Diego Lord

Bacardi Global Travel Retail has announced the appointment of Diego Lord as the Division’s manager for South America. Diego, who will be based in Buenos Aires, was formerly Sales Manager for Philip Morris International.

The airline asked the U.S. Department of Transportation for additional flights from Miami and New York international airports to various airports in Brazil.

Infraero (the government body that operates Brazil’s main airports), tells The Latin America Report there are currently 15 contracts between Dufry and Infraero for retail stores in the airports of Brasilia, Guarulhos and Viracopos. Each contract has a different expiry date in the years 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2021.

When the agreements are finalized next week, contracts currently in place must be honoured by the new airport operators, according to the privatization agreement.

The office of Brazil’s Secretariat of Civil Aviation tells The Latin America Report, “Commercial contracts of the airports are still valid. These are the detailed steps: During the transition phase of operations – 4 months after the signing of the concession – all commercial contracts will be subrogated (transferred) from Infraero to the concessionaire. Concessionaires will be responsible for notifying all involved individuals and companies that the amounts owed should be paid directly to the concessionaires and no longer to Infraero, according to clause 2.21.4 of the Concession Agreement. Through simply replacing the subject of the contract, the concessionaire will assume all obligations and rights related to contracts involving the use of spaces in airport facilities from Infraero.”

The Brazilian government has begun privatization of some of its major infrastructure projects, including major airports, prior to hosting the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. Argentina’s Corporación America has won the concession to run Brasilia airport. São Paulo’s Guarulhos airport will be operated by Brazilian companies Invepar investors, and OAS construction firm, as well as Airports Company South Africa. Viracopos-Campinas airport, north of São Paulo, will be operated by Brazil’s infrastructure firm Triunfo Participações and France’s Egis Airport Operation.

More information, including details of Dufry’s growth in the region and plans for expansion of its distribution platform in Uruguay, will be available in the upcoming Asutil edition of The Latin America Report.

Not only does the distiller turn 125 years old this year, its blended Scotch whisky took double gold at this year’s Scotch Whisky Masters Awards for two of its variants: Grant’s 12 Year Old and Grant’s Ale Cask Finish. The family distiller also took the coveted Master award, for its ultra-premium Grant’s 25 Year Old and Grant’s 18 Year Old.

A share swap, with TAM shareholders receiving a common share in the new airline, is expected to end in mid-June.

The merger in 2010 of Colombia’s Avianca Airlines and Central America’s TACA Airlines has already proven a success. The group reported a net profit of $109 million in 2011, more than triple the net profit of $33 million the previous year. The airlines reported a 16-percent increase in passenger traffic (5.5 million) in the first quarter of 2012 over the same period in 2011.

Officials detained an American tourist in Rio de Janeiro’s international airport earlier this week after he tried to leave the country without paying his hotel bill of more than US $7,000, of which US $3,00 was for Caipirinhas, the national cocktail of Brazil. His relatives eventually paid the bill and he was free to take a flight home.

Meanwhile at Maiquetia International Airport in Caracas, a Sri Lankan man has called the terminal home for the past three months. Reports differ on what country the man arrived from, as there are no direct flights from Sri Lanka to Caracas.

Local media report he cannot leave the airport without a visa, he fears his safety if he’s returned to his homeland, and no other country has yet offered to take him.

This is the third WiT Latin American meeting, and this year proceeds from the charity auction and raffle will benefit School N°875 Doña Mercedes García de Taratuty, located in a very poor area in Puerto Iguazu. The school was built with the support of travel retailer London Supply.

Raffle tickets for donated prizes are $10 each and are available to both men and women attending the conference.

Duty free companies wishing to donate a prize for the raffle are asked to contact Federica Tojo, federicatojo@gmail.com, or Lois Pasternak, parsnip5@aol.com.

Further details on the date and time of the WiT meeting will be forthcoming.

Peter Michaels, CEO of Hop-on stated, “Hop-on phones have 911 services tied into the local carriers in Mexico and the United States.  The tourism industry has been tarnished due to a few isolated incidents targeted toward tourists.  Travelers to Mexico will have a local Mexican wireless number with 911 services attached to it.”  The peace of mind this brings travelers is enormous, he said. “Now we also have the ability to directly market products and services to a customer who we know is a tourist.  We know our customers are looking for tourism marketing.”

