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Airports in the Middle East are witnessing a fundamental shift in retail dynamics, with younger travellers emerging as the new big spenders, according to an official of the Airports Council International (ACI).Stefano Baronci, director general of ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East, noted that the findings stem from ACI’s latest retail travel report, unveiled during the Trinity Forum in Doha last week.“Passengers in the Middle East are still very much willing to spend at airports, but only where value, relevance, and convenience are immediately clear,” Baronci told Gulf Times in an exclusive interview.He said, “The key shift is that passenger mix and contextual relevance now matter far more than sheer footfall. In other words, higher volumes alone no longer guarantee stronger retail performance; what matters is who the passengers are, why they are travelling, and how well the retail offer aligns with their needs and expectations.”Baronci explained that generational differences are reshaping strategies across the region, noting that Gen Z and Millennials are more price-aware, digitally fluent, and intolerant of static retail environments, yet they are also the highest-value cohorts when engaged effectively.“Our research shows that Gen Z and Millennial international travellers, particularly in non-economy cabins, record the highest average spend and exhibit a markedly higher propensity to purchase luxury goods, perfumes, and premium cosmetics, concentrating a significant share of their spend in high-value discretionary categories. They expect fast, self-directed journeys, clear value propositions, and brands that feel authentic rather than generic,” he further stated.On the other hand, Baronci pointed out that older travellers are more conservative. “Boomers and Gen X account for a disproportionate share of non-spenders, and when they do purchase, they tend to favour familiar, lower-risk categories such as confectionery, gifting items, and travel staples, prioritising trust, clarity, and efficiency over novelty or experience,” he emphasised.Baronci stated that this divergence means airports must abandon a one-size-fits-all approach: “Future strategies will need to balance convenience-led, value-signposted offers and strong confectionery and gifting propositions for older cohorts, alongside digitally enabled, premium-curated, and experience-light luxury concepts for younger travellers. The challenge is less about adding more retail and more about aligning category mix, pacing, and presentation with who is travelling through the terminal at any given time.”Asked about the Trinity Forum, Baronci said the industry is moving decisively toward experience-led commercial design. “Airports are moving decisively toward experience-led commercial design, recognising that relevance, ease, and emotional engagement now matter as much as square metres and category density,” he said.Baronci also said, “Equally important is the push for stronger alignment between airports, airlines, and retailers, particularly around passenger flow, dwell time, and data sharing. Participants consistently highlighted that fragmented incentives slow innovation, while closer coordination enables faster responses to shifting passenger profiles and demand patterns.”He added that data-driven agility will define the next phase, noting that airports are increasingly using passenger insight and real-time performance data to adjust layouts, offers, and commercial strategies with greater speed and precision. Taken together, Baronci emphasised that these themes point to a future where agility, collaboration, and experience design will be central to global airport strategies over the next five years.On Qatar’s role as host and significance in this year’s Trinity Forum, Baronci said: “Qatar’s involvement significantly elevates the standing of the Trinity Forum because it provides a living reference point for what integrated excellence looks like at scale.”He added: “Hamad International Airport and Qatar Duty Free exemplify how connectivity, premium passenger experience, and operational discipline can be aligned within a single, coherent ecosystem, rather than treated as separate objectives.” 

