Dynamic business duo and passionate globetrotters Trevor Lee and Lilly Choi-Lee of TravConsult have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to marrying cultural etiquette, emotional intelligence and communication with consumer service quality in the travel phase. For DF&TR, understanding the often multi-faceted nuances and customs underpinning everyday exchanges with Asian travellers can quite literally mean ‘make or break’ for engagement (and sales).

In an exclusive travelogue, ‘Culture, Connection & Commerce: A European Travel Retail Field Report’, the power couple share musings, standout moments and key insights following their recent travels across Europe…

From London’s Trafalgar Square to Venice’s Giudecca Canal and from a historic hotel in the UK capital to the bustling terminals of Budapest, our recent journey across Europe (24 May – 17 June) wasn’t just a business trip – it was a timely reminder of what makes modern travel retail work: cultural intelligence, design intent, and emotional connection. These themes also formed much of the talk and buzz at the high-energy, 2025 TR Consumer Forum held in Amsterdam earlier this year.

At TravConsult, we work with airports, travel retailers and hospitality operators across the globe to help them understand, engage and commercially succeed with Asia’s most influential travellers, whether from China, India, Vietnam, Korea, Japan or Indonesia. And what we experienced during this latest trip reaffirmed what we see every day in our workshops and market programmes: expectations are shifting. Fast. In this article, we share four standout observations from Europe and the key takeaways for airports and travel retailers who want to stay ahead.

The power of place: Trafalgar Square’s Indian heartbeat

Our visit to the award-winning Colonel Saab restaurant in London was an unforgettable one, not just for the food, but for the feeling. As soon as we entered, we were immersed in something more than a dining experience. It was culture. It was storytelling. It was a son’s homage to family, its history and a vision to be the best, intertwined with love and passion. That’s what Indian travellers respond to. As ARI’s Tracy Ross so beautifully stated at the TR Consumer Forum in Amsterdam, it’s about moving from sense of place to ‘spirit of place’.

With India’s outbound travel volumes set to surpass 50 million by the end of the decade, the emotional relevance of an experience matters more than ever. It’s no longer just about offering Indian dishes at the food court. It’s about creating atmospheres that celebrate memory, identity, and pride. Imagine an airport F&B precinct that showcases regional Indian cuisines with elegance… add thoughtful design, respectful service and a story worth sharing and you don’t just get meals, you get moment – and revenue.

Hospitality without a check-in: Lessons from Hilton Molino Stucky Venice

We didn’t stay at Hilton Molino Stucky Venice but our brief time there made a lasting impression. During a high-level meeting at the property, what struck us was not just the stunning architecture or the prestige of the venue, it was the way we were treated as walk-in guests. The way we were greeted, guided and assisted by the staff and managers was exceptional.

There was a warmth and attentiveness that made us feel genuinely welcome, even though we weren’t staying at the hotel. Staff didn’t just point us in the right direction, they personally escorted us, made conversation, and did so with a level of care that felt meaningful. It’s that kind of hospitality, quietly confident and culturally attuned, that sets high-performing properties apart.

And the property itself? It felt like a living museum. The hallways were adorned with curated photographs and descriptive panels (pictured below) that told the story of the building’s industrial past and Venice’s evolution. There was a sense of place, of legacy, of pride. And, once again, a sense of spirit. Every visual and design cue reinforced where you were and why it mattered. It was a subtle but powerful way of welcoming the guest not just into a hotel, but into Venice itself. Airports and travel retailers can learn from this.

Hosting doesn’t begin at check-in. Whether a traveller is staying, shopping, or simply passing through, every interaction is a chance to elevate perception, build trust, and spark connection. Cultural intelligence and local storytelling are not just relevant in hotels, they’re essential tools for creating meaning in airport spaces too.

Boutique design for mass spaces: A St. Pancras reflection

The St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London reminded us of something often missing in terminals: soul. Walking through St. Pancras, you feel like every detail was chosen with purpose. That’s exactly the kind of energy that retail environments need to channel, especially for younger, design-savvy travellers from Asia. Millennial and Gen Z travellers from China, Korea and Japan are increasingly discerning.

They value quality, uniqueness, and shareability. They’re looking for stories, not just stores. This presents a real opportunity for airports to rethink layout, lighting, materials, and thematic storytelling. What if your liquor zone felt like a private tasting salon? What if your beauty offer resembled a curated K-beauty atelier? These aren’t just aesthetic choices, they’re emotional ones. And emotion drives conversion.

Budapest to Beijing: Cultural intelligence on the terminal floor

At Budapest Airport, we recently delivered cultural intelligence workshops for the frontline team at Heinemann Budapest. It was inspiring to see how quickly the team embraced the insights and began engaging Chinese travellers with newfound confidence. We saw the results immediately. Sales staff weren’t just serving, they were connecting. They were using the right tone, body language, even acknowledging gifting expectations.

