Cruise and Ferries
TRI-POD: Talking cruiseline experience with Studio Fiore Founder Suzanne Fiore
“When people take a cruise, you want to show that the guest is, one, satisfied, and two, they’re going to book again. Guests are at the heart of absolutely everything that I do, and that we do as an industry,” says our special guest.
Avolta delivers resilient first-half performance as ‘geopolitical headwinds’ hit profitability
The world’s leading travel retail-to-dining player reports a +3.1% rise in core turnover, with EBITDA up marginally, as war in the Middle East slows its growth in the first half of 2026.
MSC Cruises puts luxury at the heart of the retail offer onboard new flagship MSC World Asia
The ship will feature luxury boutiques across the outdoor World Promenade and indoor World Galleria, offering watches, jewellery, fashion accessories, fragrances, souvenirs and personalised shopping experiences.
Flemingo Duty Free makes Spain debut with Tarragona Cruise Port store
Flemingo will develop further cruise retail stores across selected ports within the Global Ports Holding network in Alicante, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
Zhuhai Duty Free Group awarded arrivals duty‑free concession at Qingmao Port
This marks the retailer’s second concession in the Zhuhai-Macau corridor this year, following Hengqin, and complements its existing Qingmao Port departures duty-free store, which opened in July last year.
Starboard reveals ambitious programme of firsts and innovative concepts onboard Legend of the Seas
The new Royal Caribbean Icon Class ship features a series of firsts at sea and an experience-led offer across categories.
Harding+ names former SSP senior executive Jeremy Fennell as CEO; Chris Matthews steps into new role
Jeremy Fennell, who was previously Group Chief Operating Officer at travel food & beverage powerhouse SSP Group, steps into the CEO role from October as Chris Matthews becomes Executive Director.
Tallink Grupp posts first-half commercial growth in line with modest traffic increase
A +1.4% rise in revenue year-on-year across shopping and dining closely tracked passenger traffic growth of +1.3% in the half.
Shenzhen Duty Free bolsters Xiamen Dongdu International Cruise Center retail offer with arrivals concession
The award complements the retailer’s existing departures operation, creating an integrated retail offering for cruise passengers at one of China’s leading cruise hubs.
Bacardi advances circular packaging strategy through expanded EcoSpirits partnership
The agreement provides the global spirits company full access to EcoSpirits’ technology platform, supporting wider deployment of circular packaging solutions across its brands and operations.
China Tourism Group Duty Free unveils +19.5% rise in first-half net profit but sales ease
Hainan offshore duty-free was the best-performing channel for the Chinese travel retail giant but business elsewhere, notably across Mainland airports, was soft.
Images of the Day: How Harding+ is bringing the spirit of brands to life
Today’s images come courtesy of cruise retail concessionaire Harding+, which is hosting a series of high-profile drinks activation across partner ships in Europe this summer.
