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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
                                                                                                  The Insider View

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