Tax Free World Association is sharpening its focus on the future of duty free and travel retail, unveiling a suite of new concepts and event formats that promise to reshape how brands, operators and airports connect.

From a reimagined TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference in Singapore in 2026 to innovation-led initiatives at its flagship Cannes show, the association is positioning its platforms as testbeds for new technology, experiential retail and the fast-growing role of food and beverage in the passenger journey.

More News

TFWA Pivots Toward a More Innovation-Led Agenda

TFWA has long billed itself as a business platform “by the trade for the trade,” serving more than 3,000 brands across categories from beauty to spirits. In the wake of rapid structural change in global travel, it is now moving decisively to put innovation, digitalisation and new commercial models at the center of its agenda. The association’s recent announcements reveal a deliberate shift away from purely transactional trade fair formats toward content-rich environments that highlight future growth opportunities for airports, airlines, ferry operators and cruise lines.

This strategic pivot is most clearly visible in the refreshed blueprint for the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference 2026 in Singapore, where a reconfigured show floor and new thematic “worlds” will prioritize cross-category discovery and disruptive ideas. It is also reflected in developments at the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes, which is scaling up its role as a global ideas marketplace with dedicated spaces for technology, new concepts and start-ups alongside the big-name brand showcases.

By embedding new platforms for education, collaboration and experimentation into its events calendar, TFWA is signaling that future growth in travel retail will rely as heavily on creative partnerships and data-driven thinking as on traditional listings and promotional campaigns.

Reimagined TFWA Asia Pacific 2026 Targets New Era of Growth

The clearest expression of TFWA’s future-focused strategy will debut in Singapore next May, as the association rolls out what it describes as a “completely reimagined” TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference 2026. Designed specifically to reflect the rapid evolution of the region’s passenger demographics and spending patterns, the new format aims to inspire, connect and elevate stakeholders across the travel value chain.

The event will feature an entirely redesigned layout built around category-focused halls and distinct thematic zones. Level 1 will concentrate on perfumes, cosmetics and fashion, while a lower level will bring together wines and spirits, confectionery, tobacco and a cluster of new initiatives that aim to widen the traditional definition of travel retail. Each area will be anchored by a large central “icon,” conceived as a natural meeting hub and visual landmark to streamline navigation and encourage serendipitous encounters between brands and buyers.

In a sign of how seriously TFWA is courting innovation-led companies, the redesigned floorplan is engineered to give emerging players prominent visibility alongside established multinationals. High-impact LED screens integrated into central hubs will grant exhibitors new tools to tell their stories, showcase launches and drive traffic at scale. TFWA leaders say the ambition is to create a more intuitive, immersive environment where commercial conversations unfold in tandem with live experiences and curated content.

World of Innovation: Technology and New Concepts Take Center Stage

At the heart of the Singapore overhaul will be the World of Innovation, a forward-looking zone dedicated to technology, new retail concepts and breakthrough products. This space is designed as a magnet for buyers and landlords seeking insight into how the channel might look over the next five to ten years, from frictionless payments and omnichannel platforms to data-enabled personalisation and sustainable design.

The World of Innovation will feature an amphitheater-style arena for talks, workshops and start-up pitches, as well as live demonstrations from solution providers and brands. TFWA expects the area to become a focal point for conversations around automation, artificial intelligence, dynamic merchandising, digital media, and new ways of measuring return on experience in complex, high-traffic travel environments.

For suppliers and operators alike, the zone will provide a rare opportunity to test ideas in front of a highly targeted audience of decision-makers from airports, airlines and cruise companies. Start-ups and emerging technology firms will be encouraged to use the platform for product reveals and pilot announcements, strengthening the bridge between travel retail and the wider retail-tech ecosystem. The initiative is positioned as a cornerstone of TFWA’s ambition to help the industry become more agile, resilient and customer-centric.

Taste of the World: Elevating Food and Beverage in Travel Retail

A second flagship initiative in Singapore will be Taste of the World, a new concept that reflects the fast-rising importance of food and beverage to airport economics and passenger satisfaction. With F&B now accounting for a growing share of non-aeronautical revenues and engaging younger travelers who prize authenticity and experience, TFWA is building a dedicated gastronomy hub into the heart of its 2026 Asia Pacific event.

Conceived as a compact but high-energy space, Taste of the World will bring together curated F&B brands, live cooking and mixology demonstrations, and immersive storytelling platforms that showcase culinary heritage and local provenance. A central experience hub will anchor the area, surrounded by flexible stands and beverage-led concepts that can accommodate tastings, pop-up activations and sponsor-driven content.

Importantly, TFWA will integrate the TFWA Asia Pacific Lounge directly into Taste of the World, ensuring steady footfall and a constant flow of networking opportunities. This convergence of business hospitality, food culture and retail is designed to mirror what is happening in leading airports, where food halls, craft beverages and gourmet concepts are increasingly used to define the sense of place and extend dwell time.

TFWA sees the new hub as a particularly powerful platform for brands targeting Millennials and Gen Z travelers, who are often more responsive to food-led narratives, social-media-friendly experiences and cross-category collaborations that blend gastronomy with fashion, beauty or spirits.

Cannes 2025 and 2026: Scaling Up the Global Ideas Marketplace

While Singapore 2026 will showcase TFWA’s new thinking in Asia Pacific, the association is also accelerating its future-focused agenda in Cannes, where the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference continues to grow in scale and ambition. The 2025 edition, scheduled for September 28 to October 2 at the Palais des Festivals, is being promoted as a space for reflection, reconnection and reinvention of the sector’s future.

