Articles
Brugal 1888 coming to the Americas
Brand-owner The Edrington Group and distributor Rémy Cointreau Travel Retail Americas will use the IAADFS Duty Free Show (booth 113) next month as the launch pad for Brugal 1888rum in the Americas duty free and travel retail market. Brugal 1888 is expected to receive an enthusiastic welcome from travellers at airports in North, Central and [...]
WGS sets milestones in 2011
William Grant & Sons will have a lot to celebrate at the upcoming IAADFS show in Orlando. Last year the company’s Glenfiddich become the first ever single malt to break the one million case barrier (IWSR) while maintaining a faster growth in value over volume. As well, for the first time, Grant’s broke the five [...]
Asutil registration now open
The conference website for the South American Duty Free Association (Asutil) is now online (http://conferencia2012.asutil.org) Re-scheduled to the new dates of May 30 to June 2 in Iguazu, Argentina, the conference website offers a registration link as well as links to three of the host hotels. An early bird registration fee of US $500 for [...]
New terminal opens in Brazil
Brazil’s Guarulhos airport in São Paulo opened its newest terminal yesterday. According to Infraero, Brazil’s national airport authority, Terminal 4 can handle 5.5 million passengers a year, bringing the entire airport’s capacity to 31.4 million yearly. Guarulhos is Brazil’s busiest airport. To guide passengers through the new terminal, Infraero employees will wear a yellow vest [...]
Corporación America among winners in Brazil airport auction
Argentina’s Corporación America has won the concession to run Brasilia airport. The company, part of a consortium with Brazilian engineering/construction firm Engevis Engenharia SA, won the 25-year contract to operate and build new terminals in the Brazilian capital city’s airport with a bid of USD 2.6 billion, well over the minimum bid set by the [...]
ASUR announces bid for Brazilian airports
Mexican airport operator ASUR announced today it will make a bid, together with Advent International, on the Brazilian airport concessions. To speed up necessary infrastructure improvements in the country ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, the Brazilian government announced late last year it would allow public companies to submit bids for [...]
Air travel in Brazil triples
The need to build and upgrade airports in Brazil ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics being hosted in the country was made more evident this week. On Wednesday, Brazil’s aviation authority ANAC said demand for flights in Brazil has risen 194 percent in the past 10 years. Last year, air travel demand [...]
Copa adds four new routes
Copa Airlines will begin non-stop service in June from Panama to four new destinations: Recife, Brazil; Liberia, (Guanacaste), Costa Rica; Las Vegas and Curaçao. Last year Copa Airlines transported 8.8 million passengers and experienced a growth in capacity of more than 20 percent over 2010. “Our sustained growth in the past few years has reinforced [...]
South American tourism momentum continues
The number of tourists visiting South America increased 10 percent for the second consecutive year, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. Worldwide, international tourist arrivals grew by more than 4 percent in 2011 to 980 million, according to the latest statistics. With growth expected to continue in 2012, at a somewhat slower rate, international [...]
World of Patria diversifies
World of Patria International has diversified its product range with two new charging items from powerpacksales.com. The new line will be introduced at the Duty Free Show of the Americas in March (booth 1300). “Yes our forte is as a travel retail distributor of premium and super premium spirits and wines, along with beer, but we [...]
Orlando show expects more than 160 exhibitors
There is a high return rate among 2011 exhibitors for this year’s IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas, according to the association, which reports more than 160 exhibitors are expected to showcase their products and services. As well many companies are requesting larger booth spaces at the show, held March 11-14 at the Orlando [...]
Passenger surge calls for more planes
Avianca and AeroGal airlines collectively flew 11 percent more international travellers in 2011 compared to the previous year. The Colombian and Ecuadorian carriers, which operate under AviancaTaca, confirmed an order of 51 new Airbus A320 jets this week, the largest single order yet in Latin America according to French manufacturer Airbus. Last year the carriers [...]
