed for bankruptcy in the U.S., the fourth Latin American carrier to seek the Court’s protection after the COVID-19 pandemic caused a severe downturn in travel, reports Bloomberg. In a message on the Aeromexico website, CEO Andrés Conesa said: “We have initiated a voluntary procedure to implement a financial restructuring […]
OAG: Shake up in South America aviation
In its June 25th coronavirus update report by Becca Rowland, OAG Aviation World-wide points out that while aviation is “reeling” around the world, South America’s carriers are not receiving the significant government support that North America and Europe have seen for airlines. This will be an important factor in how the industry on these continents will emerge from the […]
Experts at ASUTIL webinar predict no recovery until 2021 in Latin America; could take years to reach pre-COVID levels
By John Gallagher Two economists speaking at an ASUTIL-hosted webinar last week predict that Latin America is unlikely to see any recovery from the current crisis before 2021, and that it could take the region’s two major powers longer than that to even reach pre-COVID levels. Economists Tatiana Pinheiro from BNP – Paribas from […]
ASUTIL takes to the press in appeal for government assistance to save regional travel retail industry
South American Duty Free Association ASUTIL turned to one of Uruguay’s leading newspapers, El País, to add weight to its plea to local governments for assistance during the COVID-19 crisis, with requests to use e-commerce to sell to a domestic consumer and to Brazilians. ASUTIL Secretary General Jose Luis Donagaray, speaking with media during a virtual news […]
Sky Duty Free opens first store in Foz de Iguaçu
Despite COVID-19 restrictions in place, Sky Duty Free officially opened the first duty free shop in the Brazilian border town of Foz de Iguaçu this Monday, with an impressive welcome. The 550sqm store debuted on May 4 with municipal and regional authorities in attendance along with the company’s senior management. The Brazilian government approved the […]
ASUTIL briefing features relief efforts and importance of positivity
South American Duty Free Association ASUTIL reiterated four measures it is focusing on in its joint petition with Airports Council International Latin America (ACI LAC), which calls on regional governments for aid as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The Association held an online briefing earlier this week attended by media, the ASUTIL Board and […]
ASUTIL preparing for “the day after”
South American Duty Free Association ASUTIL continues to work diligently with its members and other industry partners looking for ways to ease the financial burden on retailers as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that is decimating travel and travel retail. “People are afraid to travel. The world has stopped. The industry has stopped,” said […]
Regency Group opens new Colon 2000 cruise port stores
The Colon 2000 cruise port in Panama now has a new duty free operation in effect. Regency Group, a privately owned multinational company with headquarters in Panama, which won the concession to develop some 4,500 square meters of premium travel retail space within the terminal in 2018, held a soft opening of its new Colon […]
Seiko now available in select Attenza Duty Free stores
Panama-based Duty Free Dynamics (DFD) continues to make progress with its innovative Master Franchisor concept. Most recently the company has launched Seiko watches in high profile presentations in the Attenza duty free stores in Colombia and Ecuador. The introduction of the brand at Attenza Duty Free featured the launch of Seiko’s iconic collection: New Seiko 5 […]
