ASUTIL Unplugged: The Region, The Conference, The Community & The Future. Enrique Urioste, President ASUTIL and Carlos Loazia-Keel, Secretary General, Interviewed.
6 minutes read
Introduction by: Peter Marshall
The title of this in-depth interview says it all. I am grateful to both Enrique and Carlos for investing the time to answer many of the questions people are asking. The forthcoming ASUTIL conference, from June 2 – 5 and themed ASUTIL FLOW 2026: Our Legacy, Our Future, looks certain to be a memorable one. This interview signals what you can expect.
Peter Marshall (PM): Enrique, ASUTIL increasingly speaks about shaping the future rather than waiting for it. What concrete actions over the next 12–24 months will genuinely shift the trajectory of duty free and travel retail in Latin America?
Enrique Urioste (EU): ASUTIL’s next phase is about turning strategy into execution. Over the coming two years, the association will deepen its evidence‑based advocacy – an approach validated by the industry’s recent success at MOP4 – and apply it to priority issues such as digital customs modernisation, border shop frameworks and regulatory harmonisation. At the same time, ASUTIL will expand its intelligence capabilities, using granular data like the shopper insights to help members anticipate shifts in behaviour, from the rise of digitally influenced self‑treat purchases to the surge in short‑haul regional travel. Finally, ASUTIL will strengthen cross‑channel collaboration – airports, border, maritime, downtown – so the region can act as a coordinated ecosystem rather than isolated markets. These actions move the industry from reactive to proactive, shaping the conditions for sustainable growth.
PM: Carlos, The Lima conference delivered strong satisfaction scores and a sell-out audience. How does ASUTIL convert a successful annual event into sustained, year‑round commercial progress and regulatory influence for its members?
Carlos Loazia-Keel (CLK): The conference is the ignition point, not the end point. ASUTIL’s year‑round value comes from maintaining the momentum generated in Lima through continuous intelligence sharing, structured follow‑up and coordinated advocacy. The quarterly ASUTIL/m1nd‑set insights are central to this, giving members actionable data on traffic, shopper behaviour and nationality‑specific trends – exactly the kind of information that operators like Avolta use to drive productivity and conversion.
On the regulatory front, ASUTIL is strengthening its presence in regional policy discussions, ensuring that the unified voice heard at the conference becomes a sustained influence in government corridors. The goal is to transform a successful event into a continuous cycle of insight, alignment and impact.
PM: The Caribbean is enjoying rapid tourism and infrastructure growth, yet Latin America remains fragmented by regulation, taxation and border policy. What are today’s biggest structural barriers, and how forcefully should ASUTIL be challenging governments to remove them?
EU: The region’s biggest barriers are regulatory fragmentation, outdated customs processes and inconsistent duty free allowances. These create friction for travellers and inefficiencies for operators, ultimately limiting spend and investment. ASUTIL believes in firm, data‑driven engagement: governments respond when the industry brings evidence, not rhetoric. The MOP4 outcome proved that coordinated, technical advocacy can shift global policy. That same discipline is now needed to modernise digital controls, protect the duty free model and harmonise border frameworks. The Caribbean’s success shows what is possible when policy aligns with economic opportunity. Latin America should be aiming for the same level of ambition.
PM: As Caribbean duty free evolves beyond an alcohol‑led model into true multi‑category retail, which sectors and consumer trends will define the next decade, and is the industry moving fast enough to seize the opportunity?
EU: The next decade will be shaped by categories that align with travellers’ desire for self‑treating, exclusivity and convenience. Beauty, confectionery, wellness, premium local products and travel‑friendly electronics are all poised for growth. The Caribbean, with its high leisure mix, is ideally positioned to lead this evolution, but the industry must accelerate its shift toward omnichannel convenience, sharper value communication and curated assortments. Simplicity, clarity and digital enablement are now essential to conversion. The opportunity is significant, but capturing it requires faster adaptation and more data‑driven decision‑making.
PM: Across global travel retail, spend per passenger and Average Transaction Value are under pressure. How serious is this challenge in Latin America, and what practical role should ASUTIL play in helping members rebuild commercial performance?
