Author: Buy2Greece

This CSR, World Summit 2016 in conjunction with the BMAM EXPO Asia 2016 will be a real CSR summit for those who really want to practice CSR in their corporation, community and society at large.  The theme will be on green buildings, soft laws and professionals There will be no invited sponsors such as those transnational corporation who exploiting developing countries, those face-lifting NGOs who fakely love the environment.  There will be no registration fee so that this will be an event for all.  Participants and speakers need to send an application form to us so that an invitation letter will be sent to them directly.

http://www.thaiappraisal.org/csr/index.php

New research out today highlights six key risks heading into 2017 that could impact both travel industry prices and the global economy as a whole. They are emerging market performance, financial market turbulence, geopolitical risks, uncertainty surrounding Brexit, potentially fluctuating U.S. interest rates and oil prices.

“While business travel repeatedly demonstrates its resilience, the high level of global uncertainty we face heading into 2017 means travel buyers have to be more nimble and flexible than ever in crafting travel programs,” said Jeanne Liu, GBTA Foundation vice president for research. “The outlook shows only marginal increases or flat travel prices, but for 2017, the key to building successful travel programs will be watching and reacting to an ever-changing global landscape.”

These findings come from the 2017 Global Travel Price Outlook, research from the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), and leading travel management company Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT). The third annual report provides global, regional and country-by-country projections for air travel, hotel, ground transportation and meetings and events prices in 2017.

Kurt Ekert, President and Chief Executive Officer of CWT, said, “We are seeing relatively low, inconsistent and in some cases fragile economic growth.  Travelers and travel managers need to understand their travel patterns and spend, and be alert to the impact of economic uncertainty and volatility.  Proper planning will put them in position to make changes when necessary, and to avoid downside financial risk.”

Air
Airline prices are projected to increase only slightly (2.5 percent) in 2017, while fares may actually fall below 2015 levels in some markets due to continued low oil prices. Ancillary fees will have an increasing impact: they grew to 7.8 percent of global airline revenue in 2015, up from 6.7 percent in 2014 and that trend is set to continue.

• Asia Pacific, while projected to experience a 1.1 percent decrease in prices, is expected to remain mostly stable throughout 2017, helped by lower fuel prices. Japan and Singapore however, are expected to see a significant impact on airfare pricing given currency exchange rate projections.
• EMEA is a mixed bag.  It is anticipated that Eastern Europe will see a 4 percent increase in prices due in part to [limited competition prices in Western Europe prices are expected to increase by 0.5 percent and in Middle East and Africa by 2 percent.
• Latin American and the Caribbean are expected to experience a 1.9 percent decrease in prices.
• In North America fares are projected to increase 3.7 percent.  Carriers are expected to reinvest some of the profits enabled by low fuel prices to purchase new aircraft and improve their product.

Hotel
Mega hotel mergers are grabbing headlines, but their impact on prices likely won’t be felt until 2018. Hotel services such as room service, laundry and security remain important to corporate travelers. Traditional hotels, therefore, remain an attractive option for business travelers, despite the sharing economy options.

• Asia Pacific is expected to see hotel prices fall slightly, by 0.6 percent.
• EMEA again varies by region as geopolitical issues impact on hotel rates. Also, low oil and gas prices have decreased corporate travel for [the sector, primarily in the Middle East, Africa and Russia. It is anticipated that Eastern Europe prices will fall 2.4 percent, Western Europe prices will increase 1.8 percent, and Middle East and Africa rates will fall slightly, by 0.5 percent.
• Prices in Latin America and the Caribbean are projected to decrease by 0.9 percent.
• Overall, North American hotel prices are expected to rise by 4.0 percent in 2017, but it will be a tale of two coasts. West Coast cities, including Seattle, Los Angeles, San Jose and Vancouver, will experience high single- to double-digit growth because of the high-tech boom and a shortage of hotel rooms. Meanwhile, East Coast cities including New York City and Toronto, as well as Canada’s oil and gas region, will face low growth or even a reduction because of an over-supply of hotel rooms.

Ground
An intensely competitive climate will dictate continued flat pricing for the global ground transportation sector.

• Asia Pacific prices are expected to increase slightly, by 0.8 percent.
• EMEA is projected to remain flat across the board, with a very slight 0.1 percent decrease expected in Western Europe.
• LATAM prices will edge forward by 0.5 percent.
• Prices in North America are expected to remain flat in 2017.

