Cannes information | JES Travel Retail

Cannes information

Registration with TFWA is now open - Click here

Disclaimer

This exclusive JES Travel Retail page is a fully independent service providing information and advice connected to the 2025 Tax Free World Association World Exhibition and conference, the city of Cannes and surrounding area - the page is not affiliated with the TFWA association.

This page will be updated on a regular basis from now until the end of the show so please return to find out the latest advice, details of social events, conferences, restaurant tips, information on how to get the most of the show and much more

No liability/guarantee is accepted with regards to the information provided and all opinions are provided purely from our personal/internal perspective based on visits to the TFWA show since the 90s. Any organisations, events or locations that are sponsoring their inclusion on this page are clearly annotated. The connected "Cannes meeting boards" are a paid for service provided by JES Travel Retail.

Any questions or sponsoring opportunities on this page can be emailed in confidence to info@jes-travelretail.com or via the contact form below and we will try and help where possible.

General

The Tax Free World Association - www.tfwa.com - World Exhibition and Conference is due to be held in Cannes, France 28th September – 2nd October 2025 and will once again be the flagship exhibition for our industry. The show is a must for anyone involved in the global travel retail sector !

A Cannes preview will be available nearer the time of the show via TFWA 365, the preview will be an informative guide to the show and ideal for visitors – more details to follow.

Learn more about TFWA from their YouTube channel here.

Online registration

You can now regsiter online here with the site open until 4th September 2025 after which you will have to purchase tickets on site.

If you are a first time attendee then you will need to contact TFWA to register an account after which you will be able to register for tickets - note that this can take a few weeks and evidence of travel retail involvement is required so we recommend you begin the process as soon as registration opens. Any issues, you can contact the TFWA organisation via the following email addresses : visitors@tfwa.com or registration@tfwa.com.

For 1st time visitors pre registration as soon as possible is highly recommended as whilst tickets can

be purchased at the site on the day - subject to travel retail related activities - rates (Euro 352,00) are higher compared to comparible pre registration levels.

TFWA advise that you add the e-mail domain “tfwa.com” and "tgnlt-klipso-event.net" to your list of white list / known addresses to ensure that you receive emails and updates.

Contact TFWA with any registration questions :

Visitors here

Exhibitors here

It is not possible to pre register for day tickets, this needs to be handled on site.

Registration & day tickets

Registration (ticket collection) is at the Gare Maritime to the right of the Palais / Casino so a 1 minute walk from the show location. This where you will collect your pre registered ticket but remember to bring ID and your pre registration documentation. For day tickets it is highly advisable to bring documentation showing your involvement in the travel retail sector.

28th September 2025 : 09.00 hrs - 19.30 hrs

29th September 2025 : 07.30 hrs – 18.30 hrs

30th September 2025 : 09.00 hrs – 18.30 hrs

1st October 2025 : 09.00 hrs – 18.30 hrs

2nd October 2025 : 09.00 hrs – 17.00 hrs

Exhibition opening times

29th September : 12.00 hrs - 18.30 hrs

30th September : 09.00 hrs - 18.30 hrs

1st October : 09.00 hrs - 18.30 hrs

2nd October : 09.00 hrs - 18.30 hrs

A map of the exhibition area is available here.

TFWA key dates

There is no Management Committee designation in 2025.

Detail of the TFWA Annual General Meeting will be published at a later date with the event normally taking place on the Thursday in the Auditorium K of the Palais des Festivals.

2024 TFWA World Exhibition and Conference

Want to know if the show is for you, or just want to relive the highlights from last year, then visit The Review 2024 link here.

The TFWA Conference & workshops

To begin the week on the Monday morning (29th September 2025) the TFWA conference “Explore New Horizons” will be held in the Grand Auditorium, Palais des Festivals starting at 09.00 and running until approximately 12.00 - note that the show begins after the conference so attending the conference does not take away any time from waking the halls.

The 2025 speakers will be TFWA President Philippe Margueritte, Rudolph Lohmeyer (Partner at Kearney and head of the National Transformations Institute), Gloria Guevara Manzo (Chief Special Advisor in the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia and former President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council) and Bobby Jones (author and co-founder of brand consultancy Conspiracy of Love).

The conference will once again be moderated by journalist and presenter Stephen Sackur.

The TFWA link to the speakers can be found here.

During the week you will also find insightful workshops run by TFWA, the details of some are below with more details to follow :

30th September 2025 : World in flux: Travel retail amid today’s geopolitical realities held at Innovation Square.

1st October 2025 : Next horizon: Charting the future of travel retail held at Innovation Square.