CLK: The challenge is real, especially in markets affected by currency volatility and high airfares. But Latin America also has structural strengths: high conversion rates, strong self‑purchase motivations and a growing premium segment. ASUTIL’s role is to help members turn these strengths into performance by providing granular shopper insights, benchmarking tools and best‑practice guidance on pricing, assortment and digital engagement. The association can also support members by advocating for regulatory environments that protect value perception – because when travellers feel constrained or confused by rules, spend suffers. Rebuilding ATV is not just a store‑level challenge; it is a systemic one, and ASUTIL is positioned to address it holistically.
PM: ASUTIL champions connection and community, but in an era of consolidation among global retailers and brands, how do you ensure the association remains genuinely relevant for smaller regional operators?
EU: Relevance comes from representation and access. ASUTIL’s advocacy, data services and events are designed to serve the full ecosystem, not only the largest players. Smaller operators benefit disproportionately from shared intelligence, regulatory support and curated networking that gives them access to decision‑makers they might not otherwise reach. The association also ensures that panels, working groups and consultations include regional voices, not just global ones. In a consolidated industry, ASUTIL’s role is to level the playing field – giving smaller operators the tools, visibility and influence they need to compete.
PM: Looking candidly at ASUTIL today, where are its real weaknesses – in advocacy, data, engagement or influence. And what must change for the organisation to reach its full potential?
EU: ASUTIL’s greatest challenge is the same one facing the region: fragmentation. To reach its full potential, the association must continue strengthening its data capabilities, expanding its regulatory footprint and deepening engagement with non‑airport channels. It also needs to accelerate the shift from event‑centric to insight‑centric value creation. The foundation is strong, but the next phase requires more assertiveness, more technical expertise and more continuous dialogue with governments. The good news is that ASUTIL is already moving in that direction.
PM: The 2026 theme, “Our legacy. Our future.”, signals generational change. Who is speaking, and how is ASUTIL actively building the next wave of leadership rather than simply celebrating past success?
CLK: This year’s programme brings together global CEOs, regional operators, airport leaders, economists, consumer analysts and regulatory experts – voices capable of honouring the past while pushing the industry toward a more modern, data‑driven and collaborative future.
But the deeper story is how ASUTIL is responding to the generational transition the organisation is experiencing. We are embracing renewal, but doing so with profound respect for the tradition, discipline and institutional strength built by those who came before us. Leadership in our industry is not a matter of age; it is a matter of perspective, experience and the ability to work collectively. Sarah Branquinho’s trajectory is a perfect example: she combines decades of experience with the clarity and decisiveness needed to guide the global duty free community. Her leadership at the Duty Free World Council during the MOP4 process, where ASUTIL and other associations worked together to secure a landmark outcome, shows how different generations and viewpoints can complement each other to deliver results. That is the model we want to cultivate: a leadership ecosystem where experience and innovation reinforce one another, and where the next wave ofindustry leaders grows by building on, not replacing, the legacy of those who shaped ASUTIL’s first 25 years.
PM: Across global travel retail, access to reliable data, shared insight and collective bargaining power is becoming central to industry influence. Should ASUTIL now play a far more assertive role in producing regional intelligence and shaping commercial strategy. And if not, who will?
EU: Yes. The region needs a central, trusted source of intelligence, and ASUTIL is the natural home for it. The partnership with m1nd‑set is a strong start, but the ambition should be broader: continuous traffic forecasting, category performance benchmarking, regulatory mapping and shopper segmentation across all major nationalities. Without this, the region risks being reactive rather than strategic. If ASUTIL does not lead this effort, no other organisation has the mandate or regional legitimacy to fill the gap. Data is now a form of influence, and the region cannot afford to outsource it.
PM: One final question Enrique, and looking ahead, what do you most want to see achieved in the next 12 months – and what outcomes five years from now would prove ASUTIL has truly transformed travel retail in Latin America?
EU: In the next 12 months, I want to see progress on regulatory harmonisation, deeper adoption of digital convenience tools and a more unified regional voice in global forums. Five years from now, success would mean a region with modernised customs processes, stronger cross‑channel integration, a robust intelligence platform, and a travel retail ecosystem that is more competitive, more collaborative and more influential on the global stage. If ASUTIL can help deliver that, then the 25th anniversary will be remembered not as a celebration of the past, but as the moment the future truly began.
