Year in Review: The Moodie Blog
The Moodie Blogs of the Year (I)
It’s been a long time since I stood on a stage in London T’was about 14 or 15 years ago I was 60 years old, just a kid with a crazy dream Now, since then I’ve taken a lot of Prozac, Paxcil, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Ritalin, Focalin I’ve also studied deeply in the philosophies and the religions but cheerfulness kept breaking through But I want to tell you something that I think will not easily be contradicted There ain’t no cure for love
– Leonard Cohen, There ain’t no cure for love
The Moodie Blog was launched in 2006, when I was (with grievous apologies to the late, great Mr Cohen), just a kid of 50 with a crazy dream. It was a recurrent dream I had carried forward since September 2002 and the launch of what was then The Moodie Report, not on a stage but inside a garden shed in London.
Almost two decades and hundreds of posts on, The Moodie Blog still bears my name and my voice, writes Martin Moodie.
As its enduring mantra declares, I like to get ‘up close and personal in travel retail’.
I try to bring a distinctive voice to my Blog, variously challenging, always observational, sometimes sad. But then, to quote the great man again, cheerfulness keeps breaking through.
Here, in chronological order, are some of my favourite Blogs from a year that until late June had been going supremely well. And then everything changed.
January
On location: Discovering Saudi Arabia’s cultural wonders and aviation opportunities
Throw away those preconceptions, discard those prejudices. Prepare instead to view the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through a brand-new set of crystal-clear lenses.
Like the Saudi society at large, the pace of change and the ambition that underpins it are, I think, unrivalled in the aviation and tourism world. All this is being driven by Vision 2030, a transformative economic and social reform blueprint that is opening Saudi Arabia to the world and within which tourism – sustainable and regenerative tourism – plays a pivotal role.
On location: Where clouds meet the land in Aseer Province
I’m in Abha, often described as the cultural heart of Saudi Arabia’s Aseer region and I’m almost breathless, not because of the rarefied air in what is known as Abha High City (some 2,000m above sea level) but because of its majestic beauty.
February
Why waiting for a plane is a pleasure at Taoyuan International Airport
In my view, no airport in the world better encapsulates the much talked-about, often poorly served concept of sense of place as Taoyuan International.
March
In celebration of The Moodie Davitt Report wāhine
A glance at our homepage tells you how passionately and well The Moodie Davitt Report women team members have embraced the task of underlining the importance of International Women’s Day. The page is splendidly awash with stories by women about women.
Finding a very New Zealand fault on the wondrous West Coast
Even here, far away from the madding crowd during a two-day retreat without internet (and only sporadic phone signal), I have found a link to the aviation sector that has dominated my life since I left New Zealand way back in 1987.
April
Mama don’t take my Toblerone (Dark) away
I feel a ‘Buy 30 get 11 free’ offer coming on. Forget Chief Brody’s famous lines from Jaws, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat”. For World Duty Free CEO Fred Creighton it will be a case of “You’re gonna need a bigger basket”.
May
Discovering colour, compassion and inclusion at Kempegowda Airport
If Bengaluru Duty Free is the airport world’s best arrivals duty-free shop, this Mitti Café is surely its most special food & beverage outlet, ‘The Magic of Abilities’ writ large across the warmest smiles you could ever hope to encounter.
June
A Flying Kiwi discovers land, sea and sky at Vancouver International Airport
Right across the YVR estate there is compelling evidence of avid consumer-centricity at every level, from operational excellence to the focus on accessibility, inclusion, sustainability, sense of place and innovative technology.
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The Moodie Davitt eZine
Issue 349 | 22 December 2025
The Moodie Davitt eZine is published 6 times per year by The Moodie Davitt Report (MA Travel Retail). © All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the Publisher. To find out more visit www.moodiedavittreport.com and to subscribe, please email kristyn@moodiedavittreport.com