Details for the TFWA i.Lab workshops are currently not available. The TFWA i.Lab runs alongside the traditional exhibition and is a fast growing part of the travel retail week. The i.Lab centres on innovation within our sector and expands knowledge of the traveller experience.

Exhibitors

A complete list of exhibitors will be provided by TFWA nearer the time of the show.

Travel

The TFWA website also has additional information about travel options including the TFWA partner for helicopter transfers Azur Hélicoptère.

For preferential airline rates with Air France and KLM details will be published shortly.

Where is Cannes airport ... nowhere, Cannes doesn't have an airport so you will need to fly into Nice. The TFWA provide on the days prior to the show beginning and the Monday in addition to the final day a free shuttle bus service for show ticket holders which departs from Nice airport and stops at all the major hotels plus the Palais des Festivals. The multilingual TFWA staff are located in the arrivals hall, land side terminal areas and in the outside areas so they are easy to find.

The details for the free shuttle service will be found at the TFWA website nearer the time with the service covering Nice airport to the Palais, Nice airport to a selection of hotels, Hotels to the Palais, Opening cocktail and the Palais to Nice airport.

If you are not able to use the TFWA shuttle service then there are regular bus options (Bus 81 formerly referred to as Express Bus 210 and which leaves from terminal 1 in the high season and which runs every 45 minutes with the journey taking approximately 45 minutes. Single fares are Euro 19,00 (valid April 2024). Download here the Bus 81 information sheet will be available shortly.

Tickets can be purchased online www.niceairportexpress.com, at the airport or directly from the driver.
Ticket windows are opened daily 08:00-19:30 at terminal 1 (bus station Exit A0) & terminal 2 (between Exits A2/A3).

In the centre of Cannes there is the City Palm shuttle bus :

Stops: Town Hall > La Pantiero > La Croisette > Rue Latour-Maubourg > Rue d'Antibes > Train Station > Rue du Maréchal Joffre

Monday-Saturday: 9am-7.15pm

Stops every 10-15 minutes

Blue posts on the pavement or a blue dotted line on the road mark on-demand stops

Low-floor minibus for improved access

Nice airport map here.

A link for Nice airport is here.

A link for the Nice fancile website page regarding the bus options is here.

A link will soon be published for transport options in and around Cannes.

Helicopter and limousine options are also available for those who want that little extra luxury.

Suntransfers give online quotations for private transfers without initially having to give personal details or flight details.

There is now a Nice Saint-Augustin railway station with a link to from Nice Airport and Cannes. You have a short 10 minutes walk from T1, or catch a tram from T1 or T2. This line will run up to three trains per hour and the journey only takes 22 minutes!

Taxis from the centre of Cannes to Nice and vice versa cost approximately Euro 90 each way. Licensed taxis are cars with a Taxi sign on the roof, a taxi fare meter and a badge with the driver's license number. Only taxis located at official taxi stands are allowed to take customers, if you are approached by people posing as taxi, we invite you to decline any proposal of transportation.

Taxi stands at Nice airport are located outside of the terminals, upon arrival follow the signs to Taxis or Terminal 1 (Exit A1) ; Terminal 2 (Exit A3).

Uber rates are considerably cheaper as below based on Cannes - Nice airport (1st June 2025 at 13,30 hrs) :

Uber X (up to 4 passengers) : Euro 39,00

Uber Comfort (up to 4 passengers) : Euro 48,00

Uber Van (up to 6 passengers) : Euro 79,00

There are 3 main routes to drive to Cannes :

1. The A8 "La Provençale" motorway has two exits taking you to Cannes, Cannes-La Bocca (41) and Mougins/Cannes (42), from Aix-en-Provence to the west and Italy to the East.

2. The Route Napoléon (N85) runs from Golfe Juan to Grenoble through Cannes city centre (rue Bivouac Napoléon), Castellane, Digne, Sisteron and more. It follows the famous route Napoleon and his army took to return to Elba in 1815.

3. The RN7 was nicknamed the "Route des Vacances" (holiday road) and Charles Trénet sang about it in 1955. The 996km road ran from Paris to Menton before it was downgraded and crossed the entire Cannes area from west to east along the seaside. The route is now covered by the 6007 and 6098 regional roads.

If you are travelling by car we will shortly be publishing the French toll rates ... below are the 2024 rates for your advanced information :

Cote D' Azur Toll Charges:

A7 Montpellier - Aix-en-Provence, €9.40 although you can also use the parallel minor roads.