New Cutty Sark blend
Cutty Sark launches a new limited-edition blend this month. Tam o’Shanter Blended Scotch Whisky is a development of Cutty Sark 25yo with a “darker, wilder side” from the poem from which it takes its name. Cutty Sark was the name of the famous tea clipper ship, built in 1869, which sailed around the world. The [...]
Panama top choice to visit
Good news for retailers in Panama. The New York Times has named the Central American country as the top destination of 45 places it recommends visiting in 2012. Referring to the country’s booming economy, the newspaper said the U.S.-Panama free trade agreement signed last October will further boost an international exchange of people and currency. [...]
Carlton to close for renovations
The InterContinental Carlton will undergo a major refurbishment which will result in its closure during TFWA World Exhibition 2012. TFWA is confident that satisfactory alternative accommodation will be offered to all participants at TFWA World Exhibition which will take place October 21 to 26, 2012. Preparations for the work have already started and the hotel [...]
Upgrades awarded for Macaé airport
Brazil’s airport authority Infraero has awarded a US$24.5 million tender to a consortium for the refurbishment and expansion of Rio de Janeiro state’s Macaé airport, according to local newswire BNamericas. Infraero awarded the contract to a three-company consortium comprised of construction firms CVS, Tejofran and CCI. The tender includes building a new passenger terminal and [...]
Contracts awarded in Bogotá
Grupo Wisa and Motta Internacional have started 2012 on a high note, with each winning duty free concessions the new El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá. Motta Internacional CEO Erasmo Orillac tells The Latin America Report that his company is still negotiating terms of the contract and further details will be forthcoming. The new terminal [...]
L’Oréal to open Rio research centre
L’Oréal products tailored for the Brazilian and Latin American markets could soon be conceived in Rio de Janeiro. The L’Oréal Group has had operations in Brazil for 50 years and plans to set up its Latin American Research and Innovation Center in Rio de Janeiro. The cosmetics company recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with [...]
Emirates makes inaugural flight to region
Emirates’ inaugural Flight 247 made its first landing at Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport in Rio de Janeiro last week, where it was initiated by a traditional water cannon salute. The flight was operated by Argentine Captain Marcos Medina, then departed for its first onwards connection to Buenos Aires. “This new linked service will not [...]
New Liberia terminal to open Thursday
A new airport terminal in Costa Rica will finally open on Thursday. Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia will be able to handle 1,500 passengers an hour. However, concessionaire Coriport faces $500,000 in fines by the Civil Aviation Authority because of the delays, according to the local newspaper The Tico Times. The terminal was scheduled [...]
New Dufry appointments
Dufry has announced new appointments for its South American division. Alvaro Neto has been appointed as Country General Manager of Uruguay and will report to Oscar García Pedrosa, DCOO of the Business Unit Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador. Neto has been working with Dufry since November 2004. In his previous position Neto was São Paulo International [...]
Latin/Caribbean passenger traffic rises
The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) announced that its member airlines carried 11.7 million passengers in November, up 7.2 percent from the previous year. The number of passengers carried year-to-date increased 3.7 percent, reaching 126.8 million passengers. ALTA has more than 25 member airlines and represents more than 90 percent of the [...]
New airport for Honduras
Aeropuertos de Honduras will invest US$300 million in the country’s airports, including building a new terminal in Palmerola. The company announced it will spend US$129 million to construct a new terminal said to accommodate up to one million passengers. It will also make improvements to airports in San Pedro, Roatan, La Ceiba and Tegucigalpa. Aeropuertos [...]
Liberia airport sits empty
A new airport terminal in Costa Rica is complete but as the peak travel season to the region has begun, the airport has yet to welcome a single passenger. The Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia was scheduled to be operational Oct. 1, but according to Costa Rican newspaper The Tico Times, the government [...]
Airport auction rules announced
The Brazilian government released the rules regarding the auction for the concessions of three of its airports last Thursday. The public auction for the concessions at Guarulhos, Campinas and Brasilia airports will be held simultaneously on February 6, 2012 at the São Paulo Stock Exchange. The auction is open to Brazilian and international companies. While [...]
