Record-breaking attendance at TFWA

As the 21st TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference drew to a close, TFWA president Erik Juul-Mortensen said that the success of the event underscored both the importance of Asia Pacific as a key focus for development, and the long-term opportunities presented by duty free and travel retail as a sector.

This year saw a string of records broken. 2,905 visitors attended the event, up 12 percent from 2,591 last year. This figure included representatives from 1,186 companies, up by 14 percent from 1,044. Of the total, 1,081 were key buyers (an increase of 10 percent from 986 in 2015), from 273 companies, a 5 percent increase from 259 in 2015. 1,293 of those attending were agents, up from 1,142 by 13 percent. These were from 578 companies, an increase of 18 percent from the 2015 figure of 491.

“This has been a busy week and the atmosphere on the exhibition floor has been exceptional,” said Juul-Mortensen.

“In spite of the challenges we are all facing, there has been a real spirit of optimism here this week. This definitely bodes well for our industry both in Asia Pacific and across the world.”