Airports I 25
S
Above and right: An illustration of the huge indoor waterfall planned for Singapore’s Jewel Changi Airport, scheduled to open in 2019; and Changi’s butterfly garden in Terminal 3
businesstraveller.com
trolling through the departures terminal at Hong Kong International Airport is a shopaholic’s dream. Gleaming storefronts house luxury
designer goods, the latest tech trends, premium luggage and unusual souvenirs. DFS Duty Free tantalises travellers with high-end cosmetics, perfumes, wines and spirits, and there’s a wide range of dining outlets ready to replenish you after a shopping frenzy. Add in a diverse number of leisure options, and you could almost forget why you’re there in the first place. It’s a phenomenon that’s being replicated at international hubs worldwide. The relationship between airports and
retail is a natural fit; after all, brands have a captive audience of affluent customers with idle time on their hands. Sparks first flew in 1947, when businessman Brendan O’Regan introduced the revolutionary idea of duty-free shopping to Ireland’s Shannon Airport and the concept spread like wildfire.
“What started as a relatively small- scale activity, meeting the immediate needs of travellers, has emerged as both an important aspect of passengers’ travel experience and a major financial contributor to the aviation sectors,” says Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free. “Without duty free and travel retail revenue, airports would not be able
to provide the facilities and services they do.” A recent study by Credence Research found that the airport retail market was set to grow to US$48 billion globally by 2021 – and what retailer could say no to a slice of that pie? “Once passengers step through the security scanner a ‘golden hour’ begins. Most are relatively prosperous; all are briefly at loose ends,” says Saba Tahir, vice president of purchasing at Dubai Duty Free. Meanwhile, Italian sunglasses manufacturer Luxottica calls airport sales “the Formula 1 of retail”. Emerging in tandem is a trend to
introduce more leisure facilities at airports – happy passengers make for happy sales reports. Common themes include a focus on F&B options, lounge facilities, relaxation areas and technology, while more innovative solutions have led to things like Airbrau, an on-site brewery and beer garden in Munich, and a museum of classical paintings in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Keen to see what Asia’s much-lauded airports are doing in this arena, Business Traveller Asia-Pacific looks at the latest offerings around the region.
SINGAPORE CHANGI AIRPORT Changi Airport needs little introduction, consistently rated as the best airport in Asia-Pacific by our readers (see our awards report on page 44). With more than 350
NOVEMBER 2016
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
