TRBusiness Editorial Director Faye Bartle met with Beste Ermaner, VP for PMI GTR at the 2025 TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.

PMI Global Travel Retail has its sights set on transforming traditional transactional shopping into elevated experiences that stay with legal age nicotine users long after they leave the airport. VP Beste Ermaner tells us how the vision is being brought to life… 

Ask Beste Ermaner, VP for PMI Global Travel Retail (GTR) how 2025 has treated the company to date and her enthusiastic response details a “very important” and “highly successful” year for the business.

“We’ve built a unique and premium platform, delivering executional excellence across all global travel retail markets,” she affirmed to TRBusiness when we sat down for a one-on-one interview during the 2025 TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.

“One of our biggest successes this year has been the expansion of our smoke-free-products multi-category portfolio worldwide – IQOS, the heated tobacco brand;  ZYN nicotine pouches; and Veev, our premium e-vapor proposition.”

“We’re fully committed to taking our multi-category retail executions to the next level, not just by expanding geographically, but by creating best-in-class retail experiences that truly resonate with today’s legal age nicotine users,” said Ermaner. “We have also significantly enhanced our retail presence across European airports, deploying a wide range of experiential retail solutions – including pop-ups, exclusive spaces, new multi-category backwalls, and gondolas across many of the continent’s major airports, particularly in Geneva, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and others.

“We’ve also made strong progress with the expansion of our key products, such as ZYN,” she continued. “The launch of ZYN in important GTR markets like Japan and India marks a major milestone. In the US, our commercial operations have grown rapidly, and by the end of the year, ZYN will be available in a wide range of travel retail locations, including airports, border shops, and cruises.”

Launched in August 2025, Veev One, a closed-pod vaping system, and Veev Now Ultra, a premium disposable e-vapor device, are among the latest additions to PMI GTR’s portfolio of smoke-free products.

The company is advancing at an impressive rate. From Ermaner’s perspective, the biggest challenge to achieving more is simply not having enough time in the day.

“Sometimes it really feels like I need to be in five places at once,” she joked. “Between new launches, activations and market visits, it’s a constant balancing act. But honestly, it’s a good problem to have. It’s a reflection of how much is happening, how fast we’re moving, and how committed we are to driving transformation in this space.”

Multi-category strategy

There’s little doubt that global travel retail plays a significant role on the company’s overall business.

Beste Ermaner, VP for PMI GTR is embracing the “balancing act” of a busy wave of new launches, activations and market visits.

“First, I’d like to highlight that global travel retail plays a very strategic role for PMI,” said Ermaner. “While I can’t share specific sensitive numbers, it’s important to know that we’re not just a commercial engine – we’re a key driver of the company’s transformation and a major contributor to PMI’s overall business performance.

“Our global ambition is to become substantially smoke-free by 2030, with our smoke-free business generating over two-thirds of total global net revenues. Today, 41% of PMI’s global net revenues come from our smoke-free products.

“At the market level, we position ourselves as the ‘extended arm’ of domestic operations, strengthening product presence, generating awareness of the smoke-free products and driving growth. By connecting local insights with global strategy, we help engage adult consumers and provide right information and experience at scale.”

The company’s multi-category strategy for travel retail sits at the core of PMI’s smoke-free transformation.

“But for us, it’s not just about offering better alternatives,” said Ermaner. “It’s about being truly consumer-centric, understanding and meeting the evolving preferences of legal-age nicotine users who are looking for better alternatives versus cigarettes. No one product will address all adult smokers’ individual preferences. A range of alternatives is essential. We are committed to catering different needs of adult consumers.”

PMI GTR and Lagardère Travel Retail launched a new multi-category solution at Geneva Airport’s Aelia Duty Free in September 2025.

GTR is very much seen as a unique platform and a powerful global touchpoint through which to showcase the full range of smoke-free products.

“Each proposition is designed with different needs in mind, and that diversity is what makes our portfolio so relevant and so strong,” said Ermaner. “We’re committed to executional excellence across all GTR markets, ensuring our iconic brands are not only visible, but they truly resonate with legal-age nicotine users to encourage switching to smoke-free products.”

Clarity over confusion

With the health effects of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and other nicotine products under scrutiny, it’s important that PMI GTR continues to address the issue – including any confusion around nicotine and its health impacts.

“First, I’m really glad you brought this up,” said Ermaner. “We are building PMI’s future on smoke-free products that – while not risk-free – are a far better choice than cigarette smoking. Our vision is that these products will one day replace cigarettes. PMI believes that with the right regulatory framework and the support of business partners and other stakeholders, cigarette sales could end in the near future.. This means not only transforming the company to deliver on its purpose, but also inspiring the wider industry to follow its lead.

