Tax Free World Association (TFWA) Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference 2025

Event Overview

The Tax Free World Association (TFWA) Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference is the leading event in the world of duty-free and travel retail industry. As the Asia-Pacific edition of the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference, a premier global industry annual trade show in Cannes, France, it has a proud legacy of being held in Singapore for 26 editions.

A gathering of the biggest travel retail brands

Organised by the TFWA, the world’s biggest duty-free travel retail association, the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition and Conference 2025 (TFWA APE&C 2025) was one of the association’s biggest yearly events.

Held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre from 11–15 May, 2025, it served as a crucial platform for brands and retailers from Asia and beyond to showcase their products and discuss business opportunities in the region's duty-free and travel retail market.

This year’s event attracted more than 3,000 trade attendees, including senior and C-suite delegates from major airports, leading airport retailers and premium luxury brands.

The APE&C ran from 12–15 May under the theme of “Travel Retail Next Generation”, aimed at charting a course towards a more innovative, inclusive and purposeful future for travel retail. It delved into how businesses can pivot to meet expectations of today’s discerning travelling consumers, from harnessing cutting-edge technologies to adopting sustainable practices.

The event began at the Grand Ballroom of the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, with state of the industry welcome addresses delivered by newly-elected TFWA President Philippe Margueritte, Singapore’s Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan, and Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association President Sunil Tuli.

The conference featured thought leaders, industry pioneers, and visionaries, with keynote speakers including tech innovator and Techburst Talks host Charles Reed Anderson, Portland Design Managing Director Ibrahim Ibrahim and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory’s Principal Conductor Jason Lai.

He emphasised in his presentation that airports operate in a fast-changing consumer landscape and “cannot afford to stay with the status quo”, urging the industry to embrace technology and reimagine experiences to meet the expectations of a new generation of travellers.

The programme included two workshops that examined Asia’s two vital markets, China and India, offering insights on the drivers of change in consumption trends, industry challenges and opportunities.

The TFWA i.lab Asia provided a dedicated space to present state-of-the-art technologies and solutions relevant to the travel retail industry. In the evenings, networking receptions held at the TFWA Asia Pacific Lounge helped facilitate connections for event attendees, as well as build and foster business engagements.

“TFWA Singapore is a massive opportunity for us to meet our existing partners and new partners in this really vibrant environment here. You've got everyone under the same roof. Everyone here with the same great mission for travel retail in the Asia Pacific region,” said Erin Lillis, Travel Retail and Corporate Director of Lacoste, an exhibitor at the event.

She praised Singapore as an ideal destination for business events. With the smooth airport experience and the convenience of having amenities nearby – from the conference centre to restaurants – the city “facilitates a fantastic business agreement,” she said.

Freda Cheung, President and Asia Pacific CEO of Avolta, highlighted Singapore’s strategic location, noting that “many business partners’ headquarters are here”, which made hosting an event of this scale highly accessible. She added that meeting face to face makes it much easier to explore opportunities together, and expressed confidence in the event’s future.

“We've enjoyed this event and for sure we'll continue to do so in the many years to come,” Cheung said.