Argentina Joins Brazil, Colombia and More Countries to Participating at Asociación Sudamericana de Tiendas Libres in Panama in June 2027

Argentina joins Brazil, Colombia and more countries participating at Asociación Sudamericana de Tiendas Libres (ASUTIL) in Panama in June 2027, as travel-retail leaders prepare for transformation.

The Asociación Sudamericana de Tiendas Libres (ASUTIL) is taking its annual conference back to Panama in June 2027, bringing together travel-retail executives, operators, suppliers and industry specialists from across Latin America and the Caribbean. The conference will focus on “Transformation”, reflecting the rapid changes reshaping duty-free and travel retail as consumer behaviour, technology, tourism flows and commercial strategies continue to evolve.

The Panama gathering will follow a strong 2026 edition in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where more than 370 participants attended the 25th ASUTIL Conference between 2 and 5 June. According to ASUTIL, attendance increased by 14.2% compared with Lima 2025 and was 32.5% higher than the 2023 edition, demonstrating sustained interest in the regional travel-retail market.

Why is ASUTIL returning to Panama in 2027?

ASUTIL’s return to Panama carries both commercial and historical significance. The association previously held its conference in Panama in 2015, and the 2027 edition will provide an opportunity to examine how the country’s travel-retail environment has changed over the past decade while considering the wider transformation taking place across the Americas.

According to ASUTIL’s conference information, the organisation’s annual meeting serves as a platform for businesses and professionals connected with the duty-free and travel-retail industry. Panama’s geographical position also makes it relevant to an event designed to connect markets across South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

The country’s international connectivity is another factor behind the choice. Panama acts as a major aviation and commercial hub for the Americas, giving international delegates access to a destination positioned between North and South American markets and within relatively easy reach of the Caribbean.

For ASUTIL, this makes Panama more than simply a conference venue. It provides a setting in which the organisation can bring together markets with different operating conditions, consumer profiles and tourism structures.

What will the ‘Transformation’ theme mean for travel retail?

The “Transformation” theme is designed around the changing nature of travel retail rather than a single commercial issue. ASUTIL says the 2027 event will encourage participants to share perspectives, convert ideas into action and explore new opportunities in an industry experiencing significant change.

Travel retail has been undergoing structural changes as airports, border crossings, airlines, cruise operators, retailers and brands respond to evolving traveller expectations. Digital purchasing, personalisation, omnichannel retail, changing tourism demographics and new approaches to customer engagement are increasingly influencing how travellers interact with duty-free businesses.

The transformation agenda is therefore expected to cover both commercial and operational questions.

Retailers need to understand where travellers shop, what they purchase, how they research products and how digital channels influence purchases before, during and after a journey. At the same time, operators need to balance these changing expectations with airport regulations, border requirements, commercial agreements and the practical constraints of physical travel environments.

ASUTIL’s 2027 conference is positioned to examine these developments from a distinctly Latin American and Caribbean perspective.

Which countries are expected to participate?

ASUTIL has not yet published an official country-by-country delegate list for the 2027 conference. However, the association’s regional activity, conference programmes and travel-retail network demonstrate participation and business connections extending across South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Major markets associated with ASUTIL’s regional ecosystem include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay, alongside other Central American and Caribbean destinations.

ASUTIL represents an industry that operates across highly diverse markets. Brazil’s large domestic and international travel base creates a different commercial environment from Uruguay’s border-duty-free sector, while Panama’s role as an international aviation and commercial hub differs from the tourism-driven markets of the Caribbean.

This diversity is particularly important to the 2027 theme. Rather than treating Latin America and the Caribbean as a single travel-retail market, the conference can examine how different countries respond to common pressures while developing market-specific solutions.

Why are Brazil and Uruguay important to the ASUTIL network?

Brazil and Uruguay have long been significant within the regional duty-free and travel-retail environment.

Brazil provides one of the region’s largest consumer and travel markets, while its extensive land borders create specific opportunities and regulatory considerations for duty-free retail. The Brazilian market is therefore relevant to discussions surrounding border shopping, international tourism, consumer spending and retail expansion.

