Under the auspices of the TFWA (Tax Free World Association), the CTG (China Tourism Group) delegation, led by General Manager Wang Haimin, attended the prestigious TFWA World Exhibition & Conference held in Cannes, France, from October 1st to 7th, 2023. The delegation also embarked on market research tour across France, Switzerland, and Spain.
During the weeklong event, Mr. Wang and his delegation met with key suppliers and brand leaders, including representatives from LVMH, Cartier, Estée Lauder Companies, L'Oréal S.A., Kering Group, and Hermès. They also visited several LVMH travel retail stores. On behalf of Chairman Chen Yin, Mr. Wang expressed gratitude to the suppliers and brands for their unwavering support for CTG's duty-free business. In the spirit of mutual growth and prosperity, he conveyed CTG's eagerness to reinforce strategic partnerships, especially in the context of Hainan's offshore duty-free shopping, airport duty-free services, online duty-free operations, and data sharing. He called for joint efforts to enhance the shopping experience for consumers and continually meet the evolving demands of Chinese customers.
During the meeting with the Chairman of the TFWA, Erik Juul Mortensen, Mr. Wang underscored CTG's desire to maintain effective communication and a cooperative mechanism with TFWA to promote the healthy and sustainable development of China's duty-free industry.
The delegation's visit to Geneva, Switzerland, included stops at the Chopard watch factory, Japan Tobacco International, and the Richemont Group headquarters. Mr. Wang discussed potential collaborations in membership management, aiming to provide high-quality and tailor-made products and services for tourists. Future collaboration was also on the agenda during meetings with Diego Aponte, President of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), and Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, in which both parties looked forward to promote cooperation in overseas route planning, capacity distribution, passenger sourcing, and cabin resource sharing, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific market, especially China.
In Palma, Spain, the delegation visited the TUI Group's headquarters to talk about empowering CTG's travel services with TUI’s recreational platform products, enhancing the “Travel + Life” quality products for tourists. Additionally, the delegation visited the MSC Cruises' Horizon vessel at the port of Barcelona.
Senior officials from CTG's Operation Management Department, CTG TRAVEL, CTG DUTY-FREE, and CTG CRUISE attended the activities.