Page 1 - ASUTIL 2024 Edition

Special Issue
ASUTIL
CONFERENCE

June 2024

ASUTIL Conference reflects optimism for LATAM INSIDE INSIDER

There is a definite air of
excitement around the 2024
ASUTIL Conference. For one
thing, it is taking place in Bogota,
and this is the first ASUTIL event
being held in Colombia, which
was not only one of the first Latin
American countries to recover
from the pandemic, but is also a Weitnauer opens South American
booming air transport hub. operations with hub in Uruguay
In addition to its robust led by Jonathan Romano.
traffic recovery, Bogota’s El
Dorado International Airport is
renowned for its facilities and
customer service – it was named
the Best Airport in South America
by Skytrax for the sixth year in
2024!
The 2024 gathering is also Essence Corp is supplying 20 of the new duty free stores on the Brazilian border
the first Conference that will be with an extended portfolio of brands, such as the recent launch of Puig’s
Jean Paul Gaultier Divine in Cell Shop Duty Free in Foz de Iguazu in April.
overseen by Carlos Loaiza-Keel See story on page 26. Catastrophic flooding has kept
Porto Alegre’s Salgado Filho
as head of the South American International Airport in Brazil
Duty Free Association, after closed for more than a month.
he took over for Jose Luis also still struggling and posing and more are covered within the
Donagaray as Secretary General roadblocks for travel retail pages of this issue.
late last year. Furthermore, operators in the neighboring TMI also features an
for the first time, the ASUTIL countries. exclusive interview with Essence
Conference, which has once again But on the positive side, the Corp’s Antoine Bona and
been managed in partnership with latest research from m1nd-set Guillaume Bona, who discuss
TFWA, sold out all available 300 forecasts that passenger traffic how important the development
spots weeks before the event. in Latin American airports will of the Brazilian duty free
All of these factors have finally surpass that of 2019, border business has been to the
Loaiza-Keel optimistic about the reaching 108% of the pre- industry. Flor de Caña hosted an activation
2024 ASUTIL Conference as well pandemic level. In addition, TMI takes a with Lagardère at Jorge Chavez
as the recovering travel retail As a matter of fact, the close look at some key issues Airport in Lima, Peru.
industry in Latin America. International Air Transport happening in the Caribbean –
“It has been a year full of Association (IATA) reports that in such as how expanding airlift
excitement, challenges, and hard April, Latin American airlines saw is making Latin America an
work with the excellent team a 14.5% year-on-year increase in increasingly important source
that Jose Luis has put together,” demand with air capacity climbing market for the region.
Loaiza-Keel tells TMI. 13.5% year-on-year. This resulted As always, TMI looks
Among the challenges have in a load factor of 84.1%, the forward to seeing you at one
been devastating floods in the highest among all the regions for of the most important industry Pernod Ricard rolled out its new
south of Brazil that could impact the month. gatherings in the Americas. Royal Salute 21 Year Old Miami
air travel for weeks to come, All of which underscores Polo Edition with a pop-up at MIA.
if not months. The economy in the optimism surrounding this Lois Pasternak,
Argentina, while improving, is conference. All of these stories Editor/Publisher Plus Products-People-Places
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1 June 2024 ASUTIL Special Issue