Based on a given handset geo-location, direct marketing text messages or phone calls can be initiated when in a target marketing area.  For example, when a customer is in Cancun, calls can be made offering specials at local tourist attractions, eateries, lodging.  The profitability for this highly targeted marketing service is tremendous, said Michaels.

Already 270 delegates are registered for the conference, May 30-June 2 in Iguazú Falls, Argentina. Registered suppliers have an opportunity to book meetings with buyers in the region using the online form. As well speakers at the conference include Jose Maria Palencia, CEO of World Duty Free Group, Olga San Jacinto, Google Director for Spain and Portugal, Felipe Gonzales Secretary of Tourism from Foz de Iguazu Brasil, Francis Gros form Luxottica, Roland Stieger from Nestle, economist Carlos Melconian and Anne Kavanagh of Kavanagh Communications.

To register for the event, visit http://conferencia2012.asutil.org

ASUR operates nine airports in southeast Mexico, including Cancun.

Total passenger traffic was up 10.38 percent over the same period last year, with growth in international passenger traffic up 5.83 percent. Commercial revenues increased 26.48 percent year over year, with a 30.86 percent increase in retail operations and 23.18 percent increase in food and beverage.

The event offers attendees insight into many segments of airport operation in Brazil and the rest of Latin America.

The Latin America Report is a sponsor of the event, which includes keynote speakers from the travel retail sector.

As the Brazilian government has stated its interest in privatizing even more of its airports, event organizers Sator are offering a workshop on navigating the public tender process in Brazil. The workshop is intended to make the legal framework of public tender more understandable to the market.

“We congratulate the management and staff of Jorge Chávez International Airport Lima on the fantastic achievement in securing both Best Airport in South America and the Best Airport Staff in South America at these 2012 World Airport Awards. A perennial favourite with passengers, other airports in the region must be wondering what they have to do to unseat Lima from this top position,” said Edward Plaisted, Chairman of Skytrax, the company that conducted the worldwide airport survey.

Tocumen Airport was named the Best Airport in Central America.

Guayaquil Airport was named for the second consecutive year as the Best Regional Airport in South America.

“We pass our congratulations to Guayaquil Airport on achieving top position in the Best Regional Airport in South America at this year’s awards. We experienced growth in the number of nominated airports from South America and Guayaquil should be proud that it was able to maintain its top position despite this increased competition,” said Plaisted.

The World Airport Awards are based on surveys from travellers in more than 160 countries. During a 10-month period, 12 million passenger surveys are conducted by Skytrax. The survey evaluates a number of products and services, from arrival through to the boarding gate. For a full list of winners, visit http://www.worldairportawards.com

The airport is expected to open this October.

Gustavo Aguilar, Commercial Director for Corporación Quiport, tells The Latin America Report an announcement on the winner could be made as early as next week. (In a recent blog, The Latin America Report stated the RFP had yet to be released. A misunderstanding in an email exchange with the corporation lead to the error, which we apologize for.)

Aguilar confirms the RFP for the Food and Beverage concession was released April 2 and was sent to interested parties. Submission of bids will close April 27. The RFP calls for nine food and beverage spaces including cafeterias, food court, fast food and to-go areas, says Aguilar.

Johnnie Walker Master Blender Jim Beveridge says, “This limited edition is a chance to enjoy the remarkable experience of Johnnie Walker Blue Label in a new way. Only one in ten thousand of our casks have sufficient character for Johnnie Walker Blue Label and in creating this special edition we really wanted to showcase the incredible flavours that come from the casks themselves. The flavours drawn from these carefully selected casks have intensified to produce a robust and powerfully-flavoured Blended Scotch Whisky that has rich woody notes, deep smoke, traces of spice, and a long, lingering oak finish.”

Johnnie Walker Blue Label – The Casks Edition, is available from May 2012 in select Travel Retail Stores for an RRP US $300 for 1 litre.

To honour the 110^th birthday of Janet Sheed Roberts, the granddaughter of William Grant (founder of the Glenfiddich distillery), William Grant & Sons is releasing 11 bottles of its 55-year-old single malt Scotch whisky to the public, one for each decade of her life.

