The Tourism Authority of Thailand showcased Thai culture at The Gypsy Travel Festival 2026 in Mumbai, targeting premium Indian travelers with interactive exhibits and performances, attracting over 5,500 attendees.
Key Points
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) promoted Thai culture and travel at The Gypsy Travel Festival 2026 in Mumbai, targeting premium millennial and family travelers from India. The event, held on February 7-8, showcased Thailand alongside Sapporo City and Kenya, attracting a high-spending audience aged 25 to 45.
Thailand’s pavilion, themed around the Songkran Festival, featured vivid visuals, cultural demonstrations like the Khon masked dance, traditional crafts, and Thai cooking. A luxury wellness agency also presented holiday packages, enhancing Thailand’s appeal.
With over 5,500 attendees, the festival generated 4 million digital and outdoor impressions. A survey indicated strong interest in destinations like Bangkok and Phuket, with many planning trips to Thailand, highlighting potential growth in the Indian market.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently promoted Thai culture and travel experiences at The Gypsy Travel Festival (TGTF) 2026 in Mumbai, seeking to boost Thailand’s appeal among premium millennial and family travelers from India. The effort was led by the TAT Mumbai Office and the ASEAN, South Asia, and South Pacific Market Division, under the direction of TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool, with support from Consul-General Donnawit Poolsawat and senior TAT executives. The festival was held from February 7 to 8 at Jio World Drive and attracted a large audience from a high-spending travel segment.
Thailand participated as one of three main destination partners, alongside Sapporo City and ANA of Japan, and Kenya. TGTF 2026 is Mumbai’s largest lifestyle travel festival, attracting mainly visitors aged 25 to 45 through exhibitions, discussions, workshops, and food and beverage showcases focused on international travel and lifestyle trends.
Thailand’s pavilion was presented under a Songkran Festival theme, using vivid visuals and interactive activities to introduce Thai traditions and seasonal travel experiences. Cultural demonstrations and performances included Khon masked dance, long-drum and Songkran dances, traditional handicrafts, Thai cooking demonstrations, interactive games, and photo opportunities inspired by Bo Sang umbrellas. A luxury and wellness travel agency also co-exhibited to promote special holiday packages in Thailand.
More than 5,500 people attended the festival, while promotional activities generated over four million impressions across digital platforms and outdoor media. A visitor survey showed strong interest in destinations such as Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, and Samui, with beaches, food, and cultural festivals ranking as Thailand’s most recognized attractions. Many respondents said they plan to visit Thailand within the year, pointing to continued growth potential in the Indian market.
Sarah Ferguson, the 66-year-old former Duchess of York commonly known as Fergie, remains a polarizing figure in British public life. Once a vibrant member of the royal family through her marriage to Prince Andrew, she has faced ongoing scrutiny, particularly following recent revelations tied to Jeffrey Epstein. As six of her companies face dissolution and her charity closes amid renewed Epstein file disclosures, here are 10 essential things to know about her life, career and current circumstances.
Sarah Ferguson
Royal Marriage and Divorce Ferguson married Prince Andrew on July 23, 1986, at Westminster Abbey, becoming the Duchess of York. The couple had two daughters: Princess Beatrice (born 1988) and Princess Eugenie (born 1990). They separated in 1992 amid tabloid scandals, including infamous photos of Ferguson with financial adviser John Bryan. Their divorce finalized in 1996, but they have remained close, often living together at Royal Lodge until recent years. Ferguson has described their post-divorce relationship as supportive.
Nicknamed “Fergie” The red-haired Ferguson earned the affectionate nickname “Fergie” early in her royal tenure. It stuck through media coverage of her outgoing personality, which contrasted with the more reserved royal style. She embraced the moniker in books, interviews and public appearances.
Health Battles with Cancer In 2023, Ferguson was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer, undergoing a single mastectomy. In early 2024, doctors discovered malignant melanoma during reconstructive surgery follow-up. She has spoken openly about the diagnoses feeling like a “death sentence” or “a bomb going off in my life.” Treatment continued into 2025, with no major public updates in 2026 indicating recurrence, though she has advocated for cancer awareness, including with the Teenage Cancer Trust (from which she later parted ways).
