Passengers traveling to and from London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom can now take a sensory journey around the world by paying a short visit to terminal 2. In celebration of the terminal’s renovation, the airport has installed a ‘scent globe’, which expels tailor made fragrances, designed to evoke the sense of a place.
Established in the departure lounge, the sphere offers travelers a quick glimpse into various countries before even setting foot on their flights. Passengers, for example, can experience Thailand, South Africa, Japan, China and Brazil – five countries that were all selected due to their popularity with Heathrow air passengers.
The exact mechanism to perfectly capture the essence of these nations was developed out of a partnership between Heathrow officials and Design in Scent – a UK based design house that specializes in crafting scent experiences for clients.
With the company’s expertise, South Africa was evoked using notes of tribal incense, animalics and wild grass. Japan, by contrast, utilizes oceanic notes of seaweed, green tea, Ambergris and shell extracts.
Then there is China, which combines temple incense and Osmanthus Fragrans flower; Thailand is a mix of lemongrass, coconut and ginger, and Brazil is a combination of lemongrass, coffee, tobacco, and jasmine.
According to Normand Boivin, the Chief Operating Office (COO) of the airport, “Heathrow connects the UK to 180 destinations in 28 countries, and carries over 72 million passengers a year. Heathrow is the UK’s hub airport; mixing direct passengers, transfers and freight to make long haul flights viable. We strive to offer a unique experience that delights our passengers.’
These specially created scents will give passengers traveling through Terminal 2 an exclusive preview of destinations that only Heathrow connects to,” he said.
This is especially important since about 47% of British travelers say their trip immediately begins upon arriving at the airport, and not at their destination. Scents are also a key factor in permitting travelers to feel at home in a new place.
As such, this isn’t the first time Heathrow has utilized scent-based travel. In the past, the airport sprayed the scent of pine needles in order to relax their passengers before an extended trip.