“In that context, it’s very important to clarify the confusion around nicotine. While most people know that cigarette smoking is harmful, not everyone understands why. Many are still confused about what nicotine actually is, what combustion means, and the value of smoke-free alternatives.

“Historically, nicotine was mainly consumed by lighting a cigarette and inhaling the smoke. Because of this, many people have wrongly linked all the dangers of smoking to nicotine itself. In fact, in many countries, more than half the population still believes nicotine is what causes smoking-related diseases. That’s simply not true. Nicotine is addictive and not harmless, but it’s not the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. The real issue is combustion – the burning of tobacco. When you burn a cigarette, you release thousands of chemicals, hundreds of which are known to be harmful. This doesn’t happen with products like IQOS, ZYN, or Veev, which don’t burn. That’s why these products, while still addictive and not risk-free, are a much better alternative to cigarettes.”

PMI GTR’s Forever Curious IQOS campaign at Dubai International Airport was unveiled in July 2025.

All that said, within the travel retail context, providing clarity on nicotine is essential.

“We operate in a channel with global touchpoints – places where millions of legal-age nicotine users encounter nicotine products and make choices,” explained Ermaner. “Each year, we reach over 360 million adult smokers across globe. This scale allows us, together with our business partners and retailers, to support informed consumer decision-making.

“It’s essential that legal-age nicotine users, retailers, and business partners understand the difference between nicotine and combustion – and the potential of smoke-free alternatives for those who don’t wish to quit nicotine altogether. Education is key. Retail staff are often the first point of contact for adult travellers, and their ability to explain nicotine vs. combustion – and the value of alternatives – can make a real difference.” 

Online to offline

The company’s smokefreetravel.com website launched in July this year, is designed to give legal adult consumers clear information on where PMI’s smoke-free products are available across key airports and domestic markets. The early feedback is “encouraging”, according to Ermaner, and plays into the ambition to digitalise the traveller journey.

Looking at technological advances, PMI is vocal about its approach to incorporating AI into its operations and consumer engagement strategies. It is, however, just one part of a broader evolution.

“We can now confidently say that Philip Morris International is an innovative technology company,” asserted Ermaner. “We’ve come a long way – from being a traditional consumables manufacturer to becoming a technologically advanced organisation. Today, our investments go far beyond smoke-free devices and battery technology. We’re also leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance both our operations and the consumers experience.

“Since 2008, we’ve invested US$14 billion in science to develop, scientifically substantiate, and commercialise smoke-free products. This innovation journey is ongoing – much like the evolution of smartphones or automobiles – it never truly ends.”

When it comes to AI specifically, PMI sees it not just as a technological tool, but as a strategic imperative.

“Success in this space demands that we be more agile, more connected, and more consumer-centric than ever – especially given the rapidly shifting consumer behaviours and travel patterns in the travel retail environment,” said Ermaner. “That’s why we’re integrating AI into the core of our operations. It’s helping us make more informed decisions, boost efficiency, and create more meaningful, personalised consumer experiences. We believe our transformation journey will unlock AI’s full potential to generate sustainable value – not just for us, but also for our consumers and trade partners.”

PMI GTR’s Terea Kiwami limited-edition packaging is now available in both Japan’s domestic and GTR channels.

Indeed, in the travel retail context, the impact that AI can have on how brands engage with travellers and how companies optimise daily operations is being eagerly explored.

“AI helps to better understand and anticipate, in general, the needs of traveling legal-age consumers, personalise their experiences and enhance the way they shop,” she continued. “It’s a 360-degree approach, because the customer journey begins long before a traveller enters the airport. Through AI-driven analytics, we can decode traveller behaviour in real time – identifying patterns and preferences that influence purchasing decisions. This allows global travel retail to tailor their offerings more precisely and localise initiatives that truly resonate with specific traveller profiles. It enables travel retail to create moments that inspire and connect with travellers, building stronger links between brands and consumers in the unique context of global travel retail. In essence, AI isn’t just improving how GTR operates – it’s redefining how we connect.”

Pointing to the broader travel environment, Ermaner added: “At the same time, the future of airports is evolving toward greater efficiency. As biometric security and AI-powered border control systems streamline procedural tasks, travellers will spend less time in queues and more time engaging with retail environments. This shift unlocks new opportunities for experiential duty-free shopping, where memorable storytelling, digital interactivity and immersive brand activations become central to the travel experience.”

READ MORE: PMI GTR launches Terea Kiwami IQOS packaging into Japan travel retail

READ MORE: Lagardère and PMI launch multi-category retail concept at Geneva

READ MORE: PMI GTR strengthens smoke-free folio with VEEV One & VEEV Now Ultra