While much of the drinks industry has lately been distracted by the trade-related antics of the White House’s most senior resident, attention is now shifting eastward for many travel retailers. This month, buyers will be heading to Singapore for the annual TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference, taking place from 11–15 May, at the always impressive Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on Asian countries last month, including a 104% rate on Chinese exports, adding to the headwinds buffeting the region. They include the slow recovery of Chinese international travel and reduced spending, supply chain issues for cognac houses in mainland China, widespread inflation, and evolving purchase behaviour which is seeing many travellers seek value rather than prestige and status when shopping.
On a brighter note, air travel across the region is now recovering well, with Asia Pacific airlines enjoying a 9.5% year-on-year increase in February, according to the International Air Travel Association (IATA) – the highest rate of any region worldwide. By the end of the year, overall regional demand is predicted to have increased by nearly 8%, with markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia and especially India leading the way.
Given its youthful demographic, rising middle class and increasing fondness for premium-plus spirits, the growing Indian travel retail market continues to generate excitement as evinced by the high turnout for the annual Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association India Conference, which was held in Mumbai last month. High-profile executives from operators such as Delhi Duty Free, Heinemann Asia Pacific and Ospree Duty Free were among the speakers.
India plans to build an astonishing 400 airports by 2047, with Mumbai’s new airport expected to handle 90 million passengers by 2036. Moreover, the country’s swelling middle classes love to travel, with consumer spending on foreign travel rising to $70bn by 2024. These figures are music to the ears of drinks executives who increasingly make Indian airports a key market for major travel retail launches.
Only last month, for instance, Proximo Spirits and its local partner Monika Alcobev launched an updated Bushmills travel retail-exclusive whiskey range into the Indian duty free market in partnership with three key retailers: Ospree Duty Free, Hyderabad Duty Free and Delhi Duty Free. The three-strong Irish malt whiskey range comprises Bushmills 10 Year Old, 15 Year Old and 21 Year Old.
As mentioned, the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference will return to Singapore this month, with some 54 drinks companies signed up to attend at the time of writing. This year’s show introduces a refreshed design concept and enhanced networking agenda. Changes include a unified visual identity across public spaces and a revised Monday start time of 1pm to accommodate more business meetings.
Full programme
As usual, the event will feature a full conference programme on 12 May, with sessions addressing technology, sustainability, and leadership in travel retail. A series of networking events, including the Welcome Cocktail at Gardens by the Bay and the expanded Asia Pacific Lounge, aim to support informal business engagement throughout the week.
Conference speakers will include tech commentator Charles Reed Anderson on digital innovation and retail designer Ibrahim Ibrahim on future-proofing customer experiences. Leadership consultant Jason Lai will close the programme with a session on organisational strategy, while TFWA president Philippe Margueritte and regional stakeholders, will offer market insights in the opening session.
Underlining India’s growing influence on travel retail, Tilaknagar Industries, a major producer of India Made Foreign Liquor and the owner of Mansion House, India’s bestselling brandy, will be one of the exhibition’s most high-profile newcomers in the drinks category. Other new or returning companies include Champagne Taittinger and Beluga Vodka, a super-premium brand now produced in Montenegro and owned by Noblewood Group.
In terms of launches, rum emerges as an unlikely star category at this year’s Singapore show amid the usual avalanche of single malt whisky, high-end French wine and cognac releases. Except for the Philippines and Australia, rum has traditionally been a second-tier spirits category across the region, but a growing interest in cocktails and mixology is altering perceptions.
Distributor Duty Free Global will be exhibiting the recently repackaged dark Jamaican blended rum Myers’s at the show, a premium sipping brand with a strong domestic presence in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Australia. Similarly, Estonian spirits producer Liviko will be shining the spotlight on its recently unveiled Caribba Reserva, an award-winning eight-year-old blended Caribbean rum.
Finally, Beenleigh Artisan Distillers, Australia’s oldest operating distillery, dating to 1884, will be exhibiting Beenleigh 18 Year Old XXO Rum, an expression initially aged in century-old Kauri pine vats and then finished in first-fill ex-bourbon American oak barrels. With a deep, complex flavour profile, production of this high-end Australian rum was limited to only six barrels.
Offering a fresh look, a compelling line-up of speakers at the opening conference and some excitingly fresh new exhibitors, this year’s TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition should provide a strong draw for buyers and visitors as well as prove that it can adapt to fast-changing regional consumer tastes.