Prolific Author and Media Career After her divorce, Ferguson built a career as an author, penning children’s books like the “Little Red” series and historical novels. She has written memoirs, including “My Story” (1996) and more recent works on wellness and resilience. She has appeared on television, hosted documentaries and engaged in podcasting, often discussing personal challenges and philanthropy.
Philanthropy and Charity Work Ferguson founded Sarah’s Trust to support vulnerable children and families internationally. She championed causes like children’s health, education and anti-bullying. However, in February 2026, the charity announced it would close “for the foreseeable future” after discussions predating recent controversies. Several charities, including Teenage Cancer Trust, revoked her patronage in 2025 amid Epstein-related fallout.
Business Ventures Facing Closure In mid-February 2026, Companies House documents revealed six companies where Ferguson serves as sole director are being wound down: S Phoenix Events, Fergie’s Farm, La Luna Investments, Solamoon Ltd, Philanthrepreneur Ltd and Planet Partners Productions Ltd. The moves follow no public activity for these entities and coincide with Epstein file scrutiny. Applications to strike them off were filed recently, with closures expected soon unless challenged.
Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Newly released U.S. Department of Justice Epstein files in late January and early 2026 resurfaced emails and messages showing Ferguson’s communications with the convicted sex offender. One alleged 2010-2011 email depicted her pleading for a “house assistant” role, citing desperate financial need. She reportedly called Epstein “the brother I have always wished for.” While inclusion in files does not imply wrongdoing, the revelations intensified public and media pressure.
Financial Pressures and Lifestyle Experts describe Ferguson as facing significant financial strain, with comments like “she needs the money” from royal biographer Andrew Lownie. Reports suggest she has told friends of needing to work and distancing from ex-husband Andrew. She has lived modestly in recent years, sharing Royal Lodge before recent moves.
Current Whereabouts and Low Profile Ferguson has not appeared publicly since September 2025. Reports place her in the French Alps, then the United Arab Emirates (UAE), possibly meeting daughter Princess Eugenie. Speculation includes stays in Qatar or Portugal. Amid Andrew’s reported arrest developments and Epstein fallout, she maintains a low profile, with some sources noting plans for a UK return but emphasizing independence.
Family Focus and Resilience Despite controversies, Ferguson remains close to daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, both mothers themselves—making her a grandmother multiple times. She has expressed joy in family milestones and credits resilience from personal hardships, including her mother’s departure when she was 12. Observers note her ability to rebound, though current challenges test that reputation.
As Epstein-related disclosures continue to ripple, Ferguson’s story underscores themes of public scrutiny, financial independence and personal reinvention. She has no official royal role but retains the style “Sarah, Duchess of York” courtesy of her former marriage. Friends describe her as determined to rebuild amid adversity.
Rio Tinto Group (RIO) Q4 2025 Earnings Call February 19, 2026 3:30 AM EST
Company Participants
Rachel Arellano – Head of Investor Relations Simon Trott – CEO & Director Peter Cunningham – CFO & Director
Conference Call Participants
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Myles Allsop – UBS Investment Bank, Research Division Alain Gabriel – Morgan Stanley, Research Division Paul Young – Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Research Division Glyn Lawcock – Barrenjoey Markets Pty Limited, Research Division Jason Fairclough – BofA Securities, Research Division Ephrem Ravi – Citigroup Inc., Research Division Rahul Anand – Morgan Stanley, Research Division Robert Stein – Macquarie Research Christopher LaFemina – Jefferies LLC, Research Division Alan Spence – BNP Paribas, Research Division Ian Rossouw – Barclays Bank PLC, Research Division Liam Fitzpatrick – Deutsche Bank AG, Research Division Matthew Greene – Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Research Division Benjamin Davis – RBC Capital Markets, Research Division
Presentation
Rachel Arellano Head of Investor Relations
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Okay. A very warm welcome to everyone both here in the room and for those of us joining us remotely. I want to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners and First Nations peoples who host our operations around the world and pay my respects to their elders, past and present.
