Beyond the Noise: Insights That Will Shape 2026

Our takeaways from TFWA Cannes.
Put 8,000 people on one small patch of Riviera, and something happens. Crowds at the taxi stand, but more importantly, energy in the air.
TFWA 2025 broke records: more visitors, more decision-makers, more focus. Less “nice idea.” More “will it work on the floor tomorrow?”

The paradox of 2025: busier than ever, but conversions lag behind.
Passenger flows are strong, footfall keeps rising, yet the sacred KPI refuses to follow. Beauty felt it the most: plenty of visitors, fewer buyers. The key takeaway? You can’t fix conversion with giveaways or shiny displays.
You fix it by removing friction, and creating experiences that make people feel something. That was the real conversation on the stands this year.

What’s working?
Experiences that simplify discovery and make sustainability part of their story, not an afterthought. Refills, upcycled ingredients, eco-design. Do both, and people line up.

Gen Z doesn’t buy discounts. They buy meaning.
When the connection feels right, price doesn’t matter, authenticity does.The smartest brands translated their values into bite-sized, shareable moments that spread fast. No more static islands of display, but modular, social-first storytelling that starts before security and lives on after landing.

The macro reality: geopolitics meets merchandising.
Strategy firm Kearney painted a clear picture: shifting power blocs, rising polarization, and fragmented climate responses are reshaping global business. On the floor, the message echoed: every brand needs a plan A, B, C, and D — for every route and market. Flexibility isn’t an advantage anymore. It’s survival.

Resilience is the new “premium.”
In the conference halls, you heard the word resilience more often than Côte d’Azur. Despite headwinds, the industry stood tall. Even TFWA itself stressed that success isn’t just measured in numbers, but in partnership and shared knowledge.
That message landed.
Many meetings felt less like transactions, and more like collaborations in progress.

China: optimism meets reality.
Everyone’s talking about the return of Chinese travelers, “any moment now.”
But turning hope into business means doing the homework: new segments, new routes, new channels. Silver travelers don’t scroll like Gen Z.
And 2025 won’t wait for 2019 playbooks.

What I’m taking into 2026 (and start testing on Monday):

In the end, it’s not about moving fast — it’s about moving right.
2025 proved the industry can move fast again. 2026 will show who moves with purpose. It’s no longer about doing more, but doing what matters — with focus, empathy, and intent. The brands that master that shift won’t just follow the future.
They’ll shape it.

(Based on our own findings, TFWA’s official updates and press release, as well as reporting from The Moodie Davitt Report, TRBusiness, Drinks International, WWD, GTR Magazine, and WiTR+ coverage around TFWA Cannes 2025.)