Meetings & Events
Modest increases in cost per attendee, per day, for meetings and events are expected for Asia Pacific and North America. Europe is expected to remain flat and Latin America will see a decrease of 10 percent. Group sizes will increase marginally in the 3-6 percent range for Asia Pacific, Europe and North America, while remaining flat in Latin America.

The British citizens’ vote to exit the European Union is threatening the inexpensive air transportation in Europe, from and to United Kingdom after 20 years of enjoying the advantages of the free market, reports CNN Money

The low-cost companies are to be strongly affected by Brexit. Because of the leaving proceedings from the European Union, the United Kingdom finds itself unable to join the Open Skies agreement and therefore in need to negotiate the access to the single aviation market. The price that Britain could be forced to pay might be to accept the supremacy of EU regulations and possible air free movement of workers.
“We have written today to the U.K. government and the European Commission to ask them to prioritize the U.K. remaining part of the single EU aviation market,” EasyJet CEO Carolyn McCall said Friday.
EasyJet Chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall declared the company remained “confident” in the strength of its business model after Britain voted to leave the EU. Still, the same Dame Carolyn urged the European Commission to prioritize British airlines remaining part of the EU aviation area “given its importance to trade and consumers”.
In a statement on Monday, EasyJet stated that the operating environment in May and June for European airlines had been “extremely challenging”.
Low-cost companies’ shares have fallen sharply, some by more than 20% after the voters have chosen the Brexit. Furthermore, Europe should allow British operators access to the single market, but it is likely that the Europeans will obtain a higher cost. Meanwhile, competing companies such as Lufthansa and Air France could take the opportunity to restrict the powerful operators such as EasyJet, in the European area.

Source:- European

Two deadly explosions at Istanbul’s Ataturk international airport killed 36 and injured more than 140 people. According to one senior Turkish official, the death toll might rise to 50.

Three terrorists armed with bombs and guns ran open fire near an entry point to the terminal. Security guards exchanged gunfire with two suspects carrying AK-47 rifles and both attackers detonated suicide bombs as they reached the first security checkpoint at the Ataturk airport. The third assailant detonated his explosives in the airport’s parking lot.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that early signs suggested the so-called Islamic State was behind the attack. And the recent bombings looked like a major co-ordinated assault which, could either be linked to IS or to Kurdish separatists.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded by urging Western countries to take a firm stance against terrorism.

The bombings created deadly carnage and the crowds were panic stricken.

Ataturk airport has been a vulnerable target for long. The X-ray scanners at the entrance to the terminal are there but the security checks for cars are limited.

Images from the terminal showed bodies covered in sheets, with glass and abandoned luggage littering the building.

Relatives of those missing gathered outside a local hospital where many victims were taken. Lack of information created anger and panic amongst many.

Flights were suspended after the attack, and with the US Federal Aviation Administration grounding all services between the US and Istanbul. The airport was closed overnight for several hours, and flights into the airport had been diverted to the capital of Ankara and other cities. Limited flights have now resumed at the airport.

Taxis and ambulances were used to rush casualties to hospital.

While no terrorist groups have claimed responsibility for the massacre, Turkish security forces believe Isis was behind the attacks.

David Cameron has announced his resignation as Prime Minister following the UK’s vote to leave the EU. Britain voted for Brexit by 52% to 48%. Following the result, value of pound reached the lowest level since 1985.

With the advent of the peak travel season where thousands of tourists have planned to enjoy a vacation in Europe, is facing the dilemma about the probable effects of the ‘leave vote’. They are yet to discover the immediate changed prices in the commodities and tickets which in future will lead to further hikes.

The immediate query that is hitting the blocks is whether the holidays will cost more. The answer lies in what the value will be settled at before the referendum. According to the Treasury, the predicted sterling would lose 12-15 per cent of its value on a Leave vote. But in longer terms, the two major key rates are against the euro and the dollar.

The €:£ rate is fulcrum to all international companies including the tour operators, businesses etc. Generally, travellers prefer to visit the foreign holidays which has single-currency area. Be it Spanish Costas, Italian cities, French countryside or islands of Greece – they all have to maintain a decent €:£ rate.