We are pleased to be here today with our CEO, Simon; and our CFO, Peter Cunningham, to present to you our 2025 full year results and this will be followed by a Q&A session.
There are no planned fire evacuations today. So if you hear the alarm, please follow instructions from the fire wardens here at the London Stock Exchange.
With that, I’d like to ask Simon to the stage.
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Simon Trott CEO & Director
Good morning all to those here in London. And of course, also those joining us online. So I’ll start with safety. And this evening, I’ll fly to Guinea to spend some time with the team at Simandou. As you’ll no doubt be aware, last Saturday, one
Walmart said on Thursday that holiday-quarter sales rose nearly 6% and its quarterly earnings and revenue surpassed Wall Street’s expectations as gains in e-commerce, advertising and its third-party marketplace boosted its business.
For the full current fiscal year, Walmart said it expects net sales to increase by 3.5% to 4.5% and adjusted earnings per share to range from $2.75 to $2.85. That earnings outlook fell short of Wall Street’s expectations of $2.96 per share, according to LSEG.
In an interview with CNBC, Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey said speedy deliveries from stores are helping Walmart attract more shoppers, particularly those with higher incomes.
“Our ability to serve customers at the scale that we have, combined with the speed that we now have, is really translating into continued market share gains,” he said.
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He said the company’s market share gains cut across all incomes, but were larger among upper-income households. For example, with fashion, a category that grew by a mid-single digit percentage in the fourth quarter, almost all of that increase came from households with an annual income over $100,000, he said.
In the coming months, Rainey said he expects price increases from inflation and President Donald Trump‘s tariff hikes to ease. Food inflation at Walmart in the fourth quarter was just above 1%, while it was slightly higher for general merchandise, he said.
“It seems to be a little bit more of a normalized price environment,” he said. “I think we have, largely as a retail industry, absorbed or seen the brunt of the impact from tariffs.”
While that comment is welcome news to many U.S. shoppers who buy at the country’s largest grocer, it may be too early to say what pricing trends at the retailer mean for the rest of the economy. Though Walmart is viewed as a key barometer for the wider retail industry, it traditionally has had more power than its competitors to keep prices low in part because of its scale.
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Here is what the big-box retailer reported for the fiscal fourth quarter compared with Wall Street’s estimates, according to a survey of analysts by LSEG:
Earnings per share: 74 cents adjusted vs. 73 cents expected
Revenue: $190.66 billion vs. $190.43 billion expected
Shares of Walmart were slightly positive early on Thursday, after falling in premarket trading.
Yet as of Wednesday’s close, shares of the company have climbed about 22% over the past year and about 14% so far this year. That’s outpaced the S&P 500′s 12% gains over the past year and less than 1% gains year to date.
Walmart’s results Thursday also show an inflection point in the industry. For the first time, Amazon topped Walmart as the largest retailer by annual revenue, as the company posted $716.9 billion in sales for its most recent fiscal year compared with $713.2 billion for Walmart.
The companies aren’t an exact comparison, as Amazon gets a sizeable piece of its revenue from cloud computing and other tech services. Yet it underscores the competition between the two rivals, particularly as Walmart follows a similar playbook by growing revenue streams outside of brick-and-mortar retail, like from ads and its marketplace.
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In the three-month period that ended Jan. 31, Walmart’s net income decreased to $4.24 billion, or 53 cents per share, compared to $5.25 billion, or 65 cents per share, in the year-ago period.
Excluding one-time items like investment gains and losses, legal settlements and business reorganization, Walmart’s adjusted earnings per share were 74 cents.
Revenue rose from $180.55 billion in the year-ago quarter.
Comparable sales jumped 4.6% for Walmart’s U.S. business and 4% for Sam’s Club in the fourth quarter, excluding fuel, compared with the year-ago period. The industry metric, also called same-store sales, includes sales from stores and clubs open for at least a year.