A54 Aix-en-Provence - Toulon, €7.60

A7 Lyon - Aix-en-Provence, €23.50 although the parallel roads are also convenient

A8 Toulon - Italian border costs €11.30 but consider the parallel roads

Toll Roads from Nice Airport

Nice - Menton (A8), €2.20

Nice - Cannes (A8), €2.90

Nice - Aix-en-Provence (A8), €16.70

Nice - Frejus (A8), €5.80

Nice - Marseille (A8) and (A7) €19.60

Cannes has 2166 parking spaces split into 2 zones on the highway, all with the first half hour free and just 3 € for 2 hours. On top of that the city has 7000 spaces (first hour free) in 17 car parks and 3500 motorcycle parking bays. Not forgetting the 16,000 free parking spaces all over town! (Source cannes.com)

Parking links :

Car parks : Click here

Public highway parking : Click here

Parking and towing regulations can be viewed here

Meetings

Planning meetings .... We are now 4 months from the show so whilst some people will not be planning their meetings yet, we advise to begin forming a plan and to begin approaching decision makers that you would like to - ideally – meet. Meetings planned 4 weeks before the show will be possible but with very limited success with key players having meeting calendars nearly fully booked 8 weeks be.

For brands and distributors attending the show and who are looking at entering travel retail be realistic about the chances of getting meetings with the key accounts. The show is shorter than average domestic shows and realistically key accounts have 2 days to see everyone. If you are lucky enough to obtain a meeting with a key travel retail account then budget a maximum of 1 hour and expect them to be 15 minutes late and leave 5 minutes ... meetings with such people are extremely valuable and many visitors will be envious that you have managed to obtain a meeting but being realistic about timings is always advisable.

There is also the option to benefit from the TFWA ONE2ONE meeting service - more details to follow.

For 2025 we have launched a number of Cannes meeting boards so that you can promote your attendance and have visitors contact you direct to arrange a meeting, the Cannes meeting boards provided by JES Travel Retail are available here.

* Visitors contact you directly via the link provided to your post

* Your company's website is linked to your post

* Write a short description of your work and availability during the show

* Reach a GTR audience in 68+ countries (av. quarterly 2024 traffic data for the website www.jes-travelretaillcom)

Any questions regarding the meeting boards can be forwarded here.

The classic mistakes

Apartment shows , good or bad idea ? ... Yes on paper the costs are less than exhibiting and the apartment can also sleep members of staff but we can simply say that excluding very rare occasions apartment shows simply do not work. The reasons why apartment shows are not advisable are in principle weather related :

Nice weather : Clients and prospects don't want to walk to your apartment and stay in the vicinity of the Palais where they can enjoy walking the harbour and probably are enjoying an extended lunch.

Bad weather : Clients and prospects will not want to walk to your apartment and get soaked

Additionally apartment shows exclude all "walk by" business which at the show is a huge source of networking and unscheduled business opportunities. You will have "no shows" for meetings and therefore walk by business is essential.

We fully appreciate that if you don't have a booth then an apartment as a “booth in lieu” seems like a workable alternative but spend the budget more effectively with a table reserved at one of the cafes nearby where you can hold meetings and clients are by far more likely to turn up, and also has some walk by opportunities.

If you are planning on having an apartment show then do not publish details all over social media, and in particular Linkedin, with the TFWA logo, motto and 2025 image. This "piggy backing" is rightly frowned upon and such a tactic will simply generate a negative image for your organisation as the practice, which TFWA rightly so strongly disagree with, has been discouraged in the press over the past years. There are subtle ways to promote your apartment without implying any direct connection to the TFWA show ... we will let you work that out !

Meeting red flags ... beware of the unknown contact that requests a meeting and do your background checks to find if the person/organisation have a genuine interest in travel retail - TFWA have a superb registration that "weeds out" those not genuine visitors but unfortunately some get through the filter. There are always cases of unscrupulous people that request meetings during the show so that they can justify in their company travelling to Cannes based on a calendar full of meetings ... they simply don't turn up on your booth and enjoy a week in the south of France. These "contacts" block valuable windows in your schedule that can be used for more productive contacts.

A simple Linkedin "similar contacts" check can highlight those people that are not genuinely active in our sector ... contact us and we will be happy to cross reference any suspicious contacts against our extensive travel retail contact network, free of charge.

We noticed in recent years a new trend of sitting at a table in Cafe Roma with a sign saying for example "Distributor looking for new brands" ... we strongly advise against such blatant marketing in the same way that we advise against approaching red badge holders (indicating a buyer) when they are outside of the halls.

