Sport is no longer just entertainment—it is a powerful catalyst for tourism, investment and economic growth. From the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games to Formula 1 and global running events, major sporting spectacles are reshaping travel patterns, elevating destinations and creating new opportunities for businesses across the visitor economy.
As the Middle East and Africa continue to attract some of the world’s biggest sporting events, the convergence of sport, tourism and retail is creating significant new opportunities for the travel retail industry. In this closing session, Tony Simpson, Partner and Sports Industry Lead, and Faycal Baddou, Partner, Retail and Consumer Goods, at Oliver Wyman, will examine how airports, retailers and brands can harness the momentum of major sporting events to drive customer engagement, enhance the passenger experience and deliver sustainable commercial growth.
Drawing on Qatar Duty Free’s insights and experience, Thabet Musleh, Chief Retail & Hospitality Officer at Qatar Airways Group, explores how MENA travel retail can build resilience and unlock growth in an increasingly uncertain operating environment.
From the emergence of regional hubs and tourism hot spots to the impact of recent disruption, Musleh examines how deeper passenger understanding, leaning into local, and curated airport experiences can drive conversion and spending.
The session offers a practical perspective on sustaining investment, responding to changing traveller expectations, and shaping the region’s next chapter of growth.
Africa’s travel and tourism sector is entering an exciting new chapter. Investments in infrastructure, expanding air connectivity and a growing appetite for intra-African travel are reshaping the continent’s visitor economy, while evolving consumer markets are creating fresh opportunities for the travel retail industry.
The session will feature Sountou Bousso, CEO, Lagardère Travel Retail Africa; Isaias Diaz, General Manager Africa, Avolta; Naledi Khabo, President, Africa Tourism Association; and Ali Tounsi, Director General, ACI Africa, who will explore the trends driving growth across the continent, the innovations transforming the traveler experience, and the partnerships that will shape the next phase of development. Where are the greatest opportunities emerging, and what will define success for Africa’s travel ecosystem in the years ahead?
For decades, airports enjoyed a unique advantage: access to a captive audience. Today, that advantage is being challenged. Shopping malls, lifestyle destinations and digital-first brands are reinventing the consumer experience through entertainment, personalisation and social engagement.
Are they setting a new benchmark for retail? And if so, what lessons should travel retail be learning? This session explores how consumer expectations are changing—and whether travel retail is evolving fast enough to keep pace.
Sustainability is no longer a differentiator. It is becoming an expectation. Travellers, regulators and investors increasingly expect measurable action rather than ambitious promises. But what does meaningful progress actually look like in travel retail?
Dr Munif Mohammed, Head of the MEADFA Sustainability Committee and CEO, Lagardère Travel Retail Middle East, will provide an update on the progress of the MEADFA Sustainability Charter and share how Lagardère Travel Retail Middle East is advancing its own sustainability agenda. Joining him, Saskia Möller, Director Legal, Compliance & Sustainability, Gebr. Heinemann, will offer insights into Gebr. Heinemann’s sustainability journey, highlighting the practical steps, challenges and lessons learned along the way. Bringing a brand perspective to the discussion, Andrea Testaverde, Head of Marketing – Global Travel Retail, EssilorLuxottica, will explore the role of brands in driving sustainability forward and the opportunities for collaboration across the travel retail ecosystem.
Everyone is talking about AI. Few truly understand what it means for their business.
In this closing keynote, Professor Hajar Mousannif, a leading expert in artificial intelligence and machine learning, separates reality from hype and explores how organisations are using AI to improve decision-making, efficiency and customer engagement. As AI increasingly influences how people search, shop and travel, what opportunities—and challenges—could lie ahead for travel retail?