Each bottle will be auctioned for the benefit of various charities as a totally non-profit making exercise.  Bottle No.7 has been presented to WGS Global Travel Retail team, headed by Managing Director Rita Greenwood, and will be auctioned this month on behalf of The Lotus Flower Trust.  If the travel retail industry bid tops bids on other bottles, it could be the most expensive bottle of whisky ever purchased at auction and will pay for the building of a school and home for physically and mentally disadvantaged children in Ramnagar, India.

“It is very rare that an opportunity arises when you get to be a part of something that is purely for the benefit of others and is not driven by a commercial need,” says Rita Greenwood, WGS Managing Director Global Travel Retail. “I am absolutely delighted that one of these opportunities should present themselves in the form of a truly remarkable milestone, celebrating the 110^th birthday of Janet Sheed Roberts, the granddaughter of our founder William Grant, an incredible woman who remains at the very heart of William Grant & Sons.

“It was an honour to be entrusted with one of only eleven bottles of the Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve. I am delighted that such a rare and precious bottle will be offered for auction through global travel retail and that we can play our part in raising money for some outstanding charities.  All of the profits from every sale of the Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserves are being donated to charities closely linked to William Grant & Sons; in our case for The Lotus Trust and Ramnagar Disabled Home and School in India.

“We see a rather appropriate link between this initiative, travel retail and the charity in question.  Not only are we celebrating Mrs. Roberts’ 110^th birthday – a great woman in the history of scotch whisky, and arguably also one of the first ‘Women In Travel’ – we are also supporting Women in Travel, which has become quite an influential group of women within the travel retail industry, raising significant sums of money for various worthy causes – and I am proud to count myself as one of its members. It’s therefore very fitting this bottle should be auctioned on behalf of The Lotus Flower Trust whose chair of trustees is World Duty Free Group’s Sarah Branquinho – one of the original founders of Women In Travel.  The Lotus Trust also happens to be one of the TFWA supported charities this year and our own Erik Thomsen is, of course, one of the Board members there.  The bottles auctioned to date have raised really quite incredible sums of money for charity and I am sure that, through the travel retail industry, our own bottle will fetch sufficient funds not only to enable the school to be finished, but also to cover the cost of an accompanying home.”

Already, Bottle No. 3 of the Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve has fetched a world record price of US $96,000 at a special event on New York’s Liberty Island hosted by actor Adrian Grenier. Proceeds went to benefit his charity SHFT Initiatives. The first bottle was auctioned at the prestigious Bonhams whisky auction in Edinburgh on 14^th December 2011, fetching £46,850 with proceeds going to international charity WaterAid. Bottle Number two of the special reserve was subsequently sold for £44,000 at an event hosted by ‘Walking with the Wounded’ charity in the UK. Other bottles are being auctioned at premium locations and in Global Travel Retail.

“The travel retail industry has a fantastic opportunity to break the record set on Liberty Island; all we have to do is find someone in the industry and its customers who can top the US $96,000 bid,” explains WGS Global Marketing Manager Ian Taylor. “Bids are invited for this incredible whisky from now until 16:00 UK time on April 25, 2012 with a minimum bid of £40,000,” he says. “To make a bid you need to e-mail charityauction@wgrant.com and a bidding form will be e-mailed to you.  We know how generous the travel retail industry is and we are confident that this offer will get some fantastic bids. “

Janet Roberts

Sarah Branquinho, Business Relations and External Affairs Director – World Duty Free Group and founding member of Women in Travel comments, “I really cannot thank the global travel retail team at William Grant & Sons enough for its decision to choose The Lotus Trust and, specifically, its school and home building project for mentally and physically disadvantaged Indian children in Ramnagar as its chosen charity to support. When Women In Travel (WIT) was set up 5 years ago as a networking group for all women involved in travel retail, whatever their position or length of service, we decided from the outset to use our contacts and influence to raise money for charity. Each year we nominate a charity for fund raising, which is done at various travel retail events throughout the year, with our major effort at TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.

“The Lotus Trust and the Ramnagar project were nominated last year and a wonderful fundraising effort in Cannes raised almost €13,000. If the money raised from Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts auction enables us to finish the project – we need a minimum €40,000 to complete the school and a further €35,000 to build the home as well – then it really will be a dream come true for at least 100 children!

