Nestlé International Travel Retail is delighted to announce its Gold-level sponsorship of the inaugural APTRA Conference in Delhi, India next month (March 19-21). The sponsorship reflects the strategic importance of India to Nestlé ITR where the region has been a long-term development priority and focus for investment.
“We applaud APTRA for committing to a conference that highlights the rapidly growing importance of India and the Indian traveller to our channel,” says NITR general manager Stewart Dryburgh. Reportedly surging as the world’s fastest-growing major economy, bolstered by a robust recovery from COVID-19, India’s GDP increased by an impressive 7.8% in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 (according to the National Statistics Office(, with a commitment to sustainable, innovative and inclusive development and growth.
“We see India becoming a significant player in our future and a growth engine for travel retail. Within that, the wider food category will be a key driver of that growth as it is such a critically important sector to the Indian population,” continues Dryburgh. “Nestlé ITR has enjoyed fantastic growth in this region in recent years thanks both to the appeal of global brands and to the strength of our strategic partnerships with retailers such as Mumbai Duty Free, Delhi Duty Free, Avolta and Flemingo.
“For this reason, we are honoured to support APTRA as part of our commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration in the region between operators, retailers and brands to better shape the future of travel retail in both this dynamic country and the wider region. We wish APTRA much success for what will hopefully become the first of a regular regional conference and look forward to connecting with our retail partners and the wider TR community who share our enthusiasm and commitment to fully realise the region’s growth potential.”
Head of Category Development Nicola Wells will be updating delegates at the conference on
Nestlé’s ambitions within India. “We see Indian travel retail playing a pivotal role in our ambition to make food the #1 most purchased category in travel retail and the APTRA conference will enable us to elucidate our latest progress in achieving that goal,” says Dryburgh.
The company will also be sponsoring a Refreshment Break during the two-day Conference where delegates can enjoy a ‘break’ with KITKAT® complemented by delicious NESCAFE® Roastery Coffee.