LACOSTE AND AUSTRALIAN DUTY FREE ASSOCIATION
JOIN THE BOARD OF APTRA

SINGAPORE, 16 June 2021. The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new board members who have been elected today during the association’s AGM, held via webinar with an audience of members representing brands and retailers from across the region.  Sunil Tuli was re-elected as President of APTRA.

The newly elected board members are:

Lacoste – represented by Erin Lillis 

Australian Duty Free Association – represented by Richard Goodman 

“It’s a great honor to be re-elected as President of APTRA and I am delighted to welcome Lacoste represented by Erin Lillis and the Australian Duty Free Association represented by Richard Goodman to the APTRA board.  Their experience and perspective will be of great value as APTRA helps our members through the current crisis and to explore and shape the future opportunities in travel retail.” 

“Although the industry has been shattered by the impact of the pandemic, the entire APTRA board believes 100% in the future of travel retail and, once conditions permit, this industry will rebound with Asia Pacific leading the charge.  This is a young, dynamic, ambitious region that is also highly resilient.  We have dozens of countries with young, aspirational populations and that is the core driver that will take us from recovery ultimately back to growth, once sustained travel can re-start.” – Sunil Tuli

The full APTRA board comprises: 

During the AGM, Sunil Tuli, Christina Oliver, Executive Director of APTRA, and other board members took attendees through APTRA’s activities in 2020 and financial reporting.  

2020 was a year in which APTRA’s focus on advocacy was amplified – delivering 7 campaigns and several country specific campaigns directly focused on seeking economic support/recovery measures resulting from the pandemic.  The work continues in 2021 with APTRA’s principal objective being to ensure that travel retail is able to trade as normal when borders open and that it is not weighed down with paralyzing new protocols

Additionally in 2020, advocacy support continued across categories notably tobacco and alcohol.  In September 2020, APTRA formed a new APAC alcohol working group with eight key brand members, to provide a platform for information sharing as part of an advocacy strategy for the category, supporting travel retail as a whole.  Tobacco advocacy continues in 2021 in preparation for MOP2 in The Hague, November 2021.

Communicating to members through 2020 was another key focus of the association, including:

• The launch of The APTRA Advocacy Report, a high-quality detailed report for members that summarises key issues around regulations and the potential impact on duty free categories.  

• The Covid Regional Update Report providing members with a regular update on travel, border controls, openings, and political developments affecting the industry.

Without the ability to meet in person, The APTRA Exchange was held in October as an online opportunity for brands, retailers, and airports to discuss and debate ‘The Trinity Through a Crisis’. The success of this has forged the way for the launch of the APAC Dialogue in 2021, a joint initiative between APTRA and The Moodie-Davitt Report, hosting a series of webinars studying topical issues and emerging opportunities as the industry adapts and shapes the new era of travel retail.