Uruguay, meanwhile, has a particularly distinctive position because of its established border-duty-free sector. Its geographical relationship with Argentina and Brazil means that cross-border travel can have a direct influence on retail activity.

Industry coverage of previous ASUTIL conferences has included executives and operators connected with these markets, demonstrating the importance of cross-border retail to the association’s agenda. The Moodie Davitt Report’s coverage of ASUTIL has also highlighted the participation of regional operators and suppliers in previous editions.

These markets illustrate why a regional conference is valuable: travel retail in the Americas cannot be understood solely through airport sales.

How important are Peru, Chile and Argentina?

Peru, Chile and Argentina also form important parts of the wider regional travel-retail landscape.

Lima hosted the ASUTIL conference in 2025, giving Peru a recent connection to the organisation’s annual event programme. The Lima conference also established a useful benchmark for the growth recorded at Punta Cana in 2026.

Chile has become increasingly relevant to international travel and retail through its airport, tourism and cross-border markets. Meanwhile, Argentina represents one of South America’s largest tourism and consumer markets and has strong travel connections with neighbouring countries.

The interaction between these markets is significant because travellers frequently cross national boundaries within South America. Consequently, tourism recovery, airline capacity, currency movements and border regulations can influence retail demand across multiple countries simultaneously.

The 2027 conference is therefore expected to provide an opportunity for industry leaders to examine these interconnections rather than considering national markets in isolation.

What happened at the ASUTIL 2026 conference?

The 2026 conference in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, provided the immediate backdrop for the Panama announcement.

ASUTIL reported more than 370 participants at the 25th conference, held from 2–5 June 2026. Attendance was 14.2% higher than the 2025 event in Lima and 32.5% higher than in 2023.

The growth is significant because professional conferences remain an important mechanism for travel-retail businesses to establish commercial relationships. Retail operators, brand representatives, distributors, airport stakeholders and service providers can use these gatherings to discuss developments that may not be apparent through conventional market data alone.

The Punta Cana result also demonstrated continued interest in ASUTIL’s regional platform. The organisation’s decision to return to Panama while maintaining controlled attendance suggests that the conference is intended to remain focused on business interaction and industry dialogue.

Why will attendance be limited in Panama?

The 2027 edition will not simply replicate the scale of Punta Cana.

ASUTIL has indicated that attendance will be limited, with industry reporting putting the expected maximum at around 350 participants. The smaller format is intended to support meaningful networking and interaction among delegates.

Registration will also take place in phases. From 1 to 31 January 2027, ASUTIL members and people who attended the 2026 Punta Cana conference will have an exclusive registration window. Any places remaining after that period are expected to become available for general registration from 1 February 2027.

The approach gives previous participants and association members priority while allowing the wider travel-retail community an opportunity to attend if capacity remains.

For businesses planning their 2027 industry calendar, the registration timetable will therefore be an important consideration.

How is technology transforming travel retail?

Technology is likely to remain an important part of the transformation discussion.

Travel retail increasingly overlaps with digital commerce. Travellers can discover products online, compare prices before departure, interact with brands through mobile platforms and, in some markets, reserve merchandise before reaching an airport or border crossing.

For retailers, this creates an opportunity to build a relationship with customers before they enter a physical store. Data-driven personalisation can also help businesses understand traveller profiles and offer products based on nationality, destination, journey purpose or previous purchasing behaviour.

However, technology also creates challenges. Retailers must manage customer expectations, privacy considerations, payment systems, inventory visibility and the integration of online and physical sales channels.

The 2027 conference could therefore provide an important platform for discussing how travel retailers in emerging and established Latin American markets can adopt these technologies while maintaining commercially viable operations.

What does changing tourism mean for duty-free businesses?

The transformation of travel retail is closely connected with the transformation of tourism itself.

International travellers are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of age, nationality, travel purpose and spending behaviour. Leisure tourism, business travel, cruise tourism, aviation and cross-border shopping all generate different purchasing patterns.

