Travel Markets Insider Newsletter Vol. 22 No. 39

The Travel Markets Insider newsletter is attached to this letter as a PDF file. To open the PDF file, please click here

As a very eventful 2021 draws to a close, the world was soundly shown just how fragile the fledgling travel recovery actually is, as surging numbers of new Omnicom cases caused thousands of flights to be cancelled as staff and ground crews got ill.

The cruise industry felt the pain when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday again raised the warning against traveling by cruise, even if people are vaccinated. See page 1 for further details.

The only silver lining, if there is one, is that most vaccinated victims with breakthrough cases appear to be hit with a milder form of the virus and recovering more quickly. Time will tell.

INTERNATIONAL

The industry continues to prepare for the return of travelers, however.

TMI sends congratulations to the inimitable Dubai Duty Free, which generated US$23.9 million in sales over its traditional three-day anniversary celebration. Among the highlights in Dubai, Bottega SpA and HMSHost were able to re-open the very successful Bottega Prosecco Bar in Dubai’s Terminal 3 last week. See more on page 2.

RESEARCH: M1ND-SET’S REGIONAL ANALYSIS

As promised, we also present some very interesting research findings from m1nd-set, in its regional analysis of the post-pandemic shopper psyche in travel retail, specifically for the Americas and Europe. Pages 3 & 4. 

SUPPLY SIDE

And lastly, TMI spotlights the new signature fragrance from Chloé, Eau de Parfum Naturelle, which will be launching in the Americas travel retail channel later this year. The 100% natural origin fragrance has been developed with ethically sourced ingredients and lower-impact packaging. The new Chloé is a modern woody rose which the company says resonates in the atmosphere of today. Page 4.