The Travel Retail sector has been undergoing significant transformation in recent years. Rising passenger expectations, rapid technological development, digitalisation, changing consumer behaviour and the growing importance of customer experience are reshaping the way airports and their commercial partners approach retail and non-aeronautical business.

Responding to these challenges, Travel Retail Forum has become one of the leading industry events in Central and Eastern Europe. Organised by CEETRA for several years, the Forum continues to strengthen its position as a key platform for knowledge exchange and business networking within the region. The most recent edition was held in Budapest, bringing together airports, travel retail operators, global brands and business partners from across Central and Eastern Europe. The 2026 edition in Gdańsk and Sopot will mark another important milestone in the Forum’s continued growth.

The Forum will welcome airport executives, commercial directors, Travel Retail and Duty Free operators, international brand owners, airlines, technology providers and industry organisations from across Europe. The organisers aim to create a platform where participants will not only share their experience but also work together on practical solutions and discuss the future development of the industry.

Conference Highlights

The conference programme will focus on the key topics shaping the future of the Travel Retail industry, including:

• Travel Retail market analysis in Central and Eastern Europe,
• changing passenger purchasing behaviour,
• artificial intelligence and new technologies in airport retail,
• development of non-aeronautical revenues,
• the future of commercial airport spaces,
• the growing importance of cooperation between airports, tourism organisations and commercial partners.

One of the new elements of this year’s programme will be a dedicated session exploring the relationship between Travel Retail and tourism. The organisers aim to demonstrate that the development of tourism and airport commercial business are now closely interconnected, and that cooperation with destinations and tourism organisations represents one of the most promising opportunities for future industry growth.

“Our ambition is to create an event that becomes the region’s leading platform for open discussion about the future of Travel Retail. Rather than another conference based solely on presentations, we want to offer a place where airports, operators, brands, technology companies and industry organisations can exchange knowledge, experience and practical solutions,” say the organisers of Travel Retail Forum 2026.

Travel Retail Forum 2026 Programme

This year’s edition represents another step in the development of the Forum, which has, over the past several years, become one of the most important meeting points for the Travel Retail community across Central and Eastern Europe.

On 28 October, participants will have the opportunity to join an Airport Experience Tour at Gdańsk Airport, offering behind-the-scenes insight into selected commercial concepts, operational solutions and passenger experience initiatives. The day will conclude with an evening networking dinner, providing an ideal setting for business meetings and relationship building.

The main conference programme will take place on 29 October at the Sheraton Sopot Hotel, featuring keynote presentations, expert sessions and panel discussions addressing the most important trends, challenges and opportunities facing the Travel Retail industry.

The detailed conference agenda, speaker line-up and registration information will be announced in the coming days.

About Travel Retail Forum

Travel Retail Forum is an annual industry event organised by the Central & Eastern European Travel Retail Association (CEETRA). Over the past several years, it has become one of the leading meeting platforms for the Travel Retail community in Central and Eastern Europe. Each edition is hosted in a different country, showcasing local airports, destinations and commercial best practices while bringing together decision-makers from across the region.

The previous edition was held in Budapest, attracting airport representatives, retail operators, international brands and industry partners from across Europe. The 2026 edition in Gdańsk and Sopot is expected to be the largest in the Forum’s history, both in terms of its conference programme and the number of international participants and partners.

About CEETRA

The Central & Eastern European Travel Retail Association (CEETRA) is an organisation bringing together representatives of the Travel Retail sector across Central and Eastern Europe. Its mission is to support the development of the market by facilitating knowledge exchange, strengthening cooperation between airports, retailers, brands, airlines and technology partners, and initiating projects that address the key challenges and opportunities facing the Travel Retail industry.

Why are we launching the Travel Retail Marketing Committee?

Marketing and communications play a crucial role in the development of today’s Travel Retail business. Changing passenger expectations, evolving communication channels, rapid technological development and increasing market competition require much closer cooperation between airports, Travel Retail operators, brand owners and technology partners.
The Committee will provide a platform for marketing, communications and commercial professionals to exchange knowledge, share experience and collaborate on industry challenges. Together, participants will analyse emerging trends, identify best practices and develop practical solutions that support the continued growth of Travel Retail across the CEE region.

The Committee’s initial work will focus on topics including:

• organising and structuring market research and market data
• changing passenger profiles and shopping behaviour,
• declining passenger spend at airports,
• development of new product categories,
• effective marketing and communication within the airport environment,
• strengthening cooperation between airports, Travel Retail operators and brand owners.

