Introduction: Food has long been part of the travel experience, but Food Accademia Founder & CEO Fabrizio Canal believes the travel retail industry has yet to fully harness its power as a vehicle for culture, storytelling and emotional connection.
In this interview, Canal explores how tasting, storytelling, chef collaborations and staff can unlock greater engagement and conversion. He makes a case for why food deserves the same experiential treatment afforded to luxury categories, and why the industry needs to rethink travel exclusivity around concepts created especially for travellers.
He also outlines Food Accademia’s role in bringing ‘Brand Italy’ to life through a curated portfolio that celebrates regional diversity, craftsmanship and contemporary Italian gastronomy.
For Food Accademia Founder & CEO Fabrizio Canal, the food opportunity goes far beyond expanding assortments or dedicating more shelf space to the category. He sees significant untapped potential for food to deepen the connection between travel, culture and destination.
“Travelling has always been associated with discovering cultures,” he explains. “Food is one of the first and most universal ways people experience a destination.
“Yet airports have traditionally treated food as merchandise rather than as culture. I believe that has to change,” Canal adds. “Airports should become the first chapter of a culinary journey rather than the last shopping opportunity before boarding.”
A key part of forging a stronger connection between food, travel and culture lies in delivering an authentic sense of place. But as Canal points out, sense of place itself as a concept has evolved considerably.
He explains: “For me, sense of place is not about putting local products on a shelf. It is about making travellers feel where they are. Too often, we reduce the concept to geography: ‘this product comes from here.’ But travellers are not looking for geography; they are looking for emotion, authenticity and memories.
“The most successful retail experiences are those that create an emotional connection with the destination. A traveller may not remember every shop they visited, but they will remember tasting an exceptional local speciality, discovering the story behind a family producer or taking home a product that genuinely represents the place they have just experienced.
“Sense of place is not geography. It is emotion,” Canal emphasises.
Delivering authentic food experiences
Canal believes this creates a tremendous opportunity for travel retail. He says: “Travellers do not remember assortments. They remember experiences. The airports that succeed in the future will be those that transform shopping into discovery, allowing passengers to connect with the people, traditions and flavours that define a place.
“Food is perhaps the most powerful way to achieve this, because every authentic product carries the story of a place, its people and its culture.”
Canal believes delivering authentic food experiences in travel retail requires more than simply putting the right products on the shelf. The opportunity, he says, lies in creating meaningful connections with provenance and place – although bringing those experiences to life presents its own challenges.
“Authenticity cannot be created through marketing alone,” he comments. “It comes from giving travellers a genuine connection with the people, places and traditions behind a product.
“Tasting is important, but it is only the beginning. Every product should answer three simple questions: ‘Where does it come from?’, ‘Why is it special?’ and ‘Why should I take it home?’
“When travellers know the story behind a product, they are no longer buying food – they are taking home a memory of their journey,” Canal continues. “This is where storytelling, regional provenance, chef collaborations, digital content and knowledgeable staff all play a role. They transform a simple purchase into an experience that travellers remember and are proud to share.
“The opportunity is enormous because food naturally connects people with culture and place. Creating authentic food experiences requires space, time and collaboration between airports, retailers and brands – but the reward is stronger engagement, higher conversion and a far more memorable passenger journey.”
Going beyond sense of place
“At the same time, I believe the opportunity goes beyond local products. Great food concepts should not be limited by geography. Italian gastronomy, for example, has a universal appeal built on quality, craftsmanship and regional diversity. Whether in Singapore, Dubai or New York, travellers are looking for authentic experiences that enrich their journey.
“The key is authenticity,” he adds. “If the story is genuine and the experience is engaging, premium Italian food can create the same emotional connection in any airport around the world. It is not about replacing local identity – it is about complementing it with one of the world’s most recognised and appreciated food cultures.
“Italy is not just a country of origin; it is a globally recognised food destination. That is why authentic Italian food experiences can create value in virtually any airport, regardless of its location.”