Hamad International Airport’s duty free sales' share to total sales was seen highest among the Middle Eastern airports and its revenue dependence on duty free was also seen higher, according to The Airports Council International Asia-Pacific and Middle East, the trade group representing over 600 airports across 44 countries and territories.The Middle Eastern airports otherwise saw electronics spend climb 14% as passengers increasingly leveraged tax advantages and sought out airport-exclusive collections unavailable in malls, a shift toward more deliberate, value-driven purchasing at the airport, revealing a fundamental change in airport retail dynamics, revealing a fundamental change in airport retail dynamics, said ‘Travel Retail Study in the Post-Pandemic Era', developed by ACI Asia Pacific and Middle East, in partnership with Auran and Steer."Duty-free has become the financial backbone of airports across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, delivering a significant share of retail revenue and driving commercial performance at major hub," it said.Highlighting that in the Middle East, duty-free is not just important, it is central to airport economics; it said within total sale, the duty-free sales shares are consistently high across the region, with Qatar at 38%, followed by the UAE 36%, Bahrain at 34%, Saudi Arabia 31% and Oman 31%."The revenue dependence is even higher, around 60% in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and over 50% across the UAE, Bahrain and Oman," said the study.The Middle East duty-free baskets favour confectionery and perfumes, while Asia-Pacific and Oceania hubs are more premium and alcohol-driven, it said, adding across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, airport retail performance shows strong uniformity, with the same categories consistently leading sales.Luxury goods and perfumes and cosmetics rank as the top two categories in both regions, reinforcing airports as trusted destinations for premium, duty-free and gifting purchases. Electronics typically rank third, supported by pricing advantages and last-minute convenience, and together these top three categories generate the highest net margins for airports.Beyond the top tier, regional preferences emerge, with local products performing strongly in Asia-Pacific, while confectionery and impulse gifting categories show greater strength in the Middle East.As much as 56% of responding airports held their commercial revenue is now stronger than 2019 levels, it said, adding as much as 44% of airports also expect higher commercial revenue per passenger in the next 12 months.Referring to the UAE and Saudi Arabia; it said outbound travelers from these nations are now top spenders, characterised by high disposable income and a strong gifting culture."The strongest spenders today originate from China, India, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, reflecting the specific traveller segments, trip purposes, and purchasing behaviours that these markets currently generate," it said.The study also points out that younger travelers are now driving spend, while passenger behaviour, rather than sheer traffic volumes, has become the defining factor of airport travel retail performance."Airports that align their commercial strategies with evolving passenger behaviour are better equipped to manage revenue volatility, sustain investment capacity, and remain competitive over the long term,” said Stefano Baronci, Director General of ACI Asia Pacific and Middle East.The study found Gen Zs (1997-2012) and Millennials (1981-1996) spend 3.5 times higher than Gen X (1965-80) & Boomers (1946-64).Gen Zs are four times more likely than Boomers to buy electronics, it said, adding Gen Zs are 2.5 times more likely than Boomers to buy luxury products and Boomers are 1.4 times more likely than Gen Z to buy confectionary products. 

American Learner Tien overpowered Belgian opponent Alexander Blockx 4-3(4) 4-2 4-1 to win the Next Gen ATP Finals on Sunday, the ‌year-ending exhibition tournament between the eight highest-ranked players ‌on the tour ‍aged 20 and under.The tournament uses a modified format, where a player ⁠needs to win four games ⁠to clinch a set, and winning one point at ‍deuce is enough to take the game.Tien, who won his first trophy on the tour at the Moselle Open last month, held his nerve and made only 12 unforced errors while Blockx had 23, as the American won the match in just under an hour. "I'm ‌really happy. I knew it was going to be a tough match. I don't think (Blockx) missed a serve for the first ‍set-and-a-half. He's been playing ⁠great in these ‌conditions all week," said Tien, who lost last year;s final to Joao Fonseca.Blockx, who served seven aces while his opponent had only one, made his intentions clear from the start, attacking the left-handed Tien's backhand with a fast serve and running up to the net to apply pressure. Tien, ranked 28th in the world, pushed Blockx back with a well-placed lob before winning the point with a drive volley ​and although Blockx, ranked ‌116th, saved a break point and pushed the first set into a tiebreaker, top ⁠seed Tien outplayed ‍his fellow 20-year-old.Tien won the second set with a decisive break, using his powerful forehand to push Blockx back until the under-pressure Belgian second seed hit over the baseline. The American, who has clinched five victories over top-10 ranked ​players this year including a straight-sets win over world number two Alexander Zverev in February, got another break in the third set to go 3-1 up, leaving Blockx with little chance of fighting back."What a year you've had," Blockx told Tien at the trophy presentation ceremony. "There are not a lot of days I feel helpless on court ⁠but today was one of them. You're just too good."Kyrgios to make tour return at Brisbane InternationalNick Kyrgios will compete at next month's Brisbane International ‌after receiving a ‌wildcard entry, ‍organisers said on Sunday, as ⁠the former ⁠Wimbledon finalist works towards a ‍potential return to the Australian Open. The 30-year-old Australian's career has been ravaged by injury over the last couple ‌of years and he has played only five singles ‍matches in 2025, ⁠the ‌most recent at the Miami Open in March.Kyrgios, the 2018 Brisbane champion, is now ranked 673rd in the world with no protected ranking and will also need ​a wildcard to ‌compete at Melbourne Park.In the ⁠build-up ‍to the season's first Grand Slam, he will play in the Kooyong Classic warm-up exhibition event ​in Melbourne as well as a "battle of the sexes" clash with women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai on December 28.

His Excellency the Minister of Transport Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Thani met Saturday with Egypt's Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, Lt Gen Kamel Wazir. Held on the sidelines of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) General Assembly meetings in London, the meeting discussed the two countries' bilateral co-operation relations in the fields of transport, shipping and ports.The two sides also reviewed ways to further enhance these relations, particularly with regard to maritime navigation.