First Meeting – Budapest, Autumn 2026

The inaugural meeting of the Travel Retail Marketing Committee is planned for late September / early October 2026 in Budapest..
The event will take the form of an interactive workshop bringing together representatives of CEETRA member organisations to exchange experiences, showcase best practices and jointly define the Committee’s priorities and future activities.
The project will be delivered in cooperation with ETRC (European Travel Retail Confederation), with additional industry experts invited to contribute to the discussions.

What Will CEETRA Members Gain?

The expert committees will become one of the key benefits of CEETRA membership. They will provide members with an opportunity not only to participate in discussions but also to actively shape the future of the organisation and the Travel Retail industry in Central and Eastern Europe.
Committee participants will have the opportunity to:

• actively influence the strategic direction of CEETRA initiatives,
• contribute to industry recommendations and best practices,
• collaborate directly with experts from airports, Travel Retail operators, brand owners and technology companies,
• exchange knowledge and experience with professionals from across the CEE region,
• build valuable professional relationships and business partnerships,
• participate in exclusive workshops and expert meetings available only to CEETRA members.

We believe that the Travel Retail Marketing Committee marks the beginning of a new chapter in CEETRA’s development. Our ambition is not only to connect the Travel Retail community, but also to create an organisation where ideas are transformed into practical initiatives that support the sustainable growth of the entire industry.

The future of travel retail depends increasingly on collaboration across the entire airport ecosystem. This was the key message of CEETRA & Friends 2026, which brought together airports, travel retail operators, airlines, brand owners and industry partners from across Central and Eastern Europe in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

Hosted by Fraport Slovenija – Ljubljana Airport in partnership with the Kranjska Gora Tourism Board, the annual event once again confirmed its position as one of the region’s leading platforms for networking, knowledge sharing and industry cooperation.

Unlike traditional industry conferences, CEETRA & Friends combines a high-level business programme with a deliberately informal atmosphere that encourages open discussion, direct access to decision-makers and the development of lasting business relationships. This distinctive format has become one of the event’s defining characteristics and continues to attract senior executives from across the regional travel retail community.

Opening the conference, Andrzej Miłaszewicz,

President of CEETRA, emphasised the association’s mission to strengthen cooperation between airports, retailers, brands and business partners while supporting the exchange of expertise and best practices across Central and Eastern Europe.

Participants were welcomed by Juergen Deischl, CEO of Ljubljana Airport, who outlined the evolving role of airports as integrated commercial destinations where passenger experience, retail, food & beverage, services and technology increasingly work together to create value. He underlined that customer experience has become one of the key competitive differentiators for modern airports.

Representing the host destination, Luka Vrančič of the Kranjska Gora Tourism Board welcomed delegates and highlighted the region’s growing appeal as a venue for international business events.

Airport as an integrated commercial ecosystem

The conference focused on the growing integration of commercial activities within airports, highlighting how closer cooperation between airports, airlines, retailers, food & beverage operators, technology providers and research partners is reshaping passenger experience while driving non-aeronautical revenue growth.

The programme opened with research presented by m1nd-set, where Founder Peter Mohn, together with airport F&B expert Christopher Dunham-Haigh and Alan Bork, Member of the CEETRA Board, explored the increasingly complementary relationship between food & beverage and travel retail. Drawing on international consumer research and case studies, the speakers demonstrated how integrated commercial planning can improve passenger engagement and maximise commercial performance.

Delegates also received an update on the latest political, regulatory and market developments affecting European travel retail during a session delivered in cooperation with the European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC), providing valuable insight into the opportunities and challenges facing the sector.

One of the programme’s highlights was the panel discussion Operating Through Permanent Disruption: When Crises Cascade Across the Travel Ecosystem, moderated by Wojciech Czernek, CEO of Baltona, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.

Representatives of LOT Polish Airlines, Poznań Airport and PORT Polska/CPK discussed how airports, airlines and travel retail businesses can strengthen resilience in an environment shaped by continuing geopolitical, economic and regulatory disruption. The discussion concluded that closer cooperation across the aviation ecosystem will be essential for long-term growth.

Data-driven commercial development

As host airport, Ljubljana Airport presented its commercial development strategy, demonstrating how retail, food & beverage, parking and advertising solutions are managed as part of a seamless passenger journey designed to enhance both customer satisfaction and commercial performance.

Further sessions highlighted the growing importance of data and analytics in commercial decision-making. Visa Consulting & Analytics showcased how payment data can provide valuable insights into tourism flows and traveller behaviour, while Slovenian research company Arhea presented its long-term passenger research programme developed jointly with Fraport Slovenija, illustrating how continuous passenger insight supports strategic commercial planning.