According to the industry experts, the destinations in Asia and America like the US, Dubai and China will also see a proportional rise. In many cases, the currencies are locked to the US$.

How the pound price and $:£ rate is essential as it affects the oil price, aircraft costs etc. So, following a 12% fall in the sterling will push up the price of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel, as well as the cost of aircraft for airlines such as British Airways and easyJet.

David Cameron has announced his resignation as Prime Minister following the UK’s vote to leave the EU. Britain voted for Brexit by 52% to 48%. Following the result, value of pound reached the lowest level since 1985.

With the advent of the peak travel season where thousands of tourists have planned to enjoy a vacation in Europe, is facing the dilemma about the probable effects of the ‘leave vote’. They are yet to discover the immediate changed prices in the commodities and tickets which in future will lead to further hikes.

The immediate query that is hitting the blocks is whether the holidays will cost more. The answer lies in what the value will be settled at before the referendum. According to the Treasury, the predicted sterling would lose 12-15 per cent of its value on a Leave vote. But in longer terms, the two major key rates are against the euro and the dollar.

The €:£ rate is fulcrum to all international companies including the tour operators, businesses etc. Generally, travellers prefer to visit the foreign holidays which has single-currency area. Be it Spanish Costas, Italian cities, French countryside or islands of Greece – they all have to maintain a decent €:£ rate.

According to the industry experts, the destinations in Asia and America like the US, Dubai and China will also see a proportional rise. In many cases, the currencies are locked to the US$.

How the pound price and $:£ rate is essential as it affects the oil price, aircraft costs etc. So, following a 12% fall in the sterling will push up the price of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel, as well as the cost of aircraft for airlines such as British Airways and easyJet.

Emphasizing the growing role that technology plays in the meetings world, key findings of new research carried out for IMEX America by Meeting Professionals International (MPI) show that more than 40 percent of the MPI Research Panel members surveyed use laptops or mobile devices to capture content realtime.

Of that group 10.5 percent of these professionals always use them for note taking and 31.6 percent use them sometimes. Handwritten notes continue to be the choice of the majority (57.1 percent) while just 0.8 percent record their observations.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group observed: “In an era when capturing live content on laptops, tablets and smartphones is intrinsic to our working lives, it is interesting to quantify the extent to which they are being used in conferences and meetings at present. With millennials “keyboarding” virtually everything from an early age, usage is only likely to increase in the near future.”

In this same research conducted in May, IMEX America also asked MPI members what the ideal length of a traditional conference presentation by a single speaker should be, excluding Q&A. 43.6 percent thought 30 minutes, 40.6 percent chose 20 minutes, 15 percent said it should be 15 minutes and only 0.8 percent selected 10 minutes.

Carina Bauer commented: “When I entered the industry 14 years ago, the usual conference speech was 45 to 60 minutes. This snapshot study shows that over 80 percent of attendees favour a 20 to 30 minute speech and I would not be surprised if this trend continues to reduce with the advance of TED-style programming and the desire for people to spend time exchanging ideas with their peers, as much as hearing from talking heads. MPI’s recent World Education Congress (WEC) in Atlantic City showcased this trend well by having a great range of formats and lengths for sessions. One size fits all no longer works for the average conference attendee.”

The latest reports from Post Office found that the UK vacationers are rushing to get foreign currency ahead of the EU referendum.

On a comparison with the same time of the last year, the Post Office has seen surge of sales of currency up to 74%.

The holidaymakers are rushing to get cash and lock it before the vote which, according to the industry experts can wipe more than 20 per cent of the value of the pound.

Post Office Travel Money, which accounts for one in four foreign exchange transactions in the UK, has found that branch sales of foreign currency were up 48.8 per cent on last year. At the same time, the online purchases of currency were as high as 381 per cent.

Ahead of the May Bank Holiday, sales started to ascend and remained consistent.

The Post Office assured it is handsomely funded and is not worried about a shortage of foreign cash.

According to a pre-paid currency card, FairFX, there has been a 300% rise in the holidaymakers exchanging money expecting a good rate but the businesses were holding back.

A money transfer website, Transferwise has decided to suspend all pound transfers before the vote given the volatility of the currency.

