TFWA reports record visitor numbers to Cannes

Leading travel retail event the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes has confirmed a record number of visitors to its 2017 edition, with figures up 6%.

A record number of visitors attended the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference last week

In total, 6,812 visitors attended the event, which took place at the Palais des Festivals last week on 1-6 October.

The visitors represented a total of 3,031 companies – up 2% from 2,948 in 2016. The number of agents, however, was down by 4% versus 2016. The total number of visiting operators and landlords was up 6% compared to 2016, at 2,262. They represented 642 companies – a similar number to last year.

The show, a key event for international travel retail professionals, launched its Digital Village this year, which attracted 1,361 visitors.

The exhibition occupied a total of 22,607 square metres, up 0.6% compared to 2016. This year there were 514 exhibiting companies compared to 492 in 2016, an increase of 4.5%, across 490 stands, marking 3.8% growth.

Through TFWA’s One2One meeting service, 302 pre-arranged meetings were scheduled compared to 220 last year, up 38%. The TFWA’s programme of talks and workshops were also well-attended, while its social events were a “resounding success”.

During the week, the TFWA highlighted its visual campaign created to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the duty free industry.

“The support from various airports and operators has been extremely encouraging and we look forward to welcoming more to join this very important campaign,” said TFWA president Erik Juul-Mortensen.

During the conference, Juul-Mortensen revealed Generation Research data showing that in 2016 GTR sales grew 2.4% to US$63.5 billion.