TFWA Cannes visitor numbers hit record high
The Tax Free World Association’s (TFWA) annual duty free conference in Cannes saw a record 7% increase in visitor figures to nearly 8,000.
The 40th edition of the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference took place in France from 29 September to 2 October this year, with 7,999 visitors in attendance.
The 2024 show attracted 7,456 visitors, 25% of which came from Asia. This year’s figures surpassed the 2019 show, which broke the record at the time with a total of 7,531 delegates.
Of the total visitors, 3,032 were retailers and landlords (up from 2,861), and 2,559 were distributors.
The show also drew 2,140 other trade visitors, including non-exhibiting brands, service concessionaires, and marketing agencies.
The number of exhibitors also increased, up 4% on last year to 482 companies. A record 268 journalists and social media influencers attended this year’s show.
In terms of regions, the majority of visitors came from Europe (57%), with 17% hailing from Asia, 11% from the Middle East (excluding Turkey), 10% from the Americas, and 4% from Africa.
The largest number of exhibitors came from France, followed by the UK, Switzerland, Italy, UAE, the US, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Singapore.
By product category, perfumes and cosmetics took the largest share of exhibitors at 34%. It was followed by wine, spirits, beer and alcohol-free drinks at 26%.
Exhibition space was bigger this year, spanning more than 26,500 square meters, compared with 25,000 last year.
Philippe Margueritte, TFWA president, said: “The figures speak for themselves when it comes to evaluating this year’s conference and exhibition.
“We still have progress to make as we continue to elevate the experience and add to the excitement of our events, but last week demonstrated that there is no limit to our ambitions when these are underpinned by creativity and an outstanding team spirit.
“What I will remember the most is the incredibly positive atmosphere that could be felt around the show both during the working day and across an extremely well attended programme of networking events. We have set a new bar – let’s work together to achieve even more.”
Next year’s event will return to Cannes from 27 September to 1 October 2026.
During TFWA’s conference last week, Diageo gathered leading figures from across the travel retail industry to explore how brands can adapt to volatility, shifting traveller demographics and the growing demand for experience-led engagement.
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