Predictions about the value of the pound following the referendum have been a major debate all over. According to some industry experts, the pound could fall to parity with the euro, where £1 equals €1. On the other hand, some specialists think if Britain votes to stay in the EU, pound might spike to its highest level this year.

Chinese investors – both commercial and residential – spent close to $30 billion on property abroad last year.¹

What’s more, Colliers International predicts Chinese outbound real estate investment to increase by 50% this year, a healthy growth that is sure to be much welcomed around the world.

Clearly, Chinese property investments overseas are not tapering off anytime soon, so how are you addressing this market? We share 10 nifty tips to start you off on the right foot with your Chinese buyers.

#1 Respond quickly

Whenever you receive leads, try your best to call or email them right away. The early bird catches the worm, and it couldn’t be more true than with Chinese buyers as well. The sooner you respond, the higher your chances are in securing Chinese buyers.

This might prove difficult for those of you in different time zones than China, which is an issue that everyone must find a way to overcome if you’re targeting Chinese buyers in China. Some people try a time shift and work part Asia hours, while others might have someone on the ground for them to respond to interested buyers more quickly.

#2 Use their Chinese name

If you’re planning to email or call your Chinese buyer, it might help to use their Chinese name – it’ll help establish a more familiar connection with them. This is often displayed in the email sent from us at Juwai.com and often, it will only be their surname, which means you’d only be able to address them as “Mrs. Li” or “Mr. Chang”. Alternatively, you could also copy/paste their name in Chinese into your email.

Extra tip: To up the ante, hire a Mandarin speaker even if he or she is a college intern – that is one surefire way to smoothen the initial process.

#3 Make your intentions clear

When reaching out to your Chinese buyer, clearly state where you obtained their information from, such as telling them that you obtained their information from their listing enquiry on Juwai.com. This way, they won’t be confused as to why someone from another country or someone speaking in another language is contacting them. It will also add credibility to know that you are contacting them through Juwai.com – a network that they are familiar with and will remember using.

#4 Use WeChat social media app

80% of China’s high net worth individuals (HNWIs) are active WeChat users, so asking your Chinese buyer to add you on WeChat is essential. This is the method in which they communicate with the most, which means it’ll be your best route to effectively communicate with them. It’s the first way that Chinese connect online nowadays, so it’s a good way to gauge your potential success. After all, if they’re comfortable enough to accept you on WeChat, then they may be more receptive to your pitch as well.

Extra tip: In the chat features, there is also a button that allows you to translate Chinese text into English, which can help ease the language barrier a bit.

#5 Persistence is key

Have pluck – follow up continuously and regularly. Within the Chinese market, consumers are constantly fed information for products and services everywhere they go, so it requires stamina and tenacity to get your message across and in front of them. Whenever possible, small talk can be good as well to build your guanxi (a.k.a your relationship and credibility) with Chinese buyers a bit.

#6 Focus on their needs

Provide useful information relevant to the key motivations driving Chinese property investment abroad – education offerings, existing Chinese community, investment opportunities and yields, and emigration or visa updates. Every bit of information you provide them that might be useful is information that may spur action in them. Local university is accepting student applications? Let your Chinese buyers who have expressed interest in sending their children overseas know.

#7 Personalise your service

Add a personal touch by inviting them to visit you, and if you’re really dedicated, offer to host them by showing them around so they become more acquainted with your city and country. This is a personal touch that they will really appreciate, and it’s an opportunity to build an immense amount of guanxi, trust, and goodwill with your Chinese buyer.

Extra tip: It’s also a good idea to introduce them to your local offices and agents as well to show you are legitimate.

#8 Connect them with locals

Introduce your Chinese buyers to the local Chinese whom you know to breed a certain sense of familiarity. At the same time, don’t forget to connect them with useful contacts that can offer services they need, such as financial advisors or interior designers.

#9 Visit China

Likewise, to help you better understand Chinese and their culture, we recommend you take a trip to China to observe firsthand their environment and the market. At the same time, it will provide you the opportunity to invite them for a personal meet-up while you are in their city.

#10 Think long-term

Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Success with Chinese buyers cannot be rushed, and working with Chinese buyers – most who are foreign property investors unfamiliar with your city and country – would naturally require longer time frame and patience. So continue to work your leads by providing them useful updates, and soon you will reap the fruits of your diligence in due time.

Sources: 1. Colliers International