Latest posts by Martin Moodie (see all)
- From Hong Kong to South Canterbury – A Global Gift of Support - April 29, 2025
- Mama don’t take my Toblerone (Dark) away - April 22, 2025
- Trail hiking and talking travel retail at the Hainan Expo - April 20, 2025
Meet Marie. She works in the food court at the Marriott Orlando World Center Resort where this week’s Duty Free Show of the Americas is taking place.
She’s also from the town of Saint Marc, home to the Lycée Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the school funded and operated by the travel retail industry (through Hand in Hand for Haiti).
Marie spotted my Hand in Hand for Haiti polo shirt that I was wearing at the weekend and told me where she came from. I told her about the school and today showed her a video that Hand in Hand for Haiti produced after the school opened last October.
“God bless you,” she said, “thank you for what you are doing for my country.”
“Don’t thank me,” I replied, “thank the duty free industry”.
So if any delegate this week encounters a delightful counter assistant with a smile as wide as Haiti itself, that’s Marie. Tell her how pleased our industry has been to help her country.
Martin,
Your sincere love for people and the aviation industry through travel retail is why you are so successful. With all the technological advances and a world that changes at an exponential pace, we often forget that love and passion for improving our world are the true drivers of innovation. I commend you for staying true to yourself and your beliefs throughout your amazing and continued accomplishments.
Best,
Heather