TFWA ASIA PACIFIC PREVIEW: JOHN RIMMER
“It is always sensible to have a brand and retail policy that caters for a diverse customer base and isn’t too focused on any one nationality.”
John Rimmer, TFWA
retailers to deliver higher spend per passenger and that is the challenge we have with the various industry stakeholders.”
China’s steady rise Overall, the picture in Asia Pacific is extremely positive. “All the ingredients are there for
Reflecting on the aforementioned airport infrastructural developments in Asia, Rimmer concurs that “there are some great things happening”. He adds: “There are new developments coming up all over the place. We need to ensure as an industry that the traffic growth we are seeing is mirrored by sales growth. We don’t think this is the case everywhere. There is pressure on brands and
lasting growth and nowhere more so than in Asia Pacific,” says Rimmer. “The industry is aware we have
a challenge on our hands to really exploit the potential that is there.” Clearly, any industry organisation or stakeholder not effectively marketing to the Chinese consumer is missing a trick. However, it is important not to lose sight of the potential of other Asian nationalities.
“It is always sensible to have a
brand and retail policy that caters for a diverse customer base and isn’t too focused on any one nationality,” observes Rimmer. That said, the huge rise in
Chinese outbound traffic continues to generate excitement for the DF&TR industry. According to China National Tourism Administration data, inbound tours reached 69.5m in the first half of 2017, up 2.4% on H1 2016. The statistics also indicate that 62m outbound trips were made in the first half of 2017, an increase of +5% compared with the same period in 2016. Chinese outbound tourism is tipped to continue rising in 2018, with the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute predicting 86 million arrivals in destinations outside China, equating to a 10% increase on 2017. Rimmer explains: “The Chinese
are extremely sophisticated and curious travellers. It is interesting to see how their destination choices are evolving. They are really going to all different kinds of places at the moment and there is a huge growth in Free Independent Travellers in China. We need to ensure we are catering to these travellers which is an opportunity and challenge for our industry.” One thing is certain. The industry
Rimmer on stage with (from left to right) Furla’s Global Travel Retail Director Gerry Munday, Rémy Cointreau Regional Director GTR Asia Pacific Ryan Hill, and fellow moderator Trevor Lai.
“So far so good,” says TFWA’s Rimmer
TFWA Managing Director John Rimmer tells TRBusiness that his first six months as MD flew by.
As preparations continue for the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition and Conference, Rimmer is pleased with how things are progressing. “In any business, there are a lot of
deadlines and events which go by in a flash. It has been good fun and challenging.” An intense position requiring
conversations with many different people “is part of the fun and charm of it,” he explains. “It is a very varied role with many different facets, so there is never a dull moment which is a good thing.”
38 TRBUSINESS While it might take time to stamp
his mark, Rimmer says TFWA is in a “pretty good place” in terms of its events portfolio. Referring to the Cannes annual showpiece in particular, he says: “Cannes is a fantastic event and its growth and quality is real testament to the work of my predecessor Alain Maingreaud and the board and team here in Paris.” Rimmer’s new position has not been
without its challenges. As mentioned, these include the
postponement of the MEADFA Conference in Beirut last year due to political uncertainty in Lebanon. “We obviously had the postponement
[of that event] which was always going to be a challenging thing to manage. “I would like to pay tribute to our
Image source: TFWA -Nathalie Oundjian. APRIL 2018
partners at MEADFA who were a pleasure to deal with despite the difficult circumstances. Thankfully, we managed to hold a very successful event in Dubai despite the short notice. “Everyone involved with the event, in
particular our partner and host Dubai Duty Free, did a fantastic job.”
cannot ignore the Chinese or any other emerging Asian nationalities. «
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