“The plight of these children really is heart-breaking. Ramnagar is in Uttrakhand State where there are nearly 11,000 children aged between 6 and 18 with special needs and currently there are simply no educational facilities for them – and without this they have very little hope for any meaningful future.  This school will simply change lives and it makes me extremely proud that my fellow colleagues in WIT, William Grant & Sons and the travel retail industry as a whole are helping to do exactly that.”

The winning bid will be announced on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at a special event taking place at London’s Mall Galleries, which will be showcasing the work of renowned portrait artist John Wonnacott as part of the ‘Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibit’. The exhibition will feature a portrait of Janet Sheed Roberts alongside Charles Gordon with their family dog ‘Freuchie’. The event will be attended by Charles Gordon; Peter Gordon, the chairman of William Grant & Sons and Brian Kinsman, Glenfiddich’s Malt Master. The WGS global travel retail team headed by Rita Greenwood will also be present, along with Sarah Branquinho, World Duty Free and Lotus Trust chair of trustees; Erik Juul Mortensen, president TFWA and guests.

The Auction

The auction is now open, and bids may be made by e-mailing charityauction@wgrant.com.  The guide price for the Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts bottle No.7 is £45,000 – £50,000 and the reserve price is £40,000.

Traffic grew 13 percent and capacity increased 13.4 percent.

The number of passengers carried year-to-date increased 8.2 percent versus the same period of the previous year, reaching 24.5 million passengers.

Anne Kavanagh, CEO of Kavanagh Communications, will speak on Social Media – Investing in the 24/7 Conversation; Carlos Melconian, Director M&S Consultores, Argentina, will analyze the economic conditions in Latin America, U.S. and Europe; Roland Stieger, Head of Sales, Néstle International Travel Retail, will discuss Untapped Opportunities to Drive Category Growth; Francis Gros, Luxottica Group Travel Retail Director will talk about Sunglasses: From Walk-on Extra to Starring Role on the Travel Retail Stage. Olga San Jacinto from Google España will be the featured international speaker.

The early bird deadline (to save USD 200) for the conference is April 10. Asutil 2012 will be held in Iguazu Falls, Argentina, May 30-April 2.

For more information, visit http://conferencia2012.asutil.org/

Belchior was the guest speaker at the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce luncheon in New York on Thursday.

She told attendees an announcement regarding privatization of more Brazilian airports would be made within a few months.

Brazil has already auctioned the operation of four of its major airports to private companies.

After two years leading the GTME business, Jane Ewing will hand over the role to Abella. An announcement on Ewing’s next role is expected in the near future.

Abella has been in the Asia Pacific region for the past three years leading the growth of the Diageo India business. He joined Diageo in 1999 in the Lebanon business driving domestic marketing to build and develop brands including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, J&B and Baileys. Abella was promoted to the role of general manager North Africa before moving in 2002 to head the Levant region (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq). In 2006 Abella was appointed regional director for MENA, based in Dubai, a role he led until 2009. Abella will be based in Singapore.

Scheduled to open in October, 2012, the airport consortium Quiport will issue an RFP for retail spaces April 2.

Quiport’s Commercial Director Carlos Criado tells The Latin America Report that the corporation will also issue an RFP for food and beverage concessions this week.

Corporación Quiport is a privately owned capital firm consisting of Canadian, U.S., and Brazilian companies. Ecuadorians are voting on a name for the new airport, which is expected to be announced in early May.

The US $800 million facility is located 18 km outside the city capital. It will have the longest runway in Latin America (4.1 km) and will be able to handle five million passengers upon opening and 7.5 million passengers by 2030.

The new airport will replace the existing Mariscal Sucre Airport in the center of the city.

From today Qantas will offer three return services a week on the Sydney-Santiago route operated by a Boeing 747.

LAN Airlines will code share on the Qantas services while the Australian airline will continue to codeshare on LAN’s daily services between Sydney and Santiago via Auckland.

Group Executive Qantas Airlines Commercial, Rob Gurney, said Qantas was delighted to launch services to Santiago.

“Santiago is one of South America’s most dynamic business centers and provides excellent connections to the rest of the continent,” Gurney said.

“There are strong ties between Australia and South America, with growing visitor numbers, mutual investment and an Australia-Chile free trade agreement in place. Flying to Santiago is part of Qantas’ strategy to target global gateway cities. South America’s fast-growing economies make it the perfect time to introduce this new, non-stop service to one of the region’s major hubs.