Food as experience not category
For Canal, unlocking food’s full potential in travel retail also requires a rethink of how the category is presented, with greater emphasis on curation, tasting and discovery as drivers of traveller engagement and conversion.
He says: “Food has enormous potential in travel retail because it is the category that engages travellers on the deepest emotional level. It brings together taste, smell, culture and memories in a way that no other category can.
“Yet food is still too often presented as a product to purchase rather than an experience to discover. We would never expect luxury brands to succeed without beautiful environments, storytelling and knowledgeable staff. Food deserves the same level of attention.
“The conversation should not be about giving food more shelf space,” he adds. “It should be about creating the right space for travellers to taste, discover and understand what they are buying. A live tasting or a conversation with a passionate Brand Ambassador can often generate far greater engagement than simply extending the fixture.
“Airports and retailers are looking for ways to differentiate themselves and increase dwell time. Curated food experiences achieve both. They transform retail from a transactional moment into a memorable part of the journey, creating value for passengers, retailers and brands alike.
“The question is not how much space food occupies. The question is how much emotion it creates,” Canal says.
Rethinking TREX
Canal also sees an opportunity to rethink travel exclusivity, moving beyond channel-specific products towards concepts and formats designed around the needs and expectations of travellers and the destinations they are travelling to.
“I believe we need to rethink the meaning of travel retail exclusives (TREXs),” he explains. “Too often, it simply means offering a product that is only available in travel retail. That is no longer enough.
“Travellers have different needs, different expectations and different moments of consumption. This calls for concepts specifically designed for the journey itself: premium gifting, compact gourmet selections, destination-inspired collections, airline-friendly formats and collaborations that cannot be found elsewhere.
“At Food Accademia, we are increasingly developing what I would call TREX experiences rather than simply TREX products. Whether it is an airline dessert concept, a chef collaboration, a curated Italian gifting collection or packaging designed specifically for travellers, the objective is always the same: to make the product part of the journey rather than just another purchase.
“The future of travel retail will belong to the brands that design experiences for travellers – not simply products for distribution. The next evolution is not Travel Retail Exclusive. It is Travel Designed.”
Canal points to several examples of airports that are already harnessing the power of food and storytelling to enrich the passenger experience.
He recounts: “I have seen inspiring examples, such as Nice Airport, where food is used to celebrate the identity of the French Riviera through carefully curated local products and authentic storytelling. It demonstrates how food can become a powerful ambassador for a destination.”
Bringing ‘Brand Italy’ to life in travel retail
Food Accademia is drawing on storytelling, provenance, regional identity and premium hospitality to showcase the richness of Italian gastronomy in travel retail – and strengthen the resonance of ‘Brand Italy’ among international travellers.
“At Food Accademia, we don’t simply represent Italian brands. We curate Italy,” Canal says. “Our mission is to bring the richness of Italian food culture into travel retail by selecting brands that tell authentic stories about regions, traditions, craftsmanship and contemporary Italian creativity.
“Every brand in our portfolio represents something bigger than the product itself. Domori is not simply premium chocolate – it is a culture of cacao and craftsmanship. Cà dei Frati is not just a wine – it tells the story of Lake Garda and one of Italy’s most celebrated wine regions. Vincente brings the authentic flavours of Bronte to travellers around the world, while Alajmo represents the creativity and excellence of contemporary Italian gastronomy.
“This philosophy shapes the way we work with airports and retailers,” he continues. “Projects such as the Bottega della Riviera at Nice Airport, premium activations at Rome Fiumicino, tasting events and cross-category Italian experiences are all designed to transform food into a journey of discovery rather than simply another purchase.
“We believe the strength of Brand Italy lies not in individual products, but in its extraordinary diversity. Every region has its own flavours, traditions and stories. Our role is to curate those stories and make them relevant for today’s traveller, creating experiences that are authentic and memorable. We are curating a journey through Italy.
“The future of travel retail will not be defined by the number of products on the shelf, but by the number of stories travellers take home. Food is one of the most powerful ways to create those stories.
“Products fill shelves. Stories fill suitcases.” ✈