One standout moment was learning that several Heinemann staff had taken it upon themselves to learn Mandarin. That kind of initiative speaks volumes. When you take the time to speak someone’s language, literally or culturally, you build instant trust. And trust leads to loyalty and spend. The workshops were grounded in real-world travel retail scenarios, from how Chinese families shop together to the importance of symbolism, face, and product storytelling. The message is clear: as air routes reopen between Asia and Europe, airports need to do more than restore connectivity, they must build cultural readiness.

Final thought: Be ready for who’s coming next

The future of travel retail belongs to those who understand people before product. Cultural intelligence is no longer a ‘nice to have’, it’s a business essential. It’s what makes a jewellery brand meaningful to a Chinese couple, what turns a meal into a memory for an Indian family and what elevates a duty free interaction from a sale to a story. From London to Venice, Budapest to Beijing, the lessons are everywhere. The question for Europe’s airports and travel retailers is: are you ready to lead?

TravConsult is a boutique consultancy co-founded by Trevor Lee & Lilly Choi-Lee specialising in Asian market cultural intelligence, customer engagement & market-ready strategies for the aviation, tourism and travel retail industries. Since 2002, TravConsult has been advising some of the world’s leading airports, travel retail organisations, international hotel groups & tourism boards in delivering culturally relevant and commercially successful service experiences to their high-value Asian travellers.

‘Over to you’ is TRBusiness’ guest column series. The comments and opinions expressed in this column are those of the columnist(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of TRBusiness. Interested in having your say? Please contact one of the editorial team at the following: [email protected]; [email protected]

 

Food, including confectionery & chocolate, is the number 1 driver of cross category purchase and second most purchased category overall as Nestlé International Travel Retail (NITR) has upped its focus on the ‘marriage’ of two major trends in the travel retail industry.

Food is the number one most purchased category for Gen Z and the fastest growing for this segment, and Gen Z will be the biggest travelling segment by 2028 at 1.2 billion passengers.

The company launched its Food#1 most purchased category strategy in 2021, and said its focus on that strategy is delivering category growth with food the most purchased category in Europe and the Americas.

To further underpin this strategy NITR said its attention is on realising the opportunity of the Gen Z consumers, who are expected to be the biggest travelling segment by 2028.

Aura Sanchez, Marketing Manager for NIT, noted: “When we launched our #Food 1 strategy we were convinced we could turn what was a declining market in global travel retail into one of growth. Our plans were based on figures which showed strong 77% growth on the domestic market versus only 7% in global travel.

We saw an opportunity to rejuvenate the category, to accelerate post COVID industry recovery, and we took it. And, to date, the good news is that we made the correct bets in terms of Food and its potential,” she says.”

Sanchez cites data from research agency m1nd-set which shows strong category growth in 2023 from 31% to 37%, and noted that food is also expected to be the fastest growing category by 2027.

Gen Z will outnumber Millennials as the largest airline passenger group by 2028, accounting for approximately 1.2 billion passengers flying in 2028.

They already account for 40% of consumers worldwide and currently have a global spending power of $200bn.

“The figures speak for themselves and are even more defined when you consider the Asia Pacific region. There are around 280 million Gen Z in China, representing the second largest Gen Z population in the world, surpassed only by India, with almost 400 million,” Sanchez continued.

“According to m1nd set data from 2023 Gen Z are one of the least engaged in terms of visiting and purchasing in GTR. The good news is that the food category is the key category to unlock the potential revenue of this segment. Already we see that food is most popular category with Gen Z and also the fastest growing in terms of increased purchase.”

Sanchez compares those figures to Gen Zs’ purchasing in the overall food category.

“Food is the key category to unlocking the potential of Gen Z as they are the highest purchasing segment already. The reasons are clear. Food products in travel retail offer a low or accessible price point. It’s a fun category, with opportunities for engagement and digitisation,” she said.

“Let’s consider what Gen Z consumers are looking for in travel retail. They are known for their focus on sustainability and no category in travel retail delivers that better than Food. Gen Zs are impulse driven shoppers and Confectionery and Food is the impulse led category.

Gen Zs are looking for novelties – another box ticked – authenticity, Sense of Place, and exclusive products. Food is the perfect category, and NITR has the products, to meet all these demands.”

According to Sanchez, KitKat is a key brand in this space, as is the recently launched Nestlé Sustainably Sourced Cocoa line.

“We launched the first KitKat made with cocoa mass from beans grown by farmer families engaged in Nestlé’s ground-breaking Income Accelerator Programme into European travel retail earlier this year.

This ‘Breaks for Good’ KitKat raises awareness about the sustainability of the cocoa used in the iconic bars.”

The KitKat wrapper includes a bold ‘Sustainably Sourced Cocoa’ stamp and a QR code directing consumers to details on the programme and its immense impact on the lives of cocoa farming communities.

“We are confident that Gen Z consumers will be quick to relate to these products,” Sanchez said, adding: “They match their shopping preferences and trends and, at the same time, offer a huge opportunity for NITR to cement even closer collaborations with its travel retailer partners. The focus, of course, is on Food and unlocking the potential of this audience.”

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