Mega merger a step closer
The merger between two South American airlines has cleared one of its final hurdles. Last week the Brazilian government’s anti-trust authorities approved the merger between Chile’s LAN Airlines and Brazilian carrier TAM. Known as LATAM, the carrier will be the largest in South America, and the second largest worldwide by revenue. LATAM will employ 40,000 [...]
Emirates to begin Buenos Aires route
Emirates will begin flights to Buenos Aires beginning January 3, 2012. Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was among more than 800 guests from local industries, the travel trade and the government, who gathered for a gala dinner in Buenos Aires last week for the announcement. “Emirates’ first destination in Argentina is a significant next [...]
Heineken, Monarq add excitement to beer with London Supply
Heineken Global Duty Free and its Latin America distribution partner, MONARQ Group, are celebrating their association with one of the key travel retail operators in South America, by launching an exclusive off-trade Heineken DraughtKeg promotion. The promotion is part of a series of global initiatives to mark Heineken’s involvement to develop with its Travel Retail [...]
Coty launches Madonna scent
Coty Prestige will launch pop icon Madonna’s first fragrance. The fragrance, Truth or Dare by Madonna, will debut exclusively at Macy’s next April, with global distribution beginning in May. This is the singer’s first fragrance. “Madonna is the marquis addition to Coty’s unrivaled brand portfolio and further establishes us as cutting edge leaders in the [...]
Etihad sets sights on south
Etihad Airways has set 2015 as its date for arrival in South America. In an interview with Flightglobal, the company’s CEO said the airline is expanding its routes worldwide, and intends to be in the South American market in about three years.
Grupo Aena set for Brazil airport bid
Airport operators in Spain and Germany have shown interest in operating three of Brazil’s largest airports. Spain’s airport operator Grupo Aena confirmed it will partner with private developer OHL Concessions to participate in the bidding for the upgrading and operation of three Brazilian airports. Earlier this year, Brazil announced it would allow for private investment [...]
Brazil readies for airport bids
Brazil announced further details of the concessions up for bid at Guarulhos, Brasília and Viracopos airports in a conference call Thursday afternoon. The Latin America Report took part in a call with Brazil’s Secretary of Civil Aviation Wagner Bittencourt who said it was essential the country involve private firms in order to have airports ready [...]
Diageo posts double digit growth in LatAm
Diageo organic net sales increased 30 percent in Latin America and Caribbean in the third quarter of 2011. “Each market in the Latin America and Caribbean region delivered very strong double digit growth and the performance in Venezuela benefitted from comparison against reduced shipments in the prior period,” according to Paul Walsh, CEO Diageo. “Diageo [...]
Sales up, hotels named
Duty free sales in the region remain strong with double-digit growth in the past few months. According to Asutil (South American duty free association) Secretary General José Luis Donagaray, sales remain strong as the region enters into its busy summer season. Donagaray also confirms the hotels for the 2012 Asutil conference, June 6-9 in Iguazú [...]
Getting by with a little help from my friends
It was the best of times and the worst of times. My week in Cannes started off on a sour note late Saturday, however the generosity of colleagues and strangers continues to reinforce my belief that there is good in everyone. Arriving at any airport and waiting for luggage after 12 hours of travelling can [...]
Stop order issued on airport construction
Work on a new airport terminal in São Paulo has been stopped, after a judge deemed there was no bidding process involved. Local media in Brazil report a judge stopped construction at Guarulhos airport because it set a dangerous precedent of bypassing regulations for the sake of urgency. Brazilian airport authority Infraero awarded the $US700 [...]
South American arrivals increase by 15 percent
South America saw an increase of 15 percent in tourist arrivals compared to the same time in 2010. According to UNWTO, international tourism grew by almost 5 percent in the first half of 2011 totalling a new record of 440 million arrivals. Results confirm that, in spite of multiple challenges, international tourism continues to consolidate [...]
Travellers want to spend, relax, learn at airports: survey
A survey conducted for NCR Corporation, a global technology company, finds that consumers have ample time once they clear security to take advantage of a growing number of airport amenities. “Airports, once a transition point, are now becoming more of a destination, seeking to drive additional revenues by catering to travelers’ needs,” said Tyler Craig, [...]