The show is expected to host more than 3,000 brands spanning perfumes and cosmetics, fashion, accessories, electronics, wines and spirits, confectionery and tobacco. Many of global travel retail’s most established names, including high-end fashion houses, luggage leaders and major eyewear groups, have already confirmed their presence and in many cases expanded their footprint for the upcoming edition. The Harbour Village, which showcases brands on moored yachts in Cannes, will be fully integrated into the exhibition perimeter for the first time, underscoring TFWA’s intent to provide a cohesive, end-to-end visitor journey.

Beyond scale, TFWA is making structural changes that sharpen Cannes’ role as a barometer for future trends. An expanded Innovation Square and dedicated workshop spaces will give digital, sustainability and new-concept narratives higher prominence. The association’s ONE2ONE meeting service will continue to match brands with airports, retailers and agents for targeted discussions, but will do so within an event ecosystem more explicitly designed to encourage experimentation and long-term partnerships.

Looking further ahead, TFWA has already confirmed that the World Exhibition & Conference will return to Cannes from September 27 to October 1, 2026. Though detailed programming is yet to be unveiled, organizers say the 2026 edition will build on lessons from the 2025 show and from the new Asia Pacific format, suggesting an increasingly integrated global strategy for the association’s event portfolio.

Brand Strategies Evolve in Step With TFWA’s New Platforms

Major suppliers are responding quickly to TFWA’s evolving platforms, using upcoming events to preview not only new products but also broader category visions tailored to a changed travel landscape. In spirits, beauty and confectionery, companies are aligning their plans with themes of sustainability, digital storytelling and sensory immersion that are likely to dominate conversation in Cannes and Singapore alike.

Premium drinks groups are preparing showcases that combine heritage-driven storytelling with interactive experiences and sustainability messaging. At the next Cannes gathering, for example, leading houses plan to underline how they are elevating brand visibility through architectural boutiques, immersive tastings and digital engagement tools that carry narratives from the store into the wider passenger journey. Many intend to use TFWA’s stages and meeting services to explore exclusive editions, personalized gifting and data-informed ranging strategies tailored to specific passenger profiles.

Beauty and personal care brands are likewise treating TFWA as a launchpad for new collections and experiential concepts in travel retail. Perfume and cosmetics houses are emphasizing sensorial spaces, skincare diagnostics and loyalty-building services that can translate from airport pop-ups to cruise ships and border stores. Ethical and purpose-driven positioning is gaining prominence, with brands choosing TFWA to highlight cruelty-free credentials, vegan formulations and traceable supply chains that resonate strongly with global travelers.

Confectionery and snacking players are using the Cannes show to debut new product formats and more sustainable packaging lines, underlining the continued role of gifting and self-treating in the channel. At upcoming editions, several will spotlight recyclable materials, travel-exclusive designs and digital touchpoints such as QR codes that connect packaging with deeper brand stories, sustainability reporting and interactive content.

Strengthening Collaboration Between Stakeholders Across the Channel

Underlying TFWA’s future-focused moves is a determination to foster stronger collaboration across a complex ecosystem that stretches from brand owners and distributors to airports, airlines, cruise lines and landlords. By redesigning its events, the association is aiming to create environments where stakeholders can analyze structural pressures together, from shifts in passenger demographics to regulatory change, and co-develop responses that support long-term value creation.

The emphasis on thematic “worlds,” centralized hubs and curated content zones responds to feedback from both buyers and exhibitors who are seeking more efficient ways to navigate large-scale trade environments. In practice, such redesigns should enable airports and retailers to benchmark categories more easily, compare concepts side by side and identify white-space opportunities that might otherwise be missed in traditional, siloed floorplans.

TFWA is also investing in formats that encourage deeper dialogue beyond standard stand meetings. Conference sessions, innovation workshops and targeted networking initiatives are being structured to look beyond immediate seasonal cycles to medium- and long-term issues such as climate resilience, digital infrastructure, passenger data governance and the changing role of physical space in an omnichannel world.

In doing so, the association is positioning its events as strategic forums for policy discussion and shared problem-solving, not only marketplaces for listing negotiations. This approach reflects a growing recognition that the health of global travel retail is closely tied to the wider aviation and tourism ecosystems, and that coordinated thinking will be critical to navigate emerging challenges.

Outlook: TFWA Bets on Experience, Innovation and Regional Nuance

TFWA’s unveiling of future-focused initiatives across its major events suggests that the association sees experience, innovation and regional nuance as the pillars of travel retail’s next phase of growth. In Asia Pacific, the new Singapore format will seek to answer the needs of markets where digital adoption is high, local brands are gaining prominence, and F&B plays an outsized role in the travel experience. In Europe, Cannes will continue to function as a global barometer, showcasing how international brands and operators are responding to evolving passenger expectations and regulatory environments.

For brands and operators evaluating participation, the changes represent both an opportunity and a challenge. On one hand, the enhanced focus on innovation and content promises richer engagement and more sophisticated tools to tell stories, test ideas and forge partnerships. On the other, success in this emerging landscape will demand more strategic preparation, cross-functional collaboration and readiness to experiment with new formats, from tech-enabled activations to hybrid physical-digital campaigns.

As TFWA refines its plans in the run-up to the 2025 Cannes edition and the 2026 Asia Pacific relaunch, the industry will be watching closely to see how effectively these new platforms translate into tangible commercial gains. What is clear is that the association is intent on aligning its flagship events with a travel retail sector that is more digitally connected, experience-driven and demanding of innovation than ever before. For stakeholders across the value chain, that means future strategy discussions are increasingly likely to begin, or be significantly shaped, on the TFWA show floor.