Service provider red flags .... as with any major international trade fair they are a number of service providers (rental accommodation, logistics, warehousing in Cannes, demonstrators etc. etc.) that claim to be TFWA show experts or TFWA authorised and whilst there are many that are there are also many that are not. We would always recommend checking credentials of service providers and if in doubt contact the TFWA offices to check whether claims of an affiliation are genuine.

As a sign of the importance that the organisers place on caution TFWA run a web page dedicated to the subject , we will publish a link nearer the time.

Social events

All work and no play ... certainly not and the TFWA social/networking is as legendary as the show itself whether its the iconic Camel club back in the 90s to the more recent Scene followed now by the hugely popular "TFWA Lounge" located on the beach if front of the Carlton hotel - it is highly recommended !

The TFWA Lounge is divided into 2 times on the 29th and 30th September :

18.30 hrs - 21.00 hrs : After work session

22.00 hrs - 01.00 hrs : Night time session

On the 1st October the TFWA Lounge is open 18.30 hrs – 21.00 hrs.

On the 28th September the Carlton beach location will host the Welcome Cocktail party (smart casual) and on 1st October the TFWA "Phenomena Club" closing night party.

Remember that you will need your exhibition badge in order to enter the TFWA Lounge !

Over the next weeks we will publish details of social events, for example ...

The TFWA in co-operation with M1nd Set “Yes We Cannes!” blind football & wheelchair rugby tournament will be held on 28th September from 09.00 hrs – 12.00 hrs.

Opening cocktails held on Carlton Beach from 19.00 hrs on the 28th September 2024 with dress code smart casual.

There are also a number of bars and clubs that the trade show visitors frequent with the Irish bar Morrison's (10 Rue Teisseire, 06400 Cannes) being extremely popular with its 2 bars and outside drinking area.

Additional highlights ... up to the time of the show we will be providing details of any special events. If your organisation wishes to promote an event then please contact is at info@jes-travelretail.com.

Gala events

Gala events ... There are 2 gala/award events during the exhibition week :

TRB Awards held at the Hôtel Martinez, Cannes on 30th September 2025 : Link here

Book tickets here

Frontier awards by DFNI held at Palm Beach, Cannes on 1st October 2025 : Link here

Book tickets here

The organisers of gala events may be registered as a French company and therefore under French tax law all invoices will include French VAT (20%). We can unfortunately not advise on local VAT reimbursement procedures however in our home country of German we can confirm that reimbursement is possible via the online Elster portal.

Restaurants

The choice of restaurants in Cannes is extensive and given the location can be expensive however there are also some excellent 3 course menu options which we would recommend. Walk the main road from the Palais to the old town and you will see a large variety of restaurants offering menus from approximately Euro 35,00 per person.

A list of the top 20 restaurants on Tripadvisor based on total ratings will be published shortly, below are the 2024 top restaurants :

1. Gusti Italiani

2. Bathelemy Restaurant

3. Mademoiselle Gray Plage Barriere

4. Scalini

5. Le Bouche à Oreille

6. Côté Marché Bistrot Cannes

7. Le Triskell

8. Schebell

9. Lucky You Beef & Seafood

10. La Cuisine De Mathilde

11. Le Pompon

12. Chai Dee

13. L'Angle des Saveurs

14. Parthenopi

15. La Piazza

16. Uva

17. Restaurant Beryte

18. Cheer Mamma

19. Black Sails - A Pirate Tavern By Chef Lechat

20. L'éponyme d'Éric

If you have any restaurant tips then let us know and, subject to space on the page, we will let everyone know.

Hotels

What can we do now ... we recommend you book accommodation as quickly as possible and sites like www.booking.com are useful as they still have a number of hotels and private rentals that offer free cancellation up to 30 days before the show.

b networrk are the official hotel partner of TFWA, to view their hotels visit here.

A classic mistake is to misjudge the length of the famous Bouvelard de La Croisette (Croisette) along the sea front as whilst the walk is scenic take into account that temperatures will be high even at the beginning of October, you will be wearing trade fair clothes and more than likely be loaded down with samples and catalogues. A walk along the Croisette in the morning is nice, returning after the show to get changed is tiring, walking back to have dinner/drinks is hard work and the walk back again to sleep is foot based torture.

When looking at accommodation outside of Cannes take into account taxi fares as 4 trips a day will, over the course of the show, be considerable.

Best locations are the old town, Bd. Carnot or the streets parallel to the Croisette although if arriving by car take into account that parking options in Cannes are very limited within walking distance of these area although if you can find parking then rates are "standard" for such a location at approximately Euro 28,00 per day (2024 rates).