The Caribbean is particularly important because tourism is closely connected with international air travel and cruising. South America, meanwhile, has a strong combination of domestic, regional and international tourism markets.

These differences mean that travel retailers need flexible strategies. A product or promotion that performs well in a major airport may not generate the same response at a land border or cruise destination.

ASUTIL’s regional structure allows these distinctions to be discussed within one professional forum.

Why does Panama matter beyond the conference?

Panama’s role extends beyond hosting the event.

The country occupies a strategic position in international aviation and trade, while Panama City serves as a major gateway for business and leisure travel in the Americas. The country’s connectivity gives international companies a practical meeting point for reaching several regional markets.

For travel-retail professionals, Panama also provides an opportunity to examine how a destination can combine tourism, aviation, commerce and retail.

The 2027 conference will consequently allow delegates to consider both the local Panamanian market and the broader Latin American and Caribbean opportunity.

The return is particularly relevant because the last ASUTIL conference in Panama took place in 2015. More than a decade later, the market has changed substantially, with new technologies, evolving consumer expectations and different tourism patterns influencing the industry.

What can travel-retail businesses expect from ASUTIL 2027?

The conference is expected to centre on business networking, industry discussions, market perspectives and emerging opportunities rather than simply functioning as a conventional trade exhibition.

Participants can expect conversations involving retailers, suppliers, brands, airports, border operators and other stakeholders involved in the travel-retail value chain.

The regional diversity of attendees is likely to be one of the event’s most important characteristics. Representatives connected with Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic and other Latin American and Caribbean markets can bring different perspectives on consumer behaviour, regulation, tourism and retail development.

This makes the conference particularly relevant for companies seeking to understand how regional markets differ and where common commercial opportunities may exist.

What does ASUTIL 2027 signal for Latin American travel retail?

The decision to return to Panama reflects the continuing importance of Latin America and the Caribbean within the global travel-retail conversation.

The region combines large population centres, expanding international tourism markets, major aviation hubs, border-shopping destinations and established Caribbean leisure markets. At the same time, businesses operate within different regulatory, economic and consumer environments.

ASUTIL’s “Transformation” theme acknowledges that the industry is no longer defined simply by selling traditional duty-free products to passengers. Retailers are increasingly required to understand the entire traveller journey, from digital discovery and destination selection through to airport, border or cruise-terminal purchasing.

The Panama conference will bring those questions into a regional setting, allowing businesses to compare experiences and examine how international travel-retail trends can be adapted to local markets.

What happens next for ASUTIL 2027?

The immediate priority for prospective participants will be registration.

The exclusive registration period for ASUTIL members and 2026 Punta Cana participants begins on 1 January 2027 and runs through 31 January. General registration is scheduled to begin on 1 February 2027, subject to remaining capacity.

The exact conference dates in June 2027 are still to be confirmed, while the event is expected to maintain a controlled attendance level.

For the travel-retail industry, the Panama conference will arrive at a time when digital commerce, traveller expectations, tourism recovery, regional connectivity and changing retail models are reshaping the sector.

ASUTIL’s return to Panama therefore offers more than a repeat of its 2015 meeting. It creates a forum for the region’s travel-retail community to examine what has changed, what remains unresolved and how businesses can translate new ideas into practical commercial action.

ASUTIL 2027 in Panama will bring Latin American and Caribbean travel-retail stakeholders together under the theme of “Transformation”, following the record participation achieved at Punta Cana in 2026. While an official country-by-country delegate list has not yet been released, ASUTIL’s established network spans markets including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic, alongside wider Central American and Caribbean markets. With attendance expected to be limited and registration opening first to members and 2026 participants, the June 2027 conference is positioned as a focused meeting point for an industry adapting to new technologies, traveller behaviours and commercial opportunities.

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and more countries will connect through ASUTIL in Panama in June 2027. The conference will examine transformation across travel retail and strengthen regional business links. Meanwhile, participating countries will share market perspectives, explore emerging opportunities and assess how changing traveller behaviour is reshaping Latin America’s retail landscape.

Image: ASUTIL 2027