“It is also pleasing to be expanding our long-standing relationship with Chile’s national carrier, LAN. Together we will offer ten services per week between Sydney and Santiago and access to LAN’s extensive South American network,” said Gurney.

Long-term employee Francisco (Paco) Heredia, who served many years as Commercial Manager, will now be in charge of New Project Management. Taking over his post is Maria Magdalena Ducos.

Lara Plaza has been named manager of the food, beverage and tobacco division.

This year, London Supply celebrates its 70^th year in business.

On Feb. 27  the Argentinean government refused to allow two cruise ships bearing British flags that had just come from the Malvinas, to dock in the province of Tierra del Fuego.

The cruise ships were carrying a combined total of almost 3,500 passengers. London Supply operates stores the province’s capital city of Ushuaia and nearby Rio Grande.

Britain and Argentina waged a 10-week war over the islands in 1982, after Argentina insisted on ownership of the archipelago.  As the 30^th anniversary of the war approaches, tensions between the two countries are increasing.

On Feb. 23, Interjet made its first flight to Miami, and offers daily flights to the city from Mexico City.

The airline, only six years old, also flies to Guatemala, Havana and San Antonio, Texas. It also designates one of its onboard lavatories for ladies only.

According to the publicly traded company, it has achieved second place in total number of passengers transported (by market share) within Mexico, and is one of the most efficient and profitable airlines, both in Latin America and around the world.

The Italian-based eyewear company recently completed its acquisition of Tecnol, a leading eyewear operator in Brazil, and last year obtained 97 percent control of Multiopticas, a company that controls more than 470 optical stores in Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

Francis Gros, Luxottica Group Travel Retail Director, says Luxottica Travel Retail echoed the success of the Group in 2011 and achieved another record year for sales.

“This year again, we are one of the fastest growing divisions in the Luxottica Group and I’m delighted that our Category Management approach for the channel and specific investments, such as travel retail exclusive product development, store environments, sales staff training programme and an expanded travel retail team, are continuing to reap rewards for our company, our travel retailer partners and the sunglasses category as a whole.”

The expo will take place April 24-26  in 20,000 square meters of indoor and outdoor exhibition space.

Guest speakers include Jose Carlos Rosa, Dufry Brazli COO; Marcelo Montico, Business Director at Grupo Wisa; Pedro Castro, International Operations Director at for Aldeasa; Lewis Allen of Portland Design; and well-known travel retail  journalist John Gallagher who will moderate during the expo.

Airport Infra Expo will focus on the development of the airport industry in Latin America, giving exhibitors and buyers an opportunity to exchange information.

For more information, visit http://www.airportinfraexpo.com.br

Brugal 1888 is expected to receive an enthusiastic welcome from travellers at airports in North, Central and South America, says The Edrington Group.

Brugal 1888 1L will retail in the Americas travel retail at $49.99.

Delegates attending the IAADFS Duty Free Show are invited to a special reception to present Brugal 1888 on Monday, March 12 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Gaylord Palms Hotel. Transport will be available at the front of the Marriott Hotel from 5:50 pm.  There will be a special appearance by Gustavo Ortega representing the Brugal Family.

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 million case barrier and at the same time the brand overtook J&B to become the World’s No.3 Blended Scotch in both value and volume terms (IWSR) achieving William Grant & Sons ambition to be a ‘podium blended Scotch’. 

Hendrick’s will continue to offer new interactive high profile activations for the unusually made Scottish gin. “Expect to see more birdcages, ice cream carts, bathtubs and barber chairs supported by fantastic sampling opportunities in stores around the Americas,” says the company. Attendees are invited to experience the new Barber Chair on the WGS stand in Orlando (Booth 100).

The six-metre long kiosk in the international departures area will be open 24 hours a day giving travellers access to all their travel accessory needs, says Mark Lewis-Jones of Innova Distributors Inc., the distributor for Go Travel Accessories in Latin America.  

The kiosk is a “well-orchestrated” collaboration between Lima Airport Partners, Class Complements S.A.C. (the owners/operators of Peruvian travel and accessories stores Crepier), Go Travel, and Innova Distributors, says Lewis-Jones.