The conference concluded with a presentation by PROprima, examining emerging trends in airport food & beverage and the increasingly important role of hospitality concepts in creating differentiated passenger experiences.

Business relationships beyond the conference room

A defining feature of CEETRA & Friends is its deliberately informal format. Rather than limiting networking to coffee breaks, the event is designed to create an environment where meaningful business conversations continue naturally beyond the conference room.

Throughout the three-day programme, delegates combined conference sessions with networking activities in the Julian Alps, including an e-bike tour through the Planica Valley and evening gatherings. The relaxed setting encouraged open dialogue, direct exchanges between decision-makers and the development of new partnerships across the regional travel retail community.

The social programme also featured the celebration of Baltona’s 80th anniversary, bringing together partners and long-standing friends from across the industry.

This combination of high-quality conference content and relationship-driven networking has become one of the defining characteristics of CEETRA & Friends and continues to differentiate the event within the European travel retail calendar.

Looking ahead

CEETRA & Friends 2026 demonstrated once again that the future of travel retail will be built on cooperation, innovation and the effective exchange of knowledge across the airport ecosystem.

As aviation and travel retail continue to evolve, CEETRA confirmed its commitment to developing further initiatives that strengthen collaboration between airports, retailers, brands and business partners throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

For more information, visit www.ceetra.org.

About CEETRA

CEETRA (Central & Eastern European Travel Retail Association) is an independent industry association representing airports, travel retail operators, brand owners and business partners across Central and Eastern Europe. The organisation supports the sustainable development of the regional travel retail sector through networking, education, collaboration and advocacy on behalf of the industry.

This partnership reflects a shared belief in the value of meaningful industry relationships, inspiring exchange and memorable experiences. For chocoMe, being part of CEETRA means being connected to a professional and dynamic travel retail community that brings together passionate people from across the industry and creates space for new ideas, partnerships and opportunities.

As Peter Horváth of chocoMe underlines, events such as CEETRA & Friends are especially valuable because they allow brands and partners to meet in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, where genuine conversations and long-term collaborations can begin. These personal connections are what make the travel retail industry truly unique.

A special highlight of the partnership will be the Welcome Reception at chocoMe Atelier, where participants will be invited to take part in a one-hour chocolate experience created exclusively for CEETRA & Friends 2026 guests. During the session, chocoMe will present a curated selection of chocolates while sharing the story behind the brand, its craftsmanship and its passion for premium chocolate.

The experience will conclude with a special surprise pairing designed to make the tasting even more memorable.

CEETRA & Friends 2026 is a boutique international gathering where strategic industry content meets networking through shared experience. Bringing together airport executives, travel retail and F&B leaders, airlines, consultants and industry organisations, the event offers a trusted setting for dialogue, cooperation and forward-looking discussion on the future of airports, travel retail and mobility.

We are proud that chocoMe will be part of this unique edition of CEETRA & Friends.

This shift will be a key discussion theme at CEETRA & Friends | Slovenia 2026, taking place on 10–12 June 2026, where industry leaders will look beyond assumptions and focus on how passengers actually behave in terminal environments.

What will we focus on?

The discussion will tackle practical and strategic questions that matter for airports and operators:

• how passengers truly move between F&B and retail areas,
• what really drives their purchasing decisions and dwell time,
• how these behaviours should influence commercial planning and space allocation,
• where revenue opportunities are still being missed, despite ongoing investment in concepts and design.

Evidence, not assumptions

The session will be led by Peter Mohn from m1nd-set, who will present insights from a pioneering, data-driven study examining the real interaction between F&B and Travel Retail.

While many airports are testing new layouts and hybrid concepts, there is still limited empirical understanding of how passengers actually behave across these commercial touchpoints. This research helps close that gap by grounding decision-making in evidence rather than intuition.

Key questions for the industry

• Does F&B drive retail sales, or does retail keep passengers longer in F&B areas?
• Where is the greatest untapped potential: layout, offer, or data?

These are not theoretical questions. The answers have direct implications for revenue optimisation, passenger satisfaction, and long-term commercial strategy.

Join the conversation

We invite airport professionals, operators, and partners to share their perspectives and experiences. The conversation starts now and will continue in person in Slovenia during CEETRA & Friends 2026.

At CEETRA, we believe that understanding the full commercial ecosystem is key to building airport environments that are both passenger-centric and commercially effective.

We look forward to continuing the discussion.

What else matters when spending on holiday delights

While 16% of all respondents from the region admit that they adjust spending to match travel companions – even if it means exceeding their budget, nearly half plan expenditures carefully before departure. This discipline continues abroad, with every second tourist tracking spending via digital banking.

