The global travel retail industry is gathering at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes for the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference 2026. Under this year’s overarching theme, „Shaping the World of Travel Retail“, key players across the duty-free ecosystem are coming together to address shifting consumer habits, economic realities, and technological transformations.
At Altavia Travel Retail, our international team will be on the ground throughout the week to help brands, airport operators, and retailers turn macro industry trends into high-performing physical and digital retail experiences.
5 Travel Retail Trends Defining This Year’s Agenda
Navigating this year’s official conference agenda highlights five critical shifts that every travel retail executive should watch:
- Geopolitics, Mobility & Human Behavior: Shifting global trade, evolving mobility hubs, and fundamental changes in consumer decision-making are redefining how transport hubs operate.
- Beyond Price-Led Retail: Traditional duty-free price advantages no longer suffice to convert modern travellers. Future growth relies on building seamless, cross-channel brand loyalty.
- Real-Time Mobility Signals: Leveraging live passenger booking data and flight intelligence helps brands navigate economic uncertainties and target emerging travel hotspots.
- Reinventing Category Engagement & Store Design: Core sectors like luxury and fashion require elevated storytelling, regional product curation, and immersive in-store design to reignite growth.
- AI & Connected Commerce: Leading retailers are using AI to unify fragmented shopper data into predicted demand, personalized touchpoints, and agentic commerce across the passenger journey.
> Discover the TFWA 2026 edition programme
Join Altavia Travel Retail for „Coffee on the Croisette“
Keynotes deliver the insights, but real execution is built through conversation. To break away from back-to-back floor meetings, Altavia Travel Retail is hosting an exclusive morning networking session right on the beach.
- Event: Coffee on the Croisette
- Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
- Time: 7:30 AM – 10:00 AM (Before the exhibition floor opens)
- Location: Vilebrequin La Plage, La Croisette, Cannes (10mn walk from Le Palais des Festivals)
- Format: Premium breakfast, fresh coffee, and relaxed mid-week trend debriefs with industry peers.
Meet Our Global Travel Retail Task Force
Translating industry keynotes into effective local execution requires boots on the ground. This year, Altavia Travel Retail is uniting strategic, creative, and market intelligence experts from our key regional offices:
- Middle East (Dubai): Hugo Vanderschaegh
- Asia-Pacific :
- Singapore : Jeanne Mouterde and Cloe Faye
- China & Hong Kong : Xavier Van Gaver
- Europe (UK & Italy):
- UK : Joe Ward, Emily Lewis, Ella Wellington and Andrea Robinett
- Italy : Anna Casani
Whether you are preparing a global concession tender, rethinking airport boutique design, or launching high-impact omnichannel activations, our global experts are ready to exchange ideas.
From strategic vision to flawless on-site execution, we support the travel retail ecosystem across every challenge.
We consult for airports, design concepts for operators and activate brands‘ stories. Altavia Travel Retail, from all perspectives.