More than 200 different travel accessories will be available at the kiosk.

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 bearing the words, ‘Can I Help?/May I Help You?’

Terminal 4 Guarulhos Airport was built at a cost of USD 49 million and has 12,200 square feet of operational area.

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 government at USD 315.2 million.

Corporación America is owned by Armenian-Argentinean businessman Eduardo Eurnekian. Last year he sold many of his duty free operations, including Duty Free Uruguay and Interbaires shops throughout Argentina, to travel retail giant Dufry.

Corporación America still operates airports throughout South America. Well-known duty free personalities Martin Leal, who managed the Interbaires stores, and Diego Arrosa who managed Duty Free Uruguay, returned to Corporación America after the Dufry purchase.

The airport concession auctions were held earlier today, as the Brazilian government sought out private companies to help ready airports and other infrastructure projects ahead of hosting the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. The winning bids, far more aggressive than expected by industry members, are worth USD 14 billion.

São Paulo’s Guarulhos airport will be operated by Brazilian companies Invepar investors, and OAS construction firm, as well as Airports Company South Africa, who won with a bid of USD 9.4 billion for the 20-year contract, again over the minimum bid set at USD 1.84 billion.

Viracopos-Campinas airport, north of São Paulo, will be operated by Brazil’s infrastructure firm Triunfo Participações and France’s Egis Airport Operation, who won with a bid of USD 2.2 billion for the 30-year contract. The minimum bid set was USD 812 million.

Brazil’s airport authority Infraero will maintain a 49 percent interest in all 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 various projects

Included are Brasilia, Guarulhos and Campinas airports, which the winning bidder must maintain, operate and expand.

However, winning bidders must form a joint venture with Brazil’s airport authority Infraero, with the winner becoming the majority shareholder.

Groups are permitted to bid for more than one airport, but may only be awarded one concession.

Brazil’s aviation agency ANAC will evaluate the bids on several factors including the concession fee offered.

ANAC will make public the concession fees offered by each bidder on February 6.  After this, the top three bids will then participate in a live public auction, with the winner announced the following day.

ASUR currently has concessions to operate, maintain and develop airports in Cancun, Merida, Cozumel, Villahermosa, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Huatulco, Tapachula and Minatitlan in the southeast of Mexico.

Advent International is a global private equity firm and first began investing in South American companies in 1996. To date Advent has invested in 40 Latin American companies in seven countries, according to information on its website.

Update 10:30 pm EST: Brazil media is reporting that at least 11 groups have submitted bids for the airport concessions. Along with Asur and Advent International, groups include a consortium of Banco BTG Pactual SA (Brazil investment bank), Ferrovial SA (transportation infrastructure investor, Spain) and Queiroz Galvao SA (construction company, Brazil), as well as another group including CCR SA (construction company, Brazil) and Flughafen Zuerich AG (operators of Zürich Airport, Switzerland).

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 rose 16 percent over the previous year with 107.8 million passengers on flights originating in Brazil.

Airport upgrades are expected to cost US$3.7 billion. The government has issued public tenders for several airport improvements, with tender auctions to be held next month.

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 our position as the leading Latin American provider of passenger and cargo services and made an impact on the business and tourism development of Panama and Latin America,” said Copa Airlines CEO, Pedro Heilbron. “We have opened doors to important key markets in the region with connectivity to 59 cities in the Americas.”

Copa’s achievements have been possible because “of our talented personnel, as we point out in our corporate campaign,” Heilbron added. “We will continue to strengthen our leadership position by offering the best service, flight frequencies and destinations for our passengers.”

Heilbron said that Copa Airlines will continue to add routes as well as enhance schedules and connections in 2012, and expects to transport 10 million passengers and increase capacity by 20 percent.

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 tourist arrivals are on track to reach the milestone one billion mark later this year, says the organization.

The top spenders were led by emerging source markets China (+38%), Russia (+21%), Brazil (+32%) and India (+32%) .

“Yes our forte is as a travel retail distributor of premium and super premium spirits and wines, along with beer, but we are also representing Fazer Confectionery and Ted’s Cigars in specific regions and do feel strongly that we are in a strong position to develop our business to become – over time – a one-stop cross-category shop,” says WOPI director Andy Butcher.

