AUSTRALIA. The Australian Airports Association Retail & Commercial Forum will focus on the duty-free spend potential of Indian and other emerging traveller nationalities.
Now in its fourth year, the Forum is a collaboration between the Australian Airports Association (AAA), The Mercurius Group and The Moodie Davitt Report. It serves as the leading platform for promoting the growth of retail and commercial revenues at airports across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region. The event runs from 21-23 July at Sydney’s Sofitel Wentworth hotel.
The focus on India in particular comes against the backdrop of a wave of outbound travel and India’s continuing emergence as an economic powerhouse. It also comes as the propensity to spend in duty free among Chinese visitors to Australia and New Zealand – so crucial over the past decade – has softened.
The session will commence with an in-depth briefing on the potential of Indian visitors to Australia by Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison. India is the fifth largest source of visitors to Australia and one of the fastest growing, with developing air links.
Harrison will share insights on Indian visitor behaviour and the results of Tourism Australia research on their spending power and preferences.
The Mercurius Group Managing Director Ivo Favotto will detail the results of bespoke consumer research – commissioned specifically for the Forum – into the duty-free buying intentions of Indian travellers to Australia and New Zealand.
Favotto will be followed by Heinemann Oceania Managing Director George Tsoukalas, who will discuss the emergence of other high-spending nationalities in duty free, from the perspective of the Pacific region’s largest duty-free retailer. Heinemann operates the duty-free concession at both Sydney and Gold Coast Airports as well as extensive duty-paid offerings in domestic terminals at both airports.
The three presentations (by Harrison, Favotto and Tsoukalas) will be followed by an engaging discussion panel comprised of a strong line-up of duty-free industry experts, representing the Trinity of airport, retailer and brand owner. Speakers include:
- Heinemann Oceania Managing Director George Tsoukalas
- Puig Travel Retail Oceania & Greater India Sales Director Babita Chandra
- Avolta Managing Director – North Asia Jaswinder Singh
- Melbourne Airport Head of Retail Aaron Gupta
AAA CEO Simon Westaway said: “Post-COVID, duty-free spend per pax has struggled to recover to 2019 levels at many of the airports across the Pacific region. The softening of PRC spending is a key driver behind this trend. However we are heartened by the recent emergence of Indian and other high-spending nationalities, and fully supportive of measures undertaken by Tourism Australia to grow visitation from these key locations.”
Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said: “India represents a huge opportunity for Australian tourism. New direct air services between India and Australia have paved the way for a significant rise in visitation by Indian leisure travellers, especially those coming here to visit friends and relatives. Sustained air access and Australia’s desirability as a destination is building a strong foundation for repeat visitation, with growing numbers of holiday visitors travelling here to experience our tourism offerings first-hand.”
George Tsoukalas said: “Heinemann Oceania is putting a laser focus on Indian and other emerging nationalities as traveller demographics and spending habits continue to evolve in the region, and faster than ever before. We are constantly adapting our assortment, promotions, pricing and staff training to meet new traveller needs and preferences, always in collaboration with our brand and airport partners, and we look forward to this much-needed exchange.”
Babita Chandra said: “India has been identified as a growth market for travel retail. The Indian population’s propensity to travel — their desire to discover new brands and growing spending power represent real opportunities for conversion in travel retail, as Indian passengers become part of the top five travelling nationalities. While we focus on all key markets, we see the emerging Indian traveller as key to the Pacific region’s continued growth.”
Jaswinder Singh said: “Avolta is already very active in the Indian market and among other emerging nationalities across Asia. We have a deep understanding of these consumers in terms of their product preferences, cultural nuances and spending power. With unparalleled access to global traveller data in F&B and travel retail, we use these insights to optimise the stores we operate in the Pacific region. This data-driven approach helps us to unlock greater value for our airport partners, retail brands and travellers themselves.”
Aaron Gupta said: “The resurgence of international passengers beyond 2019 levels at Melbourne Airport has been driven, in part, by rising Indian visitation and we are seeing this influence the product mix and service delivery within our duty free and other on-airport retail businesses.”
Registration to attend the Forum is open via the AAA website: Airport Retail & Commercial Forum – Australian Airports Association
For further information or sponsorship opportunities, please contact The Mercurius Group Managing Director Ivo Favotto: ifavotto@themercuriusgroup.com ✈
