And we were singing hymns and arias, ‘Land of my Fathers’, ‘Ar Hyd y Nos’. Gosh, my email is eerily quiet this morning, writes Rebecca Mann. It was inordinately busy last week, in the run-up to the final weekend of the Six Nations 2013. My phone was pretty busy with texts too, up to and
Events
Soaking up the atmosphere in Sanya
With China Duty Free Group and Hainan Provincial Duty Free Co Ltd (HNDF) both announcing huge duty free development projects on Hainan Island, industry attention is understandably focused on the extraordinary growth of shopping on the resort island. But Hainan has much else going for it. It’s a beautiful island with over 1,500sq k of
Read More
Miscellaneous
Reflecting on the Asian travel retail juggernaut
I’m writing at 32,000 feet, equidistant between Batou, China and Ulan Bator, Mongolia, onboard Cathay Pacific 287 powering forward at 497 miles per hour to London Heathrow. In the distance I can see my old haunt of Novosibirsk looming an hour or so away. The flight map onboard is my favoured inflight entertainment while I
Read More
Miscellaneous
A portrait of Busan
Despite hanging out with art-school girls during my university years I was never invited to ‘sit’ for a portrait, and there’s been a notable shortage of commissions ever since, writes Peter Dowling. So it was the fulfilment of an unrealised bit of egomania today when I got to pose for all of 30 seconds to
Read More
Miscellaneous
From Asia’s hot spots to the big chill
I’m at Hong Kong International Airport, awaiting the long journey home after a fantastic two-week trip around the hottest of travel retail’s hot-spots. From Ever Rich’s magnificent new downtown duty free store in Taipei, and its grandly ambitious Kinmen Islands project to the energy and drive of Lotte and Shilla in Seoul as they continue
Read More
Miscellaneous
CDFG’s high expectations on Hainan Island
Welcome to The Moodie Report’s temporary Sanya bureau on Hainan Island. Looking out at these early morning views from my room at the St Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort, I’m not so certain that I’ll ever leave. Hainan is often dubbed ‘China’s Hawaii’ but I don’t think it needs any such comparison. It very much
Read More
People
Why it’s time to support a woman who supports so many others
Yesterday in Beijing I had the immense pleasure of catching up with Shell Xue, who heads cleft charity The Smile Train in China. Shell and her small, amazingly dedicated team, have changed the lives of over 270,000 Chinese children in recent years, including 28,447 cases last year. No child on this planet should have to
Read More
Events
The expressions of China’s centuries
Growing up in a small provincial city in New Zealand, I could never have suspected that one day I would spend my working life travelling around the world and experiencing different countries and cultures. Perhaps that’s why I have never lost the sense of wonder that I felt in my early days of overseas travel, nor
Read More
Miscellaneous
“Ride it like you stole it!”
On Saturday, courtesy of Welsh jewellery brand Clogau, I was lucky enough to go to a Test Match and meet the Wales Team Captain. For a proud Welshwoman, this was the stuff of dreams. But for once, I’m not talking rugby; I’m talking Arena Polo. The Moodie Report’s Claire Wates and Rebecca Mann, with Clogau’s
Read More
Miscellaneous
Up close with Korean culture, commerce and commitment
I’m at Incheon International Airport, preparing to fly to Beijing Capital International Airport for the TFWA/APTRA China Century Conference and then on to Hainan to look at China Duty Free Group’s dazzling new Haitang Bay project this weekend. It’s been an enthralling couple of days in Seoul. Yesterday I spent quality time in the company
Read More
Miscellaneous
Vino Volo: A story of passion, pride and people
At The Moodie Report we like to champion those companies and individuals who put passion and heart into the way they run their businesses. Few do so with such commitment as the team at Vino Volo, the fast-growing US wine bar operator and retailer. Even if you’re not a wine enthusiast, you’d find it hard
Read More
Miscellaneous
Returning to the world’s biggest duty free market
I’m back in South Korea, the land of the morning calm, though that description seldom applies to the country’s duty free industry, which always seems to be moving at frenetic pace. The harsh Korean winter is drawing to a close though it’s still a brisk 2 degrees here in Seoul. It’s a beautiful view over
Read More
Miscellaneous
The icing on the cake
What kindness I find in people as I move around the globe. Today is St David’s Day, honouring the patron saint of Wales. It’s also my birthday, though I’m not the patron saint of anyone. But that didn’t stop the Ever Rich Duty Free team here who staff the Huan Yu VIP Terminal so graciously
You must be logged in to post a comment.