Tax Free World Association (TFWA) has pledged to deliver a “business platform designed for learning, connections and experience” at its reimagined TFWA Asia Pacific show in Singapore on 10-14 May.
The association hosted a press conference at Hotel Prince des Galles in Paris on Thursday (12 February), at which it revealed further details of the forthcoming conference & exhibition.
As reported, the 2026 edition features a redesigned layout with category-focused halls, offering exhibitors “enhanced visibility and visitors a more intuitive and enriching experience”, said TFWA.
Each ‘World’ is marked by a central icon acting as a meeting hub, with Level 1 dedicated to perfumes & cosmetics and fashion, while Basement 2 houses spirits & wine, confectionery, tobacco and new initiatives.
New zones include World of Innovation and Taste of the World (more on these below).
To date, some 160 exhibitors have signed up for the show, with more expected to join, said TFWA Vice-President Marketing Alessio Crivelli at the press event. He told media guests, “We are slightly behind last year but our goal is to provide more or less the same numbers as in 2025 along with new experiences and engagement.”
Crivelli said the Asia Pacific event represented a “unique platform where global and regional brands, retailers, airports and suppliers come together to exchange ideas, explore new opportunities and shape the future of our industry”.
He said the show took its cues also from changing traveller expectations around digital and experience-driven retail trends.
“The Asian travellers are becoming more sophisticated and more demanding, and the industry must evolve accordingly. This is why, for 2026, we have reimagined our event.”
Crivelli said that grouping the product categories in a new way in the exhibition will lead to more interaction and create a more “seamless experience” for visitors.
The 1,300sq m World of Innovation is dedicated to technology and innovation and breaks down into three distinct spaces. The ‘Agora’ is designed as an amphitheatre and will host workshops as well as start-up pitches and product reveals. It also houses a networking café, with the remainder of the space devoted to innovation solutions.
A new Launchpad space offers some brands that are not yet part of travel retail an opportunity to connect with decision makers. Crivelli said: “It’s a way to connect many regional brands – in year one with a focus on P&C – and we think it is relevant as we need to host new brands and keep our industry dynamic. We are currently discussing Launchpad space with brands.”
Taste of the World is described as “a new gastronomy-focused destination”. The space is designed to feature live demonstrations, show cooking and hybrid retail concepts. [Note: The long-established Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) & Hospitality Conference & Awards (run by The Moodie Davitt Report) will be held in Bengaluru on 7-8 July 2026.]
Well-known Korean-American Chef Akira Back – who also hosted media guests for a special cooking demonstration followed by dinner at his restaurant in the Hotel Prince des Galles last night – will front a live cooking show at Taste of the World on 11 May, while the TFWA Lounge will also take place in that zone this year.
Of participation in Taste of the World, Crivelli said TFWA continues to discuss the opportunity with leading F&B operators alongside brands.
“Nothing is finalised but we are pushing to get the right amount of exhibitors and the right experiences there,” he said.
“With Taste of the World it is an area we feel strongly that we need to look at because we know that F&B is becoming more and more important. We are just at the beginning. It needs patience but we are focused and resilient. It’s about offering a new experience but also we want to differentiate Singapore from Cannes.
“We have had a very interesting reaction and we know that the work we have done in the last months we can also leverage for next year. We need to evaluate this [Taste of the World] not immediately but with a little more time.”
Elaborating on TFWA’s aspirations for Taste of the World, Managing Director Franck Waechter said it represents a long-term project. He added: “It is something very new. We also had many technical points to solve – from piping to electricity – to allow for demonstration of the concepts. That took a lot of time to clarify with the Singapore authorities; a chef for example also needs a licence.
“Now that we have clarified all of this we can enter discussions with the operators or the brands. Basically we have three types of exhibitors for Taste of the World. The first are the brands that we already have, and in some cases these have propositions in F&B. The next are brands that are present in the airports but are not our customers today. The last are the operators, as many of the brand concepts are done by the operators. They will have an important role to play in this project. We are speaking to all of them.”
TFWA’s Hosted Airport Programme – through which it invites and hosts Asia Pacific airports to the show – is also being extended in 2026. It is now open to airports from other regions as well as food & beverage players who wish to visit Taste of the World.
Crivelli said: “We are also humbly learning. This is something we are committed to exploring not only for one year but for more years.”
Also at TFWA Asia Pacific, complementing the Monday conference programme this year will be four workshops that will explore a range of topics from the future of the industry to the latest on the China and India markets.
The main conference theme is titled ‘Join the next travel retail experience’. Speakers will include TFWA President Sarah Branquinho, Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association President Sunil Tuli, former diplomat and two-time Ambassador to the United Nations Kishore Mahbubani, INSEAD Professor of Strategy Hyunjin Kim, plus Chef Akira Back.
More to follow. ✈
