Newly-elected Tax Free World Association’s (TFWA) president Sarah Branquinho outlines her progress-with-purpose mandate, focusing on navigating geopolitical volatility and evolving the association's flagship Asia-Pacific event to meet shifting traveller expectations
As the newly-elected president, what do you hope to achieve for the association during your tenure? What are some of your immediate priorities and objectives for the coming months?
It is an honour to serve as president of TFWA. The presidential mandate runs for one year and can be renewed annually.
My focus during this term is on progress with purpose. TFWA has strong foundations, and my aim, and that of the Board and Management Committee, is to ensure the association continues to evolve in ways that genuinely deliver value for members, exhibitors and the wider travel retail community.
A key priority is to ensure TFWA remains the essential global platform for the duty free and travel retail industry, while continuing to strengthen our events and support the industry as it adapts to changing traveller expectations and market conditions.
My approach is very much listening-led, ensuring that our priorities reflect what members and the wider industry need most from TFWA today.
What are your members’ primary concerns right now, and what specific support are they looking for from TFWA?
Our members are operating in a highly dynamic environment. Their key concerns centre around geopolitical uncertainty, fluctuating passenger flows, evolving regulatory frameworks and cost pressures linked to currency volatility and tariffs.
At the same time, there is a clear shift in the traveller profile. Travellers are increasingly digital and are looking for more than just a transaction, they seek discovery, exclusivity, and memorable experiences. This is encouraging the industry to rethink how it engages with passengers.
What I hear most clearly from members is a desire for reassurance and for TFWA to continue providing platforms where the industry can connect, exchange insights and move forward together in a pragmatic way.
Why is it essential for TFWA to continue hosting regular tradeshows? How does the upcoming TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference 2026 reinforce the association’s value?
Face-to-face interaction remains fundamental in our industry. Travel retail is built on relationships, trust and long-term partnerships, and our exhibitions provide a unique global meeting point where decision-makers can come together over a concentrated period to exchange ideas and shape the year ahead.
The TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference 2026, hosted annually in Singapore, is a particularly strong example of this value. Asia-Pacific remains one of the most dynamic and strategically important regions in travel retail, and the event continues to evolve to reflect that energy and innovation.
It is not simply a tradeshow; it is a platform where the industry comes together to identify emerging trends, explore new concepts and help shape the future of travel retail in the region and beyond.
What are some of the key new initiatives at this year’s TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference 2026?
We are introducing a reorganisation of the exhibition floor by category to create a clearer, more intuitive journey for visitors and to facilitate more focused business interactions between brands, retailers, distributors, as well as airport and cruise line partners.
Alongside this, the World of Innovation concept will spotlight emerging brands, disruptive technologies and new retail solutions. It is designed to give visibility to companies that may not yet have a large footprint, but are helping shape the future of our channel.
We are also introducing Taste of the World, an initiative that celebrates the growing importance of experiential retail and gastronomy in travel environments. F&B and localised product storytelling are increasingly powerful drivers of engagement, particularly in Asia-Pacific where culinary culture plays such a central role in travel experiences.
Finally, Launchpads will provide a dedicated platform for emerging and niche perfume and cosmetic brands not yet present in travel retail, with the objective of connecting them directly with key industry decision-makers.
How central is the Asia-Pacific region to the future of the global travel retail industry?
Asia-Pacific will continue to play a central role in the future of global travel retail. Historically, the region has been a key growth engine for the industry and, despite recent volatility, its long-term fundamentals remain strong.
East and south-east Asia alone represent around 31.7 per cent of global international travel demand (according to Mabrian, The Moodie Davitt Report), underlining the scale of the opportunity for travel retail in the region.
Markets across north-east and south-east Asia continue to evolve rapidly, often setting the pace for innovation in retail concepts and passenger engagement.
Could you share some of the association’s long-term plans and upcoming projects?
Looking ahead, our focus is on ensuring TFWA continues to evolve in ways that deliver genuine value for our members and for the wider travel retail community.
A key priority is strengthening TFWA’s role as the global platform where the industry connects, exchanges insights and shapes the future of the channel. Alongside this, the Management Committee has launched a strategic brand positioning initiative to clarify and reinforce TFWA’s role and leadership within the global travel retail ecosystem.
At the same time, we will continue to evolve our events and introduce initiatives that reflect how the industry is changing, creating spaces where innovation, dialogue and new ideas can emerge.
We are also working hard to quantify the value of the industry across the world, an essential tool when talking to policy makers. Sales made through the Duty Free & Travel Retail (DF&TR) channel, not only benefit brands and offer significant employment opportunities, but DF&TR sales are a very significant contributor to non-aeronautical revenues, which can be worth up to 40 per cent of a airport’s income. They underpin investment plans; without this revenue stream, aeronautical charges would be higher and this would have an impact on air fares and in general on connectivity.
What is the association’s greatest challenge at the moment?
Geopolitical tensions and tariff changes are certainly significant challenges, as they can directly affect supply chains, pricing structures and passenger confidence. But more broadly, the industry is operating in a period of heightened uncertainty.
Travel retail is closely linked to global mobility, so adverse political developments, economic shifts, regulatory changes and fluctuations in passenger traffic can all have an immediate impact on our sector.
In that environment, TFWA’s role is to help the industry maintain perspective and continue moving forward in a measured and pragmatic way, providing platforms where stakeholders can share insights, identify opportunities and adapt to a rapidly evolving landscape.
