Quick-fix facials, AI-powered activities and freebies to change the travel shopping experience
The global travel retail market is projected to grow to $129 billion in 2025, up from $114 billion in 2024. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
SINGAPORE – The travel retail scene in modern airports typically comprises a mix of duty-free complexes, food and beverage options, luxury retailers and fashion boutiques.
But to appeal to a new generation of value-conscious, experience-driven travellers, airports and their brand partners are beginning to explore new retail initiatives to arrest the captive market that ambles along transit halls.
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
17 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Hong Kong leader says national security scrutiny of restaurants is necessary
Hong Kong leader says national security scrutiny of restaurants is necessary HONG KONG - Hong Kong will toughen screening of catering premises for potential violations of national security, which civil servants should accord top priority in deciding on licence approvals, the city's leader said on Tuesday. Critics see the move as targeting the territory's many businesses, including cafes and restaurants, that have displayed posters, symbols or images expressing solidarity with its embattled pro-democracy movement. Such businesses, widely called the "yellow economic circle", have faced growing pressure from authorities, such as tax inspectors, at a time when they are reeling from a broader economic and retail downturn. "Food and environmental hygiene officers ... should place national security as the most important consideration and make appropriate assessments," John Lee told reporters. He called the move "appropriate and necessary", saying all civil servants were expected to rate security as the highest priority under the national security law. The city's food and hygiene department would follow the law in considering new licences and renewing existing ones, he added. In recent years, authorities in the Asian financial hub have made use of sweeping national security laws imposed after mass anti-government protests in 2019 to systematically crack down on many of its liberal pockets. In May, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department sent letters to thousands of food and entertainment premises, obliging them to accept new terms related to national security. In one document seen by Reuters, the government told business owners to ensure no activity in which they were engaged or involved in "may constitute or cause the occurrence of an offence endangering national security". The former British colony's crackdown on dissent, from arresting democratic activists to shuttering liberal media and civil society groups, has drawn criticism from countries such as Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- Straits Times
China bans bank from luring depositors with popular Labubu dolls
A Chinese lender's stunt to woo depositors with gifts including the wildly popular Labubu dolls has been barred by financial regulators. PHOTO: EPA-EFE BEIJING – A Chinese lender's stunt to woo depositors with gifts including the wildly popular Labubu dolls has been barred by financial regulators, underscoring the increasingly fraught battle among banks for customers as interest rates and profit margins fall. The Zhejiang branch of the National Financial Regulatory Administration has asked local banks to refrain from giving non-compliant perks to attract deposits, according to people familiar with the matter. The guidance came in the wake of a promotion by Ping An Bank, which has been offering Labubu collectibles – blind box toys endorsed by celebrities including Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink – in multiple cities for new depositors who can park in 50,000 yuan (S$8,960) for three months. Such a practice, which often involves offering free items like rice or small home appliances, as well as e-gifts such as memberships at Internet platforms, was seen as driving up costs at banks and hurting their margins, said the people. While Ping An Bank's marketing campaign went viral on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu and sparked strong interest from potential savers, it also drew criticism from state media which said it was 'not a long-term solution.' Chinese lenders are walking a tightrope as they balance between deposit taking and protecting margins that are now at record-low levels across the sector. The nation's big banks just conducted a new round of deposit rate cuts in May, with smaller peers following suit and pushing term deposit interests down to just a little above 1 per cent. The Zhejiang banking regulator has urged the immediate suspension of any products involved in non-compliant deposit-gathering practices, along with the removal of related promotional materials, the people said. It remains unclear whether the regulator's other local divisions have issued similar guidance. The regulator didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Ping An Bank said the initiative started off as a small-scale project launched by a local branch, declining to comment further. China said in a 2018 rule that commercial banks shouldn't attract deposits through 'inappropriate means' such as giving away physical gifts or returning cash. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Japan's ruling camp to pledge cash handouts in election campaigns, local media say
TOKYO - Japan's ruling coalition agreed on Tuesday to include a plan to distribute cash handouts in their election campaign pledges to help households cope with persistent inflation, media reported on Tuesday. The handout plan could add to concerns over the government's already tattered finances, as lawmakers scramble to appease voters ahead of an upper house election set for July. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior ruling coalition partner Komeito will discuss details of the plan, including the amount and whether to have an income threshold for recipients, according to local media. "If tax revenue rises (above projections), it has to be returned to all the people," a senior LDP lawmaker told reporters on Tuesday. The government shelved the idea of cash handouts in April as questions arose over the effectiveness of the handouts. But the plan has come back as the LDP resists growing calls from some opposition parties for tax cuts, which could weigh on the state finances more heavily. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.