Around the world\u202d, \u202cterminals are being redesigned as experience hubs that blend luxury\u202d, \u202cinnovation\u202d, \u202cwellness\u202d, \u202cand culture<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many of us expats\u202d, \u202cDubai has become home ground\u202d, \u202cand the place we measure the world against\u202d. \u202cThe more we travel\u202d, \u202cthe more we\u202d \u202cappreciate what Dubai has built\u202d, \u202cand nowhere is this clearer than in its airport\u202d. \u202cFew airports capture this sense of grandeur quite like DXB\u202d. \u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the span of just two decades\u202d, \u202cit has evolved from a regional hub into the world\u2019s busiest international airport\u202d, \u202cwelcoming more than 80\u202d \u202cmillion passengers each year\u202d. \u202cNo longer just a transit point\u202d, \u202cDXB is a destination by itself\u202d. \u202cYet behind this transformation lies\u202d \u202ca paradox\u202d.\u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While passenger numbers are climbing\u202d, \u202crevenues across global travel retail continue to fall short\u202d. \u202cAccording to a new CXG report\u202d, \u202cglobal travel retail revenues stood at\u202d $\u202c72\u202d \u202cbillion\u202d (\u202cDh264\u202d \u202cbillion\u202d) \u202cin 2023\u202d, \u202cstill below the\u202d $\u202c86\u202d \u202cbillion\u202d (\u202cDh315\u202d \u202cbillion\u202d) \u202cpeak of 2019\u202d. \u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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While air traffic is rebounding fast\u202d, \u202caverage spend per traveller has dropped 15\u202d \u202cper cent since pre-pandemic levels\u202d. \u202cThe\u202d \u202cissue is not volume but value\u202d: \u202ctravellers with both time and means are not spending the way they once did\u202d. \u202cOnly 28\u202d \u202cper cent of\u202d \u202cairport boutiques deliver exceptional service compared with nearly 50\u202d \u202cper cent in domestic luxury retail\u202d. \u202cAnd the experience gap\u202d \u202cis proving costly\u202d.\u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Airports\u202d, \u202chowever\u202d, \u202care beginning to respond\u202d. \u202cAround the world\u202d, \u202cterminals are being redesigned as\u202d \u202c\u201cexperience hubs\u201d\u202d \u202cthat blend luxury\u202d, \u202cinnovation\u202d, \u202cwellness\u202d, \u202cand culture in ways that make the airport itself part of the journey\u202d.\u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Singapore\u2019s Changi Airport\u202d, \u202ca constant trailblazer\u202d, \u202chas set the standard with robot baristas\u202d, \u202cartificial intelligence\u202d (\u202cAI\u202d)-\u202cpowered retail\u202d,\u202c\u202d \u202cand immersive spaces from rooftop gardens to indoor waterfalls\u202d, \u202calongside beauty brand pre-launches and gamified shopping\u202d.\u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doha\u2019s Hamad International Airport\u202d, \u202cconsistently challenging Changi for the Skytrax title of World\u2019s Best Airport\u202d, \u202chas elevated the wellness dimension with an 800-square-metre Dior Luxury Beauty Retreat\u202d, \u202coffering bespoke treatments in a Parisian-inspired setting\u202d.\u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
London Heathrow\u202d, \u202cone of the world\u2019s busiest airports\u202d, \u202chas introduced a new dimension to luxury travel retail with Louis Vuitton\u2019s first UK caf\u00e9 by Michelin-starred chef Cyril Lignac\u202d, \u202cset within a striking Marc Fornes\u2013designed flagship that blends couture with culinary artistry\u202d.\u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Closer to home\u202d, \u202cin quintessential UAE-style\u202d, \u202cDXB is also raising the bar\u202d, \u202chaving recently unveiled a large-scale renovation of its arrivals retail across Terminals 1\u202d, \u202c2\u202d \u202cand 3\u202d, \u202cupgrading over 2,100\u202d \u202csquare metres of space with sleek new layouts\u202d, \u202cinteractive\u202d \u202cdisplays and improved customer flow\u202d. \u202cThe emphasis is on creating a world-class first impression for arriving passengers rather than simply moving them through duty free aisles\u202d. \u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abu Dhabi\u2019s Zayed International Airport is also pioneering immersive retail\u202d, \u202cwith its new Terminal A featuring digital fa\u00e7ades\u202d, \u202cambient audio and award-winning concept spaces such as Presentedby\u202d, \u202cwhere luxury\u202d, \u202cstreetwear\u202d, \u202csustainability\u202d, \u202cand technology intersect in\u202d \u202ca design-led shopping experience that rivals high street flagships\u202d. \u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to these giants of international travel\u202d, \u202cSeoul\u2019s Incheon Airport has boosted spend by 35\u202d \u202cper cent through its Korean Cultural Street concept\u202d, \u202cwhile Bengaluru\u2019s Kempegowda International Airport integrates a botanical terminal experience that invites travellers to slow down and connect\u202d. \u202cWith duty free alone no longer attractive enough\u202d, \u202cpassengers are looking for curated experiences that match high street luxury retail\u202d, \u202cfrom personal concierges and design-led lounges to wellness sanctuaries and cultural immersion zones\u202d.\u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CXG frames this shift as a\u202d \u202c\u201cTrilogy Approach\u201d\u202d, \u202curging airports\u202d, \u202coperators and brands to align\u202d. \u202cFor airport authorities\u202d, \u202cthe focus is on positioning the terminal as a destination\u202d. \u202cFor retail operators\u202d, \u202cit is about closing the service gap with domestic luxury stores\u202d. \u202cFor brands\u202d, \u202cthe challenge is consistency\u202d: \u202censuring that what a customer experiences on the high street matches what they encounter at the airport\u202d. \u202c\u201cTravel retail represents unique and exciting opportunities for luxury brands\u202d, \u202cbut many are failing to deliver the experiences required for success\u202d,\u202c\u201d\u202d \u202csaid Christophe Ca\u00efs\u202d, \u202cfounder and CEO of CXG\u202d.\u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As global mobility accelerates and consumer expectations sharpen\u202d, \u202cthe airport is emerging as a litmus test for how well luxury can adapt to the captive\u202d, \u202cmulticultural and discerning traveller\u202d. \u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For airports\u202d, \u202cit is clear that the best way forward is to quickly adapt and treat these spaces not as extensions of duty free but as global stages where brands\u202d, \u202coperators\u202d, \u202cand airports come together to set new benchmarks in experience\u202d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u202cFor travellers\u202d, \u202cit means the hours between flights are no longer wasted time\u202d, \u202cbut enriching value add-ons and parts of the journey\u202d. \u202cFor the industry\u202d, \u202cit is a chance to turn transience into talkability and loyalty\u202d.\u202c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Khaleej Times<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Published: 19 September 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Around the world\u202d, \u202cterminals are being redesigned as experience hubs that blend luxury\u202d, \u202cinnovation\u202d, \u202cwellness\u202d, \u202cand culture For many of us expats\u202d, \u202cDubai has become home ground\u202d, \u202cand the place we measure the world against\u202d. \u202cThe more we travel\u202d, \u202cthe more we\u202d \u202cappreciate what Dubai has built\u202d, \u202cand nowhere is this clearer than in its […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":32207,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4571,930,4573,4572,4574],"class_list":["post-32206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-aviation-innovation","tag-dubai-airport","tag-experience-hubs","tag-global-travel-trends","tag-heathrow-airport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32206"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32208,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32206\/revisions\/32208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}