CZECH REPUBLIC. The Central and Eastern European Travel Retail Association (CEETRA) and the V4+ Airports Association convened leading industry figures at Prague Airport yesterday (12 June) for the Airport Innovation Roundtable 2025, a forum focused on shaping the future of aviation.
The event brought together key industry leaders to exchange insights on airport operations and the evolving travel retail landscape in Central and Eastern Europe.
Key topics included the region’s rapid air traffic recovery and growth, shifting passenger profiles and expectations, regulatory challenges, and the growing importance of experiential retail in airports.
As part of the programme, the biannual CEETRA Travel Retail Forum addressed the specific dynamics of the regional travel retail market, spotlighting both opportunities and challenges. Several presentations and panel discussions offered valuable insights for the travel retail sector.
Prague Airport also hosted a welcome reception, providing an opportunity for delegates to connect and collaborate.
Conference highlights
The conference opened with an address by V4+ Airports Association Chairman Stanisław Wojtera, outlining the company’s mission to promote collaboration, share best practices and bolster the region’s status in the broader European aviation landscape.
CEETRA Chairman Andrzej Miłaszewicz followed with remarks on the association’s pivotal advocacy role, reaffirming its goal to “protect, promote and facilitate the region’s duty-free and travel retail channel by providing the means to obtain the most favourable trading environment for travel-related commerce”.
Welcoming visitors to Prague and the airport’s conference centre, Prague Airport Chairman of the Board Jiří Pos highlighted ongoing development plans designed to modernise Václav Havel Airport and position it as one of Europe’s most passenger-focused travel hubs.
In her keynote, Gharage Head of Strategic Foresight and Innovation Amanda Khuong-Duc presented research from Gebr. Heinemann’s innovation hub, revealing that 64% of travellers want to spend less time at airports, contributing to a 15-minute drop in average dwell time.
Khuong-Duc also presented Gharage’s future-focused concepts. These include ROKI, a robotic kitchen delivering fresh, healthy meals at scale; and Gate Zero, a retail concept designed to engage non-shoppers and introduce new brands through social media-driven experiences.
Her presentation also focused on the potential of AI agents in airports, emphasising their value in providing an easier and more convenient travel experience.
Khuong-Duc ended her address with a compelling reflection: “We need to ask ourselves how can we create spaces, services and products that lower stress, increase satisfaction and actively encourage travellers to arrive early at the airport.”
To explore the role of AI in modernising airport operations, a panel discussion followed, highlighting applications such as predicting operational conditions and analysing suspicious passenger behaviour.
m1nd-set Head of Business Development Anna Marchesini revealed the latest data emphasising passenger preferences and retail habits in the Central and Eastern European market.
The findings point to a strong recovery in air travel across the region, with Central and Eastern European airports on track to surpass 2019 volumes by 1.1 times.
She also highlighted shifting duty-free trends, noting that while stores in the region attract above-average footfall, they still fall short of Western Europe in terms of shopper conversion and spending.
Alcohol, perfumes and confectionery continue to be the leading categories, driving the highest basket sizes when purchased together – an opportunity that remains largely underexploited.
Gifting trends are rebounding more strongly in Central and Eastern Europe than in Western regions. However, Marchesini noted that “CEE travellers are particularly responsive to in-the-moment triggers – making visibility, engagement and on-site conversion tactics critical to success”.
In a second session, Marchesini turned the spotlight on experiential retail and its role in boosting footfall and conversion.
She noted that Millennials and Gen Z travellers are increasingly influenced by unique, interactive and memorable experiences, while price is becoming less important – a trend advancing in line with Western Europe but lagging behind Asia Pacific.
Marchesini noted the importance of combining local culture, technology and personalised service to drive shopper engagement. She added, “Experience in-store becomes the number one driver to purchase: travellers want more than products – they want memorable moments.”
Euphoria Founder and Managing Director Sardor Varisov took the stage to share how the cannabis-infused spirits brand is disrupting airport retail, designed to stand out as bold, giftable products for travellers.
He spoke about the barriers small brands face in the duty-free space – from complex regulations to marketing demands – and urged airports to support greater innovation and diversity in their retail offer.
He said, “Most airport shops are predictable – Euphoria stands out by creating curiosity and smiles.”
Speaking on Prague Airport’s commercial transformation, Lagardère Travel Retail Czech Republic CEO Richard Prochazka detailed the complete redesign of retail and dining spaces to address the evolving passenger demands.
Featuring local brands, healthy food options and interactive store layouts, he said: “We have completely redesigned our commercial offer in response to evolving passenger profiles – the future is local, healthy and experience-driven.”
As part of her presentation, ETRC Secretary General Julie Lassaigne outlined the latest European policy shifts impacting travel retail, particularly in the area of sustainability. She said, “Our mission is to create the regulatory environment to allow the European duty-free and travel retail industry to flourish – and to protect it when challenges arise.”
Despite record-high value sales in 2024, she also cautioned that growing regulatory complexity, changing consumer expectations and geopolitical tensions will continue to put pressure on the sector.
Another key issue raised at the conference was the WHO’s Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, part of its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, with insights provided by ETRC Senior Counsel Ricardo Oliveira.
He clarified that the industry supports the protocol’s intent to address illicit trade, while firmly challenging the narrative that duty free is a significant contributor.
Ricardo warned that imposing additional unjustified restrictions on the duty-free market could have damaging economic consequences for the broader travel ecosystem. He emphasised the importance of closer cooperation between the duty-free industry and airports to effectively engage with policymakers.
He also underscored the need for industry engagement in Central and Eastern Europe ahead of the fourth Meeting of the Parties (MOP4) to the Protocol in Geneva this November, citing the region’s significance and influence within the European Union. ✈
