Airport perfumes capture cities’ scents as travel mementos

For many travelers, sharing the memory of their trip is as pleasurable as the experience itself. However, while photos, food, music and art can give a flavor of foreign climes, capturing the smell of a city has remained somewhat more problematic. Enter Scent of Departure, a new perfume sold in airport duty-free shops that aims to capture a city’s fragrance in a bottle. The 50ml bottles carry the three letter code of the airport they are purchased in, and the fragrance inside is designed to evoke that city’s atmosphere. For example, in the company’s own words, the Vienna perfume is reminiscent of “A walk from the peaceful Danube – banks full of enchanting scents of fresh mint, cut grass and water flowers – to an outdoor breakfast in the Palace garden of Belveder. Enjoy the garden’s baroque atmosphere and the gourmand scents of Wien’s pastries, delicious with their gourmand notes of vanilla, liquorice, chocolate and coffee.” Created by Parisian Gerald Ghislain and Magali Senequier, the scents currently listed online represent Munich, Vienna, Istanbul, Budapest and Frankfurt. The bottles carry a suggested retail price of EUR 29, and are due for full global release in late 2011. Memento’s from trips abroad are becoming increasingly popular, and increasingly personal — with Virgin Atlantic and The Left Shoe Company offering shoes engraved with travelers’ flight numbers. How could you harness your location to boost your product’s appeal?