APTRA TO COLLABORATE WITH HUME BROPHY ON ADVOCACY ISSUES IN ASIA PACIFIC REGION

The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) is to collaborate with international communications agency Hume Brophy on advocacy issues in the Asia Pacific region.

Hume Brophy advises and represents some of the world’s largest global companies operating in highly regulated sectors such as transport, financial services and technology in their engagement with governments, journalists, investors and other stakeholders.

The agency has provided invaluable support to the duty free industry globally through its work for the European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC), APTRA’s European counterpart.

Jaya Singh, President APTRA, commented: “APTRA was founded to nurture and protect the duty free & travel retail industry in the Asia Pacific region. A vital element of that work is to address, on behalf of our members and hand in hand with our sister organisations, major issues which will have a negative impact on the industry, particularly those which involve detailed liaison with regulatory authorities. In this regard, we will be able to draw on the considerable experience of Hume Brophy.

“The members of APTRA have clearly stated that they endorse investment in advocacy to address both immediate and future concerns as part of a long-term strategy and we welcome this collaboration which will help us to hone our arguments and refine our approach.”

The first step in APTRA’s advocacy strategy is to meet senior management from the region’s airports during industry events and convince them – as the experts on the ground – to take on an ambassadorial role, highlighting that duty free is a key revenue source for airports, and supporting APTRA as the industry’s voice in discussions with legislators. The Economic Impact Report for Asia Pacific, which the Duty Free World Council will be compiling in partnership with APTRA, will be a valuable source of facts and figures to back up arguments in dialogues with regulators.

Hume Brophy will help APTRA to educate both the industry and the legislators on the unique nature of the duty free & travel retail market, and the differences between domestic and duty free retail, which is not subject to local laws and regulations. They will also produce policy papers for the industry and assist APTRA with the co-ordination of advocacy working groups within the core product categories.

Hume Brophy will support APTRA from its Asia Pacific hub in Singapore, which offers the full suite of the firm’s services for clients in the region. The agency also has offices in London, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt and Paris and an established network of agency partnerships in New York and across Europe and Asia.

For further information about the work of APTRA please consult www.aptra.asia or contact [email protected].

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About Hume Brophy

Hume Brophy is an international communications agency specialising in public affairs, corporate communications and investor relations with offices in Singapore, London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Dublin and Paris and an established network of agency partnerships in New York and across Europe and Asia. The firm advises and represents some of the world’s largest global companies in highly regulated sectors such as transport, financial services, agri-food and technology in their engagement with governments, journalists, investors and other stakeholders.

About APTRA

APTRA is the trade association for the duty free and travel retail industry in the Asia Pacific region, serving all members and the industry to help grow the business and protect it when challenges arise.

• Through technology-led initiatives, seminars and conferences, APTRA serves to facilitate contact between members;
• Through bespoke training initiatives, APTRA is building the industry’s brand as a highly professional, caring and responsible retail channel;
• Through intensive consumer and market research, APTRA provides a solid knowledge bank, bringing valuable, actionable data relevant to all sectors;
• Through regular communication, APTRA seeks to spread awareness and knowledge about the industry and the importance of travel retail for governments, airports, airlines and related businesses;
• Through regional monitoring, and in collaboration with member companies and trade associations in other parts of the world, APTRA is constantly on the alert for new challenges where its advocacy on behalf of the industry is needed with national governments and policymakers in order to safeguard and grow the business of all concerned.

The geographical area covered by APTRA includes countries in Eastern Asia, South Eastern Asia, South Central Asia and Oceania.

www.aptra.asia