Diageo Global Travel said it has identified an untapped opportunity to drive adult footfall in alcohol duty free.

Diageo Global Travel is returning to The Majestic Beach Village for the 2025 TFWA World Exhibition and Conference to showcase its latest thinking on how to grow the duty free spirits category through the newest in travel retail innovation, merchandising and ranging. 

During this year’s TFWA, Diageo Global Travel will demonstrate innovative ways to tap into current consumer trends in Travel Retail including convenience, premiumisation, cocktail culture and exploration.

This year’s exhibition titled ‘The Departure Lounge’ aims to bring these trends to life for retailers across travel retail.

The Departure Lounge will transport guests on a journey from check-in to boarding, demonstrating how best to engage and excite consumers about the spirits category when making purchasing decisions while travelling.

The exhibit includes four state-of-the-art category activations: The Launchpad; The Gifting Lab; The Mixology Carousel; and The Explore Lounge.

Through flexible space and digital features, seasonal themes, immersive storytelling and the power of Brand Ambassadors, The Launchpad shows how eye-catching displays and immersive experiences at the point of entry can capture the attention of passengers.

At its centrepiece, the Gifting Lab will feature a bottle personalisation experience powered by Generative AI. The experience is powered by ‘Project Halo’, a Diageo Breakthrough Innovation that allows brands and consumers to co-create personalised label designs/product artwork. It offers an exciting opportunity for personalised, premium gifting within Travel Retail.

Blending duty free with F&B destinations during departure, The Mixology Carousel blends a bar experience with a retail space, giving travellers the opportunity to engage with brands through expertly crafted drinks and mixology This experiential bar invites travellers to discover bespoke serves matched to their flavour profile via the What’s Your Cocktail? quiz, while engaging with expert mixologists in a dynamic retail-bar hybrid space.

The Explore Lounge will feature a Johnnie Walker and Single Malts specific lounge, showcasing a multi-sensory whisky journey designed to inspire discovery and deepen consumer connection with the brand and Scotch category.

Each space is designed to cater for a range of different shopper occasions and needs, as well as showcasing Diageo’s latest innovations.

Diageo’s exhibit will feature bespoke tastings, immersive experiences using Apple Vision Pro, and personalised gifting using generative AI technology to showcase ways brands and Travel Retail spaces can disrupt and capture the consumer’s attention.

The Departure Lounge is based on ‘The Future of Travel Retail’, the latest iteration of Diageo Global Travel’s category strategy, launched in Cannes at last year’s TFWA Cannes.

It sets out to explore and imagine a transformed retail environment for spirits – one designed to drive total category growth through footfall, conversion, and spend per visit, while enhancing the overall shopper experience in duty free.

Commenting on this year’s TFWA, Andrew Cowan, Managing Director, Diageo Global Travel: said: “We have always said we hold a steadfast commitment to shaping the future of travel retail and ensuring alcohol has a vibrant place within it.

How, where, and why consumers shop in Travel Retail is rapidly changing, and spirits brands must keep pace with these shifts and meet consumers’ demands if the category is to grow. The Departure Lounge aims to do just this. It brings to life ways to meet and exceed consumer expectations, by partnering with our customers to create a retail environment where travellers can explore, trial and get excited about spirits.”

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