Asutil conference date set
The South American duty free association (Asutil) announced the dates of its 2012 conference. Traditionally held in September, organizers have announced that the conference will be held for the second year in a row in June. With record attendance this year, the June date appears to be a more convenient time of the year for [...]
Airports can learn from Halifax International
It came as no surprise to me when I read tonight that Halifax’s international airport is again being recognized for its customer service. What happened to me there last week was what every traveller should have the pleasure of experiencing. Airports Council International (ACI) will induct the small airport in Canada’s province of Nova Scotia [...]
Brazilians dropping cash in Europe
Brazilian travel to Europe continues to increase, with record spending in June. According to statistics from the Brazilian government, Brazilians spent US1.4 billion in Europe in June, an increase of 39.9 percent over the same month in 2010. With the Real continuing to gain strength, more residents are making trips to Europe. July spending in [...]
Brazil awards first private airport contract
A 28-year concession to build an airport in the northern Brazil city of Natal has been won by Inframérica. The consortium, comprised of Brazil’s Grupo Engevix and Argentina’s Corporación America, had a successful bid of US$106 million to build the facility, Brazil’s first privately run international airport, in time for the 2014 World Cup which [...]
Qantas drops Buenos Aires, starts Santiago route
Australian carrier Qantas will begin a new route to Santiago. The new service is part of the Qantas Group’s five-year plan to build a truly modern, customer-focused and competitive global airline business, says a company statement. In early 2012, Qantas will begin direct flights between Sydney and Santiago. This service will operate three times a [...]
GOL sees double digit growth in July
Brazilian carrier GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes recorded demand growth of 16.2 percent on its total route network in July, accompanied by an increase in the load factor to 75.8 percent. GOL’s domestic market demand grew by 19.6 percent over July 2010, in turn due to airline industry capacity growth, says the company. Demand on GOL’s [...]
Rio to host ALTA 2011 forum
The association representing airlines in Latin America and the Caribbean hosts its annual forum, November 16-18 in Rio de Janeiro. The largest event of its nature in the Latin America and Caribbean commercial aviation industry, ALTA’s Airline Leaders Forum is designed to promote an international dialogue that advances safer, more efficient aviation in the region. [...]
Bacardi introduces Oakheart
Bacardi Global Travel Retail announces the launch of Bacardi Oakheart, which it describes as “the most noteworthy product introduction from Bacardi since the launch of Bacardi Limón more than a decade ago.” On the verge of its 150th anniversary, the introduction of Bacardi Oakheart reaffirms the brand’s leadership position in rum with expressions now across [...]
A sweet collector box
Villars Maître Chocolatier launches a new metal collector’s box full of sweet indulgence. The Villars Collection boxes are based on the original prints created for Villars by artists that express the “art nouveau”, trend of the 1920s. For more information regarding Villars assortment visit the Bonardo Travel Retail stand at TFWA (L-29 Blue Village).
TFWA WE pre-registration closes Thursday
Only a few days remain before the deadline for pre-registration for the annual TFWA World Exhibition in the Palais des Festivals, Cannes. The exhibition runs from September 18-23. The pre-registration deadline is August 18, after which anyone wishing to attend will have to register on arrival. TFWA is pleased that pre-registrations for the exhibition and [...]
Dufry announces profits, new stores
Dufry continues to dominate the news with the announcement of more new concessions and a strong first half in sales. Today, the Swiss-based travel retail operator announced a turnover of 10.2 percent in the first half of 2011, based on constant exchange rates. In South America, Dufry won tenders and opened a duty paid shop [...]
Dufry acquisitions good for region, traveller: Donagaray
Dufry’s purchase of three duty free operations in the region is a good sign of prosperity, according to Asutil Secretary General José Luis Donagaray. He told The Latin America Report Dufry’s investment “shows business is growing,” adding July sales in the region have surpassed those in July 2010. “(The acquisitions) are good news for us,” [...]
