Brazil duty free allowances at airports to double
The duty free allowance for travelers returning to Brazil on international flights will double from US$500 to US$1000 effective January 1, 2020.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro made the announcement via Twitter, which went viral within Brazil and regionally among those who follow the duty free industry.
ASUTIL Secretary-General José Luis Donagaray indicated the change was coming during a recent webinar with the industry trade media. For now, the change applies only at airports and not at the land duty free border stores, which recently began doing business in Brazil.
Donagaray said ASUTIL is hopeful that a similar expansion in duty free allowances will be made at the land border stores.
ASUTIL is in the midst of planning for its first Brazil border conference, which is set to take place Nov. 4 – 6 in Porto Alegre. Presently, ASUTIL is taking registrations for its networking sessions for those attending the conference.
In addition to networking, those who attend the conference will be able to hear from a number of experts who include Carlos Melconian, Vice President of MACROVIEW, María Villanueva, Senior Consultant for M1nd-set, and Diego Liceo, President of the Chamber of Free Zones of Uruguay.
The upcoming meeting marks the first and only time non-members can attend an ASUTIL conference. ASUTIL is giving non-members of the organization this chance in recognition of the new opportunities afforded by the Brazilian law allowing land duty free stores to operate on the Brazilian side of the border.
The ASUTIL conference is being co-hosted with Uruguay’s Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Free Shops. The Dufry Group will host a welcoming dinner for those in attendance on Tuesday, November 5.
ASUTIL will provide meeting places at the Sheraton Puerto Alegre hotel, where the meeting is being held and will assist in the exchange of names and email addresses for those wishing to take advantage of the networking opportunities.
ASUTIL expects several hundred operators and suppliers to attend the conference and participate in the networking sessions. Registration is open online at https://encuentrodefrontera.com/registration/
Special room rates are available from October 31 through November 7 at the hotel conference site.
