Videos of the year

‘Pray’ by Jeff Orson

‘Pray’, the single recorded by Canadian duty free executive and professional singer-songwriter Jeff Orson was released in association with The Moodie Davitt Report, which conceived the idea to raise funds for the UN COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. The performance delivered soaring YouTube views and donations upon its release. Pray is a powerful song themed around the global COVID-19 pandemic, written and recorded by Jeff, who is National Director – Duty Free for PMA Canada. It’s an initiative we are proud to have been part of, and that the travel retail industry generously supported.

Dubai Duty Free Nightingales: ‘You raise me up’

While the world was reeling from the impact of COVID-19 in April, this video from Dubai Duty Free brought a beautifully positive spirit to a time of crisis.

It featured the Dubai Duty Free Nightingales, singing Josh Groban’s ‘You Raise Me Up’ from their homes while in lockdown. The split screen zoom view showing each of them singing alone and yet in perfect unison still sends a shiver down one’s spine. The performance offered a moving musical tribute to key workers across the global duty free industry.

Clap for our Carers – Travel Retail

Figures from across the travel retail community embraced The Moodie Davitt Report’s call to join together and applaud the work of the medical community worldwide – especially the doctors, nurses and other frontline staff involved helping the world deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking our cue from individual initiatives across the world, The Moodie Davitt Report asked members of the industry community, whether at home in isolation or at work in offices, downtown stores or at airports, to join a worldwide burst of applause on 31 March. Click here for more.

“We will get you home”

Qatar Airways made a huge impression (and was awarded a special judge’s accolade in the Moodies Awards) for its poignant conveying of a simple-sounding yet hugely complex mission to get people home to their loved ones during the COVID-19 crisis.

Qatar Airways played an inspirational, arguably unrivalled, leadership role throughout the crisis, one beautifully personified by a cabin crew member interviewed in this heartwarming film. She says simply, “We will bring you home.”

‘Lucky to have you’

In April ATÜ Duty Free released a moving video tribute to honour its employees amid the COVID-19 health crisis. The video, entitled to ‘Lucky to Have You’, showed a series of photos featuring the company’s employees, who are working across 20 airports in seven countries.

The touching tribute concludes with a message of gratitude that reads, “To all our employees who fulfil their duties at seven countries and 20 airports, with all their devotion, and who try to reflect our excellent service and understanding to our guests, we are lucky to have you.”

Glasgow Airport’s louder than life tribute

Glasgow Airport honoured the NHS as part of the UK government’s ‘Clap for our Carers’ campaign, which saw the nation come together, every Thursday at 8pm during the first nationwide lockdown, to honour the medical front liners battling the COVID-19 outbreak.

On 9 April, the Scottish airport offered a similar tribute by assembling its team of fire men (and fire trucks) accompanied by the roaring sounds of bagpipes and fire truck sirens to honour health workers across the country.

“The warmest welcome is the safest welcome”

As store reopenings began in June, Aer Rianta International (ARI) released a video through The Moodie Davitt Report that highlighted its plan for store reopenings and explained how it was encouraging travellers to purchase as they return to flying. The company rolled out a range of special offers on key products to reignite shopper interest, accompanied by a strong communications campaign.

What’s your Passcode?

In a landmark move for AirAsia Group, RedRecords — a joint venture between the airline company and Universal Music Group — released ‘Passcode,’ the debut single of Thai-German artist Jannine Weigel on 18 September. RedRecords aims to showcase ASEAN musical talent and give rising Asian pop-stars a global platform. Jannine Weigel is the record label’s first signed talent. As readers will also know, Passcode was the official song of the inaugural Virtual Travel Retail Expo.

‘While You Were Home’: Changi Airport Group champions tourism heroes

In October Changi Airport Group (CAG) released a short film showcasing the resilience of Singapore’s tourism workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. While You Were Home introduced “real heroes” who, according to CAG, were ready to take on challenges and refused to let hardship defeat them.

Touring Hainan’s shopping hotspot

In late November CGTN reporter He Weiwei took viewers to Asia’s largest travel retail shopping centre, the China Duty Free Group-operated Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Haitang Bay, anchored by the acclaimed CDF Mall. The programme offered a graphic and fascinating insight into this giant brand emporium and how Chinese shopping behaviour there has very much returned to normal.

Note: Our thanks to Hainan Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development (Hainan IEDB) for supplying this video. Hainan IEDB is a government agency established by the Hainan government in 2019 to build Hainan as a Free Trade Port with distinctive Chinese features.

The Moodie Davitt Report works closely with Hainan IEDB to further international understanding of Hainan, the Free Trade Port concept, and the offshore duty free industry. The Bureau will host its inaugural China International Consumer Products Expo on 7-10 May 2021.