“Treat Yourself x3” is a great way to make that dream holiday come true

Le Club AccorHotels, the global loyalty programme of AccorHotels, is inviting travellers to “come and be pampered” at 100 exceptional destinations across Asia, from bustling Bangkok to beautiful Phuket, historic Hanoi and Luang Prabang to undiscovered Yangon.

The Treat Yourself x3 offer is applicable at hotels and resorts in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines,affording a diverse list of destinations that can make any business excursion, urban getaway or resort holiday that much more delightful.

Those who register for the Treat Yourself x3 offer will enjoy an exclusive reward during their trip, plus triple loyalty points.

Upon check-in,guestscan request free breakfast for two people, a US$20 credit towards lunch ordinner, a day pass to MyGlass for free-flowing soft drinks or two hours of wine, beer and cocktails, or, for families, a day pass to MyKids so the young ones can enjoy some amazing treats.

“The Treat Yourself x3 offer is a wonderful way for travellers, whether they are on the road for business or pleasure, to add value to their trip and make it all the more enjoyable,” says Ianic Menard, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Distribution for AccorHotels Upper Southeast Asia. “The offer comes just after Le Club AccorHotelsearned the prestigious Freddie Award for ‘Best Hotel Loyalty Program of the Year’ in the Asia/Pacific/Middle East, and reinforces our commitment to rewarding our loyal members.”

The offer is valid for all members of Le Club AccorHotelswhen they book a minimum stay of two nights from now until September 10, 2016.  Members can visit www.accohotels.com/treatto register for and book the offer. Those who are not members can enrol instantly and at no charge via www.leclubaccorhotels.com.

ABOUT ACCORHOTELS

AccorHotels is a Group united by a shared passion for hospitality and driven by a shared promise to make everyone Feel Welcome. Over 190,000 women and men in 3,900 AccorHotels establishments look after thousands of guests every day in 92 countries.

AccorHotels is the world’s leading hotel operator and offers its customers, partners and employees:

– its dual expertise as a hotel operator and franchisor (HotelServices) and a hotel owner and investor (HotelInvest);

– a large portfolio of internationally renowned brands covering the full spectrum, with luxury (Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery by Sofitel, Grand Mercure, The Sebel), midscale (Novotel, Mercure, Mama Shelter, Adagio) economy (ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget, adagio access and hotelF1) establishments;

– a powerful marketplace and loyalty program Le Club AccorHotels

– almost half a century of commitment to corporate citizenship and solidarity with the PLANET 21 program.

Accor SA shares are listed on the Euronext Paris exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and traded in the USA on the OTC marketplace (Code: ACRFY)

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Manila, Philippines, 22 January 2014 – The Philippines is looking at a healthy ICT spending performance in 2014. Central to this development is the rosy outlook in the country’s economic indicators, as well as the vibrant spending from the consumer sector.

The expected increase of 22% on smartphones and 40% on tablets are driving the overall IT spending in the country. Smartphones alone will constitute 25%, continuing its grip of the overall IT budget, which was traditionally held by laptops and desktops. This further indicates an ongoing change in the nature of spending in the country.

Jubert Alberto, research manager, IDC Philippines explains that the so-called ‘changing of the guards’ has deeply transformed IT spending habits in the country.

“The younger segment of the population make up the new workforce. These individuals are the driving force behind the heavy traffic in the social networking sites and are what can be considered as multitasker extraordinaire.

“They have the utmost need to be connected, updated, informed and entertained. In most cases, they also have lower number of dependents. All these characteristics point to stronger demand for anything mobile, whether devices, services or applications,” says Alberto,.

Apart from devices, ICT spending starting this year is seen to be heavily impacted by mobility, cloud, big data/analytics and social business, as the Philippines embraces more of these four key pillars of the 3^rd platform.

Usage of these technologies is being driven by the need of companies for new and effective ways to market and reach out to targeted customers. Furthermore, there is an increasing ICT demand from the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Alberto adds, “Based on IDC’s annual Continuum survey, almost 60% of the companies in the Philippines will be more aggressive in their IT expenditure in the coming 12 months compared to a year ago. This would translate to a 20-45% overall increase in total IT spending.”