Visa study reveals also that digital payments are becoming commonplace both at home and during foreign trips, as over 4/5 of CEE tourists from the region will pay by card, smartphone, or smartwatch at the destination. Mobile wallets show particularly impressive growth (12%+ year on year²) with over 1/4 of consumers choosing this payment method as preferred while traveling abroad. They are pointing most often to convenience (64%), speed (61%), and safety (55%) as benefits of paying by card abroad.

Solutions they require

At the same time, they have expectations toward travel-related services and actively seek new digital solutions in the banking ecosystem that would prove helpful during foreign travels. When asked about such features they would like banks to offer them, the top choices included: greater discounts on airline tickets and hotels as well as loyalty programs. Mobile applications enriched with travel-specific features are also one of the “nice-to-haves”.

Their preferences highlight a clear demand for modern solutions implementation in everyday banking, and a strategic opportunity for different entities to expand their value proposition and deepen customer engagement through differentiated, travel-related services. Interestingly, over 2 in 5 CEE inhabitants decide on off-season journeys, which stresses how important is to offer them convenient and smart solutions, supporting their on-the-go lifestyles year-round.

Transforming data into strategic advantage

Through several resources – from specialists, including Visa Consulting & Analytics team and unique data to technology – Visa supports clients with strategic advice, products and services. Visa’s data scientists, marketers, consultants, and economists – with exclusive access to insights from VisaNet, one of the world’s largest payment networks – work together to deliver unique data insights to inform merchants’ business decisions and drive better business outcomes across customer journeys. From strategy and product development to portfolio management and digital marketplace optimization – Visa data-driven solutions empower merchants to grow their business by making products and services more accessible and relevant to a wider audience. By responding to customer needs, they help build deeper engagement and long-term brand loyalty. At the same time, Visa’s commitment to ethical data management and privacy protection lies at the heart of every innovation it brings to market – ensuring that new opportunities and solutions powered by data deliver real value while maintaining trust, transparency, and security.

Interested in tailored solutions for your business?
Contact: Katarzyna Zubrzycka
Sr. Director, CEE Strategic Initiatives, Europe
zubrzyck@visa.com

¹ Unless another source is indicated, the data quoted in the above material comes from Visa CEE Travel and Payment Intentions Study 2025 which covered the following countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. It was conducted by the research company GfK Polonia – a NIQ company in March 2025 on a representative sample of 1,000 respondents (18-65 years) in each of these countries.

²  Compared to Visa CEE Travel and Payment Intentions Study 2024 covering: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, conducted by GFK Polonia in April 2024 on a representative sample of 1,000 respondents (18-65 years) in each country.

For a full summary of key insights and highlights from the event, read our press release here.

This year’s CEETRA Travel Retail Forum in Budapest – opened by Andrzej Miłaszewicz (CEETRA) in the welcome speeches session and framed by the keynote The state of the industry in Europe, with a special focus on Central & Eastern Europe by Peter Mohn – made one thing very clear: airports in Central and Eastern Europe are no longer just transport hubs. They are becoming independent economic and cultural spaces. An airport is no longer just a waiting area, but a commercial platform with its own revenue model, spatial logic, and tone of voice to the passenger. The growing weight of non-aeronautical revenues – retail, F&B, parking, services – is now defining airport profitability. At several regional airports these revenue streams already account for most of total turnover, effectively turning the terminal itself into a business product.

According to the Changing Consumer Behaviour & Spending Patterns panel discussion moderated by Peter Mohn with Wojciech Czernek (CEO, Baltona), Razvan Horga (CEO, Oradea Airport, Romania), and Bianka Pivarcsi (Head of Marketing, Budapest Airport), the biggest commercial upside in the next few years is in small and mid-sized airports. These airports sit in competitive catchment areas where passengers can easily choose an alternative within driving distance. That means every traveler has to be won, not assumed. Under these conditions it’s no longer enough to rent out a few retail units and hope for the best. The commercial concept has to be built into the terminal from day one. Done properly, this raises revenue per square meter, stabilizes operations, and in some cases doubles per-passenger spend versus the old fragmented model. In other words: an airport in 2025 is not just infrastructure serving airlines. It is a brand.

