The Travel Markets Insider newsletter is attached to this letter as a PDF file. To open the PDF file, please click here
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ASUTIL CONFERENCE
The 2024 ASUTIL Conference held last week in Bogota, Colombia was a sold out success with 307 attendees for the annual South American duty free event, managed by TFWA (Tax Free World Association).
Travel Markets Insider’s Michael Pasternak had a front row seat all week for the conference that perfectly reflected the city where it was held: magical, relevant, and filled with Latin flair. Read all about it starting on page 1.
One of the highlight presentations at the conference was m1nd-set’s latest research on the Latin American and Caribbean travel retail shoppers. Who would have expected that Gen Z shoppers from this region were the highest spenders in travel retail? Nevertheless, reports m1nd-set CEO & founder Dr. Peter Mohn, these same shoppers could be buying a lot more if they thought the offer was better. Read details on page 3.
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Weitnauer Group, which has ambitious plans to grow its distribution network in the global travel retail channel, recently opened its latest subsidiary in Uruguay to cater to the Brazilian border.
Travel Markets Insider‘s Michael Pasternak met with Jonathan Romano, who heads up the new operation, at the 2024 ASUTIL Conference and discussed how the nearly 160 year old company is still evolving. Read the exclusive interview on page 4.
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SUPPLY SIDE & OPERATORS
Not all the meeting activity this month was taking place in Bogota! WEBB Banks, the Travel Retail Sales & Export division of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, hosted its second biennial Distributor Conference in Puerto Rico this month.
With 243 participants for the two-day conference and 884 one-on-one meetings between suppliers and distributors, the event was a huge success, say organizers and participants. Read more on page 5.
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COUNTDOWN TO CANNES/GIVING BACK
Although Cannes is still a full three months away, mark your calendars for the m1nd-set-sponsored purpose-driven sports program taking place on Sunday morning before the 2024 TFWA World Exhibition & Conference gets underway on September 29.
The event will feature a fun-filled morning with a blind football competition followed by wheelchair rugby training and a tournament, organized by players and coaches from France’s leading adaptive sports charity for people with disability, the Stade Toulousain Rugby Handisport (STRH). Read how to be part of the fun and how you can support the program, on page 6.
