The 2010s nearly gone. How did that happen? It seems just the other day that I was walking along the banks of the Thames in the darkness of a chilly London night as we ushered in the new millennium.
People
Tallink touches new heights while Comptoir Libanais provides a feast of the senses
Tallink is generating enormous sales of Krug and Dom Perignon Champagne, for example, and luxury skincare brands such as Dior and La Mer. Just ensuring supply keeps up with demand is a constant challenge.
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Events
Discovering Penghu, the Pearl of the Taiwan Strait
I’ve tracked the Ever Rich Duty Free store for many years – in 2015 I wrote the company’s 18-year history – and I never fail to be impressed by the group’s commitment to quality, to culture, to sense of place and to society.
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Events
Official secrets and unofficial homework grades
I’ll skip the slight and take some comfort, and my moral compass, instead from two young women whom I met over recent days, one in person and one on the screen.
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Events
A tribute to Thabet as Qatar stands for quality at terrific Trinity
I wondered at one stage if Thabet had several body doubles such was his ability to be constantly on hand.
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Events
All (very) black in Tokyo, all smiles in Doha
The pressure now really kicks in and I must admit to even greater nerves than on the eve of the All Blacks match – and I was a shivering wreck then.
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Events
White trumps black as England soar in Yokohama
Chaps, like thousands of fellow Englishmen in Tokyo and back at home in the UK, was near delirious with happiness. And who can blame him?
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Airports
Plenty of dazzle in Daxing; lots of fun (北京坊) in Beijing
The risk in describing Daxing is that you might run out of superlatives. It is an extraordinary testament to architectural genius; and a statement that airports can be beautiful as well as functional, soul-enriching as well as commercial and efficient.
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Events
Travel retail off piste: Moodie and Davitt shareholders at war over sporting showdown
A high-stakes wager, allegedly struck after several pints of Guinness and two bottles of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, apparently involves full naming rights for the company. Even Donald Trump has got involved in the row.
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Events
Whiskey tears will flow but what colour will they be?
But should the Japanese triumph, and thus avoid the All Blacks in the quarter-finals, I say this to Bernard and Conor – bring the Irish on. You will need a new line extension. And I have just the name.
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Events
A chapter closes in Cannes but a new plot begins in Auckland
This must rank as my favourite moment of any Cannes show over the past 31 years, the most thoughtful and touching of gestures and one that made me redouble my vows to do more to help preserve our planet.
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Events
Sleepless on the French Riviera as a Cannes-do spirit kicks in
Dermot Davitt and I are holed up in some style at an apartment overlooking the Croisette. We’re right next to Louis Vuitton, apparently the French luxury brand having insisted on the adjacency. Or was it the other way around…?
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Events
A man for all seasons – but just three colours
I recall my dear friend and ex-colleague Mandy Sime (now happily married and living in Spain with two gorgeous children) telling me it took her longer to pack than she spent at the trade show.