For those looking at attending with a larger number of staff there are options to rent out villas in the surrounding area and these not only prove to be more cost effective but also gives staff a superb opportunity to enjoy the down time in amazing surroundings.

There are still hotels available in Cannes on www.booking.com and we will be publishing a list nearer the time

Based on the filter 1 adult, rated 6 or higher and under 5kms from the centre of Cannes below is the list that we published in September 2024 to give some ideas :

We did not included privately hosted apartments as we have the experience that private hosts can cancel a booking at very short notice and whilst Booking.com provide support to find alternatively accommodation at this inconvenience is not useful during such a major trade show week. If you are lucky enough to find a privately hosted apartment then congratulations as this can be a cost effective way of staying near the show.

1. Résidence Pierre & Vacances Cannes Verrerie

2. Residhotel Villa Maupassant

3. B&B Hotel Cannes La Bocca Plage

4. Hotel des Victories

5. Citadines Criosette Cannes

6. Hotel Avaton

Contact details in an emergency

There is 1 consulate in Cannes for Republic of Ireland citizens however in Nice there are over 30 consulates, more details for Nice and Cannes to follow.

Ireland Honorary Consutlate in Cannes

Address: St. Michel 69, Avenue Du Roi Albert La Californie 06400 Cannes France

Telephone:+ 33 6 77 69 14 36

European emergency number : 112

Fire and rescue: 18
Police: 17
Ambulance: 15
People who are hard of hearing can text: 114

Municipal police: +33 800 117 118 (freephone)
National police - Central police station: +33 4 93 06 22 22
State police: +33 4 93 68 01 01
Cannes Town Hall: +33 4 97 06 40 00

House call emergency: 36 24
A & E (Cannes Simone Veil Hospital): +33 4 93 69 71 50
Hand emergency (private Cannes Oxford Hospital): +33 4 92 98 40 27
Out-of-hours chemists: 32 37 (Audiotel 0.35 € inc. VAT/min) or www.3237.fr

Cannes & the surrounding area

The weather forecast for Cannes wil be published nearer the time, it may be the south of France but it does rain so take an umbrella.

The list of cafes and restaurants around Cannes is as you can imagine extensive but for a coffee and excellent networking potential Cafe Roma opposite the Palais is always a good starting point - not the cheapest by far but worth the investment. As with any major town the restaurants are not cheap although with some shopping around you can find menu offers - Euro 40,00 for 3 courses last year was possible - although for any of the restaurants close to the Palais it is recommended to book in advance.

We will be publishing a list of events being held in Cannes and the surrounding area.

Visiting outside of Cannes ... The south of France is a stunning coast line and there are a number of places that we recommend visiting if you have time before or after the show, here are just a few that we know of :

Monte Carlo, naturally this home to the rich and famous is worth a visit as is a trying your luck in the famous casinos.

Antibes, offers old town enclosed by 16th-century ramparts with the star-shaped Fort Carré that overlooks luxury yachts moored at the Port Vauban marina. The forested Cap d’Antibes peninsula, dotted with grand villas, separates Antibes from Juan-les-Pins and is a stunning drive into the city.

Gasse, the home of perfume and featured in the novel Perfume by Patrick Suskind's the town is worth visiting and we highly recommend the museum in the old town where you can view the history of perfume.

Nice, where you probably have flown into, was founded by the Greeks and later a retreat for 19th-century European elite with the city having a long tradition of attracting artists. The harbour of Nice is worth a visit as is the nearby market area.

Saint Tropez, if you have any money left after Monte Carlo then visit St Tropez to continue watching the rich and famous, the cafes around St. Tropez provide superb "people watching" potential.

Saint Jean Cap Ferrat is lesser known but equally exclusive as Monte Carlo having in 2012 been named the second most expensive residential location in the world after its more famous neighbour. We can highly recommend the harbour area and path along the coast.

We hope that this was informative and we look forward to providing you with more details on the show over the coming months !

Do you have any tips for the show that you would like us to share with the wider travel retail sector, then contact us for them to published free of charge and help us make 2025 another fantastic TFWA World Exhibition and Conference.

Cannes meeting board ...

The popular exhibitor and visitor section, which helps those attending the show promote their booth or meeting availability, will be launched as a stand alone page.

Lets us help you fill your meetings calendar !

* Promote your booth / attendance

* Give a short intro to your company and category

* Link to your website

* A direct email link for visitors to contact you

* Cost per post : USD 85,00 / Euro 75,00 / GBP 65,00

Cannes meeting board here

Promote your meeting availability on the Cannes meeting board here

Anchor 1

In the centre of Cannes there is the City Palm shuttle bus :

CONTACT US ...