THAILAND. Leading global travel retail and F&B player Avolta and King Power, Thailand’s largest travel retailer, today (29 September) announced a landmark loyalty partnership launching on 1 November. The partners said the move “brings together two industry leaders in a shared mission to put travellers first and explore together the ‘power of possibilities’.” See below for an exclusive interview with Avolta CEO Xavier Rossinyol.
The Club Avolta X Power Pass partnership will see members of both programmes enjoy reciprocal recognition, extending loyalty privileges across both networks.
Power Pass members who join Club Avolta will automatically unlock premium benefits across Avolta’s global network. Club Avolta members will receive access to King Power’s full suite of duty-free privileges, as well as exclusive offers across hotels, attractions and travel experiences in Thailand.
A statement from the partners said: “Rewriting the rules for customer centricity through loyalty, the collaboration creates mutual value by extending loyalty privileges beyond traditional boundaries. The market-first move spans across the footprint of both companies, including airports, downtown duty-free stores, motorways and cruises amongst others.”
Avolta Chief Executive Officer Xavier Rossinyol said, “As announced today at the annual global Tax Free World Association gathering, our loyalty programme partnership with King Power is a bold step forward in our mission to push past traditional boundaries.
“We’re showing that even two industry leaders can join forces to improve the traveller’s journey together. This partnership is a clear demonstration of our loyalty strategy – expanding choice, challenging convention and placing travellers firmly at the heart of everything we do.”
King Power Group Executive Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said, “This landmark partnership with Avolta represents a defining moment for travel retail, uniting two industry leaders in our shared mission to put travellers first.
“Together, we are creating a truly borderless loyalty experience that mirrors how people travel today – seamlessly across airports, downtown stores, and beyond. The ‘power of possibilities’ becomes reality as we offer millions of loyalty members unprecedented access to exclusive benefits across our combined global footprint.
“This collaboration sets a new industry benchmark, placing the traveller experience at the core of our mission whilst delivering exceptional value for all our stakeholders.”
Club Avolta, which was introduced to the industry community at Cannes a year ago, spans duty-free, duty-paid and F&B services, with 15 million members today.
The statement ended: “The collaboration with King Power signals Avolta’s open approach to future partnerships with other retailers and operators who share the vision of traveller-first loyalty. Together, Avolta and King Power are demonstrating that loyalty can transcend competition and deliver meaningful value to travellers worldwide.”
Speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report just before the announcement, Rossinyol said: “We always though that Club Avolta could transform the industry and the best way to do that is through partnerships.
“We came to Club Avolta with some out-of-the-box thinking. Why not join forces with other companies to share the benefits of the loyalty programme. We have reached an agreement with one of the best companies in the industry to share those benefits.
“This enhances both companies, it enhances the capacity to deliver a superior travel experience for our customers, and it shows that in this industry we can truly change things if we out our minds to it.” ✈
