Last updated: Thursday, June 8 at 8:55 p.m. (ART). Find updates below.
Thursday, June 8 – 2:30 p.m.: Latin America: the Economic Context
After a morning of networking and a lunch generously sponsored by JTI, day two of the conference kicked off with a presentation from one of the region's leading economists, Carlos Melconian.
An expert list of speakers followed; see a recap of the day's conference highlights below:
Detailing President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's platform and the upcoming Argentina election, Melconian discussed the normalcy of economic turbulence in Latin America and political challenges and changes in Brazil, Argentina and beyond
Referring to the political landscape worldwide, Russia's war in Ukraine and the rising tension between the United States and China, he said in the upcoming quarters the global economy will need to find a new driving force.
Thursday, June 8 – 3:15 p.m.: Latin American Travel Outlook
This session explored questions from across the industry about modern traffic patterns, the current and future health of airports and airlines and the role that travel retail plays within Latin America's travel ecosystem.
Delegates heard from a trio of speakers: João Pita, Chief Commercial & Cargo Officer at São Paulo International Airport, ALTA (Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association) Executive Director & CEO José Ricardo Botelho and Corporación América CEO Martin Eurnekian.
Pita pointed out the region needs to invest in greater air connectivity; since direct service stimulates demand, more cities and destinations need to connect not only to Brazil, but all of South America
According to his presentation, depending on the size of the market, direct service can double – or even triple demand.
Describing airport retail opportunities, Pita also called airports "big showrooms" where hybrid and cross-selling should receive more attention and omnichannel retailing and a major shift in passenger mix "are poised to transform traditional airport shopping."
ALTA Executive Director & CEO José Ricardo Botelho referred to the airline ticket as "the door to the country" and
With passengers being price sensitive in order to increase international traffic, the aviation industry should consider reducing the taxes the affect the purchase ticket – the gain from the growth in PAX volume would offset this reduction.
Also worth noting, the cost of fuel remains at an all-time high; in Q4 2022 the fuel cost weight on the airline's total operating cost was 50%.
Eurnekian said in order to turn traveler tension into satisfaction, industry players need to seek out passengers pre-airport arrival and connect with them on an individual basis via digital engagement and data collection (the company is practicing this via its conversational app ADA)
The most used app in Latin America is WhatsApp, with more than 95% of its population connected.
Thursday, June 8 – 5:15 p.m.: Fighting for Duty Free
With the third Meeting of the Parties to the Illicit Trade Protocol set to take place in Panama this November, Duty Free World Council President Sarah Branquinho updated delegates on its campaign to "champion the industry’s transparent and secure supply chain credentials"
Thursday, June 8 – 5:45 p.m.: Digital Opportunities in Duty Free
During this final session, attendees heard the latest take from Pernod Ricard Travel Retail Americas General Manager Gregory Ford and Daniella Valeriano, Regional Director PanLatam at tech giant Meta, on digital trends that are currently on the rise and the steps travel retailers and their brand partners can take to more effectively engage traveling consumers via digital, mobile and online.
Ford revealed duty free alcohol shoppers exposed to multiple touchpoints spend up to 72% more and 80% of WhatsApp users in Brazil are impacted by brands and companies via the app
According to Ford, consistent messaging across the full ecosystem and via all available channels is necessary to breed consumer confidence.
He also shared details on Pernod Ricard Travel Retail's Royal Salute Kingdom Club branded 3D visual store, which will be rolled out in Latin America shortly, its Martell Robot Bartender x AI Ambassador activation and Jameson: “Arrive Like a Local” campaign.
Valeriano noted 78% of people globally say Augmented Reality is a fun way to interact with brands and 100M+ people use AR filters monthly
Three distinct ways that brands can connect with potential and existing consumers: video, content creators and experiences. Plus, collaborative ads between brands and retailers can create a win-win ecosystem across targeting, optimization and measurement.
ASUTIL Secretary General José Luis Donagaray revealed more than 270 people were in attendance at the show; while the Caribbean is a possibility for next year's conference, the location is still to be determined
The Secretary General also thanked a long list of collaborators who helped to make the show a success. "The most beautiful part [of the conference] is when we see the task has been achieved and the team is tired, but happy," he said.
Dufry Latin America CEO & ASUTIL Vice President Enrique Urioste
Following back-to-back days of successful addresses, presentations, panel discussions, roundtables and more, Dufry Latin America CEO & ASUTIL Vice President Enrique Urioste closed the conference offering an optimistic outlook.
