Up close and personal in travel retail
He has captained the ship through the most tumultuous, sustained and severe storm in our industry’s history. He has done it with a trademark determination and a remarkable calm. Al Mal Tiempo, Buena Cara – when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Over dinner Lal told me how he would watch the wealthy residents and citizens of Dubai turn up to his workplace in their swanky cars. “I would look at the cars and decide which one I would buy one day,” he said. Not dream about. Decide. And that is precisely what he did.
The expansion will feature 380 trees (and we are talking seriously big trees, many already in place); 26,000 shrubs; a waterfall; and a dazzling array of retail and food & beverage experiences, the likes of which I promise you the airport world has never seen.
There’s lots of innovation and newness and plenty of store and food & beverage openings, of course. But there’s also a refreshing willingness to try different, even risky things.
This is the closest I’ve got to Hainan since before the pandemic. Where’s my parachute when I need it?
“We were comfortable before as an industry, surfing a good wave… now we aim to be the best at what we know and become great at what we might not yet know.”
If you’d offered me 20 years back then I would have, as they say, bitten your hand off. Probably, without sounding too cannabalistic about it, your arm, elbow and shoulder too.
Don’t punish the airlines for circumstances beyond their control. As long as appropriate documentation was provided and properly checked at the departure airport how can the airline be held to account?
I suspect that another beautiful island off a nation’s south coast could so with such an economic stimulus. Offshore duty free in Tasmania anyone?
It almost feels like déjà vu looking at my colleagues’ daily update from Florida with the usual show diet of exhibitor photos, workshop speeches and social gatherings. Almost. Some of the exhibitors are wearing masks, something we would have considered weird at the equivalent show in 2019.
I shall never forget the scene at The Trinity Forum in Shanghai when the 550-strong audience stood as one to honour Khun Vichai, a giant photo of him beamed out while the mournful lament of Bill Fay’s ‘The Healing Day’ played.
Yes, the story veered just a microscopic degree away from being true. Admittedly we are talking a very large microscope. But it was April 1, after all.
Soon afterwards, a gorgeously green World Cucumber Day full and fruity Hendrick’s gin tapestry dazzled readers, who could have been forgiven for not knowing whether to drink or read us.
