Q2 Travel Retail Landscape Shifts with Easter and Summer Travellers

Following on from our Q1 update, where travel is traditionally led by a more focused mix of business, family, and winter sun travellers, the travel retail landscape now begins to shift as we move into Q2.

Generally speaking, Q2 represents a clear transition point, with passenger volumes building, traveller intent evolving, and a broader, more diverse audience moving through airports. As a result, the traveller mix expands, reshaping both the composition of airport footfall and the types of shoppers that enter our stores.

So, who do we expect to see in the airport during April, May and June? Drawing on our traveller profiling research at Pi Insight, below are the key traveller profiles we expect to be most prominent as we move into the Easter period:

Leisure holidaymakers and early summer travellers

As temperatures rise, so does demand for holidays. Easter and early summer breaks drive a significant uplift in leisure-led travel, particularly among families and couples

Family travellers

School holidays and Easter breaks make this a peak period for family travel

Affluent long-haul travellers

Continuing to travel consistently throughout the year, this group remains highly valuable, with strong spending power and a propensity to trade up across categories. For this year though, we may see a shift in the ‘long-haul’ element of this group due to the current conflicts in the Middle East which could cause some of these travellers to stay closer to home

Regional city-break travellers

Short-haul mini-breaks often peak in Q2, driven by weekend breaks and cultural trips

Students and young travellers

Increasingly active around Easter and pre-summer travel windows, this group brings a younger and more exploratory mindset to the airport and Travel Retail environment

The traveller profile remains a critical driver of shopper behaviour, shaping everything from category demand to conversion dynamics. We’ll share a further update on our profile expectations as Q3 approaches but if you would like to find out more about any of our traveller profiling or segmentation data, please get in touch!