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INTERNATIONAL. Welcome to the digital version of The Moodie Davitt Report Print Edition for April 2016.
This issue, which enjoys bonus distribution at the IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas in Orlando this week, marks the beginning of a new, exciting period for our company, as we reveal our new branding across web, e-Zine, Newsletter and print titles.
Our evolution comes at a time of great change in key travel retail regions, among them the Americas, one of the focus markets of this Print Edition.
Latin America in particular experienced turbulent economic times in 2015 and tourism markets there face similar challenges in 2016. Weak exchange rates to the US Dollar among major currencies continue to be a debilitating factor for outbound tourism flows, with the powerhouse market of Brazil especially hard hit. The struggling value of the Lira has been compounded by political paralysis, rising unemployment and most recently, the threat of the Zika virus – all adding to the ‘perfect storm’ of negatives weighing on consumer confidence.
As Peter Dowling’s in-depth report in this edition underlines, in duty free terms this is not only a challenge for Brazil, but for neighbouring states reliant on Brazilian spend. We also report on the latest duty free developments in Argentina, as well as further north in Mexico.
Our other major market report comes from South Korea, which has been through its own turbulent period in recent months, highlighted by the MERS crisis of mid-2015 and the licensing drama concerning downtown duty free late last year.
We gauge the temperature today through the eyes of leading players such as Lotte Duty Free, The Shilla Duty Free and Shinsegae Duty Free, in part one of a special on location report which we’ll continue in our May issue.
We also bring you coverage from Mumbai Duty Free’s opening of its Luxe Boutique – a first for Indian travel retail – in partnership with Pernod Ricard; images from one of the major terminal openings of the year – Concourse D at Dubai International – and full results and comment on The Moodies, the annual airport social and digital media awards.
We hope you enjoy this first digital expression of The Moodie Davitt Report Print Edition.