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Walmart’s e-commerce sales in the U.S. rose 27% compared with the year-ago period, fueled by store-fulfilled pickup and delivery of online orders,, along with the retailer’s third-party marketplace. That marked the company’s 15th straight quarter of double-digit digital gains. Global e-commerce sales increased 24% year over year.
For the company’s U.S. business, e-commerce accounted for 23% of sales – a record high for Walmart. The digital growth in the quarter included an approximately 50% gain in store-fulfilled deliveries and a roughly 41% increase in sales from Walmart Connect, its advertising business, the company said.
While Walmart is gaining ground, its growth is not evenly distributed across income groups.
In the interview with CNBC, Rainey said the company does “see some pressure on the lowest income cohort.” He said Walmart has tracked year-over-year spending trends by income group. Like in the prior quarter, he said it saw that spending among the highest earners compared to lower-income groups “had gapped out a little bit.”
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The trend he described reflects what some economists have called the “K-shaped economy.”
Walmart’s quarterly report marked the first under its new CEO John Furner. Furner, the former Walmart U.S. CEO and a more than three-decade company veteran, succeeded Doug McMillon as Walmart’s top executive on Feb. 1.
Investors largely expect Furner to focus on similar priorities as his predecessor McMillon, such as increasing Walmart’s online business, attracting more customers across incomes and ramping up higher-margin businesses like its third-party marketplace and advertising.
Along with getting a new CEO, Walmart has hit other milestones lately. Its stock switched to the tech-heavy Nasdaq in December and its market value hit $1 trillion earlier this month.
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Along with its results Thursday, Walmart also announced a new $30 billion share repurchase authorization, replacing a $20 billion buyback program approved in 2022.
As of Wednesday’s close, shares of the company have climbed about 22% over the past year and about 14% so far this year. That’s outpaced the S&P 500′s 12% gains over the past year and less than 1% gains year to date.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillan joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss his retirement, inflation pressures, tariffs, AI-driven growth and the future of America’s largest retailer.
Walmart posted solid fourth-quarter results Thursday as shoppers continued prioritizing value and convenience, helping push online sales to a record share of the retailer’s business.
The company reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $190.7 billion, up 5.6% from a year earlier. U.S. comparable sales rose 4.6%, driven by a 2.6% increase in transactions and a 2% increase in the average amount shoppers spent per visit.
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Grocery prices were up just 0.6% from a year earlier, with some categories – including eggs and dairy – seeing price declines.
The company reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $190.7 billion. (Gabby Jones/Getty Images)
Global e-commerce sales climbed 24% in the quarter, including a 27% increase in the U.S., where online now accounts for 23% of total sales — the highest level in company history.
Growth was fueled in part by roughly 50% growth in store-fulfilled delivery, as Walmart expanded faster-delivery options that now reach the vast majority of U.S. households within hours.
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Walmart’s profits grew faster than overall sales in the quarter. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The retailer said it continued to gain market share across income tiers, including higher-income households – a sign that its pricing and convenience strategy is resonating beyond budget-conscious shoppers.
Profits grew faster than overall sales in the quarter. Adjusted operating income rose about 10%, compared with roughly 5% sales growth. The gains were driven by higher-margin businesses, including advertising and membership programs. Advertising revenue climbed 37% globally, including 41% growth for Walmart Connect in the U.S., while membership fee income increased more than 15%. Together, advertising and membership fees accounted for nearly one-third of operating income in the quarter.
Walmart expects sales to rise 3.5% to 4.5% in the full current fiscal year. (Brian Kaiser/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Inventory growth remained below the pace of sales growth, reflecting continued supply chain discipline.
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Looking ahead, Walmart expects sales to rise 3.5% to 4.5% in the full current fiscal year, with operating profit projected to increase 6% to 8%.
The results suggest U.S. consumers remain resilient, even as they stay value-focused, while Walmart’s investments in digital services, faster delivery and higher-margin revenue streams continue to strengthen its competitive position.