The following are the top 10 predictions that IDC believes will have the biggest commercial impact on the ICT industry in the Philippines in 2014:

1. 1.     Riding on the momentum from 2013, IT spending will grow by 11% in 2014

The combined positive impact of sound economic fundamentals, healthy domestic consumption and relative under-penetration will drive the Philippine IT industry to grow by 11% in 2014. This will translate to a total of USD 6.76 billion in total IT spending. Of this, spending on hardware will take about 76%, while software and services account for 7% and 18%, respectively.

Alberto adds, “The expected 6% GDP growth for 2014, rising investments and remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and robust domestic consumption will fuel the acceleration of IT spending in the country.”

1. 2.     Strong telecom spending growth in the Philippines will continue

With a backdrop of expected economic growth and improved government policies, telecom spending in the Philippines is expected to continue its strong growth in 2014. Unlike in other Southeast Asian countries where mobile data will only surpass mobile voice in terms of overall size in 2014, mobile data will continue to drive the Philippines market. Mobile data is expected to grow by 15%, with voice peaking at 7%.

Karen Rondon-Garcia, research manager, IDC Philippines, states, “Popularity of mobile computing devices such as smartphones, mini notebooks and tablets will increasingly translate to actual mobile data usage especially as 3G and 4G coverage improve, and mobile operators become creative in pricing their mobile data services.”

1. 3.     Smartphones and tablets craze will continue, opening up bigger opportunities in the 3rd platform space

The strong demand for tablets and smartphones in the Philippines will carry on in 2014. IDC forecasts a 40% growth for tablet shipments to the Philippines in 2014, with both international and local players keen on growing the market. It is also noteworthy that Filipinos patronize local brands more compared to neighboring countries in Asia. A latecomer in tablet adoption, the Philippines still has a lot of room for growth in the tablet space.

Jerome Dominguez, analyst, IDC Philippines says, “With the bullish tablet and smartphone growth in the country, novel opportunities within the 3^rd platform space of social and mobility will increase which businesses can utilize to their advantage.”

1. 4.     Increasing integration of social media and mobility will give rise to dynamic partnerships and new modes of consumption

With the increase of smartphones and tablets in the Philippines, mobile devices have become the preferred primary devices for consumers. Due to this, social media and mobility have increasingly been integrated. This will put monetization models for social media, consisting of advertising, usage based platforms and intelligence gathering, at the center of service providers’ attention this year.

Cecilia Santos, analyst, IDC Philippines, states, “In 2014, more organizations will see the importance of having visibility in the mobile social network and look for more creative ways of selling themselves to their consumers through app partnerships.”

1. 5.     Mobile apps will go more “Pinoy” than ever

Over the past few years, Pinoy pride is very apparent across all media. This is driving the need for a plethora of apps developed which have Pinoy flavor and/or specific to Pinoy interests and custom and will most likely continue in 2014.

Santos adds, “Among the countries in Asia/Pacific, the Philippines showed one of the highest growths in mobile phone and tablet shipments and this is fueling the need for more Pinoy-themed apps that provide public information, services and entertainment.”

1. 6.     Geolocation will unlock opportunities which organizations should tap into

Within the social media world, there is an ever-increasing trend among Filipinos to let their circles know about the places they frequent, from restaurants, to hang out places to vacation spots. With this, IDC believes geolocation information will be the game changer in 2014. Through this data, deeper consumer insights will be known and would allow for marketers to study the behavior of current and potential customers based on the places they frequent, their social activities, and interests.

1. 7.     Pervasiveness of mCommerce and mobile banking will rise in 2014

mCommerce and mobile banking is not new in the Philippines. However, the explosion of smartphone sales, coupled with expanding 3G coverage and LTE roll out and improving affordability of mobile data services are leading to demand for applications that allow mobile users to shop for products, tickets, taxi order, content, among others and conduct banking. The growth in smartphone usage is also putting pressure on banks to provide mobile banking services as more customers demand for it for convenience. Providing mobile banking service has become the next step for them after online banking.

