Vivek told me he’s been reading The Moodie Davitt Report every day since he started in the business a decade or so ago, catching up with brand launches, product trends and, yes, my Blog.
Travel
Encountering a great destination shopping offer and a fellow spring chicken at Aelia Duty Free in Auckland
For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see/Saw the Vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be/Saw the heavens fill with commerce, argosies of magic sails/Pilots of the purple twilight dropping down with costly bales
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Travel
Back in New Zealand, Aotearoa, land of the long white cloud
My Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is done and I hear my gate calling like an aviation equivalent of Danny Boy’s pipes. Christchurch here I come
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People
Old friends, new friends and seeing how every picture tells a story
Gary and I have inhabited the same industry for decades (he joined Plaza Bali in Indonesia in 1991), battled at various points an identical health foe, and retained our joy for travel retail over all those years.
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Airports
Why waiting for a plane is a pleasure at Taoyuan International Airport
In my view, no airport in the world better encapsulates the much talked-about, often poorly served concept of sense of place as Taoyuan International.
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Airports
On location: ‘Towards the supreme, fulfilling our dreams’ in Riyadh
My photos capture prime examples of the incredibly rapid transformation in the Kingdom. What will endure longer in my memory, however, from my journey here is the pride, passion and emboldenment of the people of Saudi Arabia and of the vision and vibrancy that underpins a startling societal and business transformation.
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Airports
On location: Discovering a clear North Star in the Kingdom where opportunities flourish
“What’s happening in aviation in Saudi Arabia is magnificent, and something that we all want to be part of and contribute to.”
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Airports
On location: Where clouds meet the land in Aseer Province
I’m in Abha, often described as the cultural heart of Saudi’s Aseer region and I’m almost breathless, not because of the rarefied air in what is known as Abha High City (some 2,000sq m above sea level) but because of its majestic beauty.
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Airports
On location: A tale of transformation at King Abdulaziz International
My lengthy visit to the domestic and international zones underlined time and again not only the ambition underpinning the airport’s transformation but also the huge potential this already flourishing gateway offers.
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Travel
On location: Discovering Saudi Arabia’s cultural wonders and aviation opportunities
“Welcome to Al Balad and Jeddah,” says Abir, our wonderful tour guide. “Once you come here you will never want to leave.” Take a look at my pictures and you will see why.
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Airports
Freeing an unexpected catch in Sri Lanka and celebrating marital joy in Dubai
Bandaranaike International features a dual duty-free retailer model – Sri Lanka Duty Free (Dufry) and Flemingo – and frankly it makes as little sense here as it did at Auckland Airport in my native New Zealand (prior to the return to a single operator structure in June 2023).
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Travel
On the road to Mandalay where the Flying Kiwis play
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere I go.
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Airports
‘Living the F1 life’ with Qatar Duty Free
‘Live the F1 life’ is the memorable marketing tag line that leads Qatar Airways Group’s engagement with the many thousands of visitors to Doha this weekend.