A recurring point in Budapest was that the passenger has changed – and that change is reshaping how airports are run. Airports in Central and Eastern Europe now have to meet two opposing expectations at the same time. One side is the younger traveler, who expects instant self-service, zero friction, and fully contactless payment. The other is the traveler who wants human presence, visible assistance, and reassurance, not just speed. These needs do not replace each other; they coexist at the same gate. As a result, airport operations are being forced into a dual model: one layer must be fast, digital, queue-free; the other must be staffed, personal, and physically present. This is not positioned as a premium extra. It is now seen as a baseline. If either layer is missing, the passenger leaves frustrated — and does not return.

Payments have shifted in parallel. Travel and Payment Intentions in CEE, Visa Study 2025, presented by Katarzyna Zubrzycka (VISA), underlined that travel is still a top spending priority in the region, but the way people spend has changed. Most passengers now set a personal budget before departure and actively track every cost in real time through mobile banking. Cross-border spend is primarily card or digital wallet. There is a clear expectation that every payment touchpoint in the journey – duty free, dining, ground transport, tickets – must be instant, contactless, transparent. The ask from the traveler is no longer “give me a good card,” it’s “give me a full travel finance ecosystem”: multicurrency accounts, bundled transport and accommodation offers, insurance, and clean FX conversion. Travel has become not just logistics, but a live financial project the passenger manages themselves.

One key theme was sense of place. Sense of Place 2.0 – Local Identity and Innovative Design as a Passenger Magnet, presented by Nick Taylor (The Design Solution), argued that an airport can no longer be a neutral box that could be anywhere. The commercial and service environment now has to visibly reflect the identity of the city and country. This is not only branding. When a terminal feels specific, local, and recognisable, passengers are more willing to spend because what they buy feels like part of the trip, not just a transaction. In that sense, the terminal becomes the first or last sentence a city says to a traveler.

The wider commercial context – captured in Opportunities for Brands in Travel Retail, moderated by Csaba Simonidesz (Simillair) with Maciej Adamaszek (True), Bence Biró (Heinemann Budapest), and Zoltán Keresztessy (CEO, Klikkmánia) is that airports in Central and Eastern Europe now act like brands competing for loyalty in real time. The passenger expects high-speed digital autonomy and, at the same moment, visible human care. Loyalty is not assumed; it has to be earned on the spot. And factors once seen as “nice to have” – accessibility, local identity, payment transparency – are now basic conditions for doing business in this region.

Smart Commercial Strategies for Small & Medium Airports  focused on one main point: for a smaller airport, financial performance isn’t defined by passenger volume, but by how intelligently it builds its own commercial model. Krzysztof Domagalski (Szczecin Airport) highlighted three factors that actually matter: first, whether the airport runs retail in-house or outsources it; second, how intentionally the terminal space is laid out from a commercial point of view — meaning, how the passenger is guided through the shops; and third, whether the data on passenger behavior is really used to make decisions, instead of just ending up in reports. The conclusion was straightforward: if these pieces are designed well, even a mid-sized regional airport can operate like a deliberately built retail brand and generate measurably higher spend per passenger.

Accessibility – physical, sensory, and informational – was positioned as a core business requirement, not a CSR add-on. The Inclusive Journey: Designing Accessible Travel and Retail Spaces at Airports, presented by Jarosław Bogucki (Integracja Foundation), made the case that an airport is not built for a single imaginary “average passenger,” but for people who arrive with very different bodies and sensory thresholds. The expectation is that a passenger with reduced mobility, an elderly traveler, a person on the autism spectrum or with sensory sensitivity, and a family with a small child can all move through the terminal safely and with a clear mental map. In practice this means step-free routes, tactile and visual wayfinding, designated low-noise / low-light areas, longer escort options at key arrival points, and immediate access to alternative communication channels. The message was explicit: this is both inclusion and revenue. People stay longer and spend more calmly if they feel safe, oriented, and in control.

The CPK Commercial Strategy talk showed how CPK thinks as a completely new, greenfield hub airport: it’s not that you first build a terminal and only then figure out retail — it’s the other way around. The commercial, service, and brand experience is part of the floor plan from the first sketch. According to Paweł Zagrajek, CPK is not an airport in the classic sense, but an integrated commercial ecosystem in which passenger flow, retail, F&B, digital services, and payment logic are conceived as one plan. This means the airport will behave like a standalone international brand from day one: it doesn’t just want to be a transit point into Poland, but the first sentence of the place’s identity — with a controlled tempo, high revenue potential, and zero compromise.

In closing, CEETRA’s 2025 Travel Retail Forum in Budapest made it clear that Central and Eastern Europe is not a secondary market anymore. It is a testbed. Airports here are treating commercial space, payment infrastructure, brand experience, accessibility, and sense of place as core strategy — not support functions. The message from was consistent: in this region, the airport is no longer just where travel happens. It is the product.

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