WOPI  will  be showcasing an Iphone 4 Charger and Case and a Solar Powerstore, which can be charged with direct sunlight.

As well many companies are requesting larger booth spaces at the show, held March 11-14 at the Orlando World Center Marriott. A number of vendors are also returning to the show after an absence or making an appearance for the first time.

Exhibitors returning after an absence include L’Oreal-Parbel, Buckley Jewellery Ltd., Concha y Toro SA, Industrias Tip-Top Leáñez & Cia, Ithier de Montmarin SARL, Marchon Eyewear, Troika Germany GmbH, and Worth Paris.

First-time exhibitors include beauty2market, Bodegas Williams & Humbert, Caballeros Inc., Capella Industries, Confiteca CA (Republica del Cacao), Design Go Ltd., Furla, Gerard Bertrand, Goris Group Co., KT&G, Loc Maria, McCormick Distilling Co., Perfumeland, Pronto Innovations, PurseN, Quality Gold, Rabbco Inc., Travalo, and World of Patria International.

Registration for the show is now available online. Click here for the registration page.

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 flew 20.7 million passengers. On routes within Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, the airlines carried more than 11 million passengers, an increase of 23.4 percent over 2010.

Cutty Sark was the name of the famous tea clipper ship, built in 1869, which sailed around the world. The name comes from the poem Tam o’Shanter, written in 1790 by Scottish poet Robert Burns.

“Our Tam o’Shanter bottling is an exploration of the Cutty Sark brand’s fascinating heritage, and tells the story of how our whisky got its name,” says Brand Controller Jason Craig.

Only 5,000 bottles have been created with an RSP of US$329. Cutty Sark is owned by The Edrington Group.

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.

Upscale hotels and expansion of the canal are just two of the many projects which will proceed this year. Other Latin countries which made The New York Times’ list of must-visits this year include Chiloé Island, Chile, Paraty, Brazil, Chilean Patagonia, Puebla, Mexico, and Nosara, Costa Rica.

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 will be closed completely from September 2012 through May 2013.

TFWA says its working closely with the city, the Cannes hotel association and its local partner B in Beyond, which is in charge of hotel reservations for TFWA World Exhibition, to ensure that participants are offered a range of accommodation options.

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 support building at the gateway as well as a new car park and access road.

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 is expected to be complete in the latter part of this year. In related news, local media reports the Colombian government has hired a firm to research possible locations for yet another airport in Bogotá.

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 the state and city of Rio de Janeiro to build a Research and Innovation Center on Bom Jesus Island, in an area adjacent to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Technology Park.

The laboratory will serve to accelerate the growth of innovative products tailored for the Brazilian and Latin American markets that may potentially be marketed in other locations around the world, says the company.

“The move to build a laboratory in Brazil is in line with L’Oréal’s globalization strategy of meeting every beauty inspiration by providing the most local innovations for consumers and adapting to each culture’s specific needs,” says Didier Tisserand, Managing Director of L’Oréal Brazil.

Brazil is a very high growth market and its extraordinary diversity and rich cultural heritage are an endless source of inspiration, says Tisserand.

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 only boost trade ties with the UAE, but will also introduce travellers to Emirates’ route network spanning points across the globe,” said Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ Executive Vice President – Passenger Sales Worldwide.

“Emirates will offer customers in Brazil and Argentina the most efficient and comfortable route to the Middle and Far East, including the airline’s four destinations in China and two gateways in Japan, which are key trading partners for both countries,” added Antinori.

Emirates will operate the Dubai-Rio-Buenos Aires route daily.

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 to open last October.

Coriport has six months to propose a plan to remodel the old Liberia airport terminal and expand airport services, according to The Tico Times.

Starting in June, Copa Airlines will connect Liberia with South America via a flight through Panama’s Tocumen Airport.

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 Airport (AISP) General Manager since 2009.

Replacing Neto, Renato Tesliuk has been appointed General Manager for AISP. Tesliuk has been working with Dufry since March 2004 and was Rio de Janeiro International Airport (AIRJ) General Manager. He will report to Pedro Henrique, Retail Operations Director for the Brazil and Bolivia Business Unit.

Marcos Reis will be the new AIRJ General Manager. Reis has worked with Dufry since 1999. He will also report to Henrique.

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 region’s commercial air traffic.