Rondon-Garcia adds, “Additionally, mobile banking is the easiest way for banks to reach a larger population, and bridges the gap between banks and people who have no access to traditional banking facilities particularly in agricultural areas.

“Furthermore, as online shopping becomes increasingly popular, whether using a smartphone or a personal computer, mobile wallet offered by mobile operators provide customers a means to pay for online purchases even when they have no credit cards, Pay Pal or bank accounts.”

1. 8.     “Internet of Things” will revolutionize products and business models

IDC defines Internet of Things (IoT) as a network connecting (either wired or wireless) devices, or “things,” that is characterized by autonomous provisioning, management, and monitoring. It is an idea that everything in the world can be connected through the internet. While the Philippines is not expected to be on the forefront of IoT, there lies a big opportunity for service providers through connection services for IoT, especially in partnerships with solution provider or device manufacturer to build up intrinsic values and differentiated services in their offering. This will also be driven by the rising need for vertical-specific applications such as in healthcare, retail, utilities, transportation and public safety.

1. There will be more higher-value, non-voice outsourcing opportunities in 2014

Given favorable economic conditions for investment, IDC predicts further entry of higher-value knowledge process outsourcing services (KPO) to the country in 2014. Over the past couple of years, the BPO industry has exhibited a shift in the type of services being outsourced – from purely contact center services, there are now more knowledge-intensive services being outsourced to the Philippines. Some of the KPO services which IDC expects to further increase come 2014 include services in the fields of IT, research, accounting and engineering.

1. 10.   Rising investment in “next wave cities” will oblige IT vendors to rethink their channel strategies

With increased expansion of technology-dependent commercial activities outside Metro Manila, IDC predicts a rise in IT spending across the next wave cities in the country.

Dominguez adds, “This scenario will necessitate IT vendors to realign their channel strategies to tailor to the specific requirements of consumers and enterprises in newly emerging ICT hubs.

“Suki relationship will have to come into play more than ever, as well as channel hybridization to become both consumer and commercial technology seller and provider.”

Next wave cities include Sta. Rosa in Laguna, Bacolod, Iloilo, Metro Cavite (Bacoor, Imus, and Dasmariñas), Lipa in Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Malolos in Bulacan, Baguio, and Dumaguete.

About IDC

IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. For more than 49 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world’s leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com

The post The Philippines ICT Top 10 Predictions 2014: Mobility, Cloud, Big Data and Social Business Key to Robust ICT Spending appeared first on Core Sector Communique.

September 27, 2013, SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA – Country experience shared at a recent conference showed that fertilizer subsidies can have huge costs, crowding out public expenditures on agricultural research, extension, rural roads and other expenditures that promote agricultural development. The private sector is often more efficient in delivery of fertilizer to farmers. While historically the seed system in Asia has been directed by the public sector, the private seed industry has been established in many Asian countries and has become increasingly important for seed production and distribution of seeds for wheat, rice, maize, cotton, and horticulture.

On September 25 and 26, at the Agricultural Transformation in Asia conference in Siem Reap, Cambodia, 150 policymakers, researchers, donors, and other stakeholders gathered to discuss current and future agricultural and food security strategies in Asia. The conference was organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) and funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative.

H.E. Dr. Yim Chhay Ly, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia and Chairman of the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development, highlighted the value of the conference.  “Cambodia is on the road toward the reform of its agricultural practice, which benefits from this conference and discussion.  This pilot initiative (ReSAKSS-Asia) is very relevant to the agricultural development that Asian leaders are considering.”

Rebecca Black, Mission Director of USAID Cambodia, emphasized the importance of agricultural policy.  “We have learned from experience that policy is key to Asia achieving food security,” said Rebecca.

Fertilizer, seed, and other input policies in Asian countries were the focus of the conference. One outcome of the conference is the development of fertilizer and seed databases led by IFPRI’s ReSAKSS team and shared across a dozen countries in the region. The new database will serve to inform input analysis to bolster public-private partnerships and more efficient market operation. Participating countries include Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, The Philippines, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

“Agricultural transformation, food and nutrition security are fundamental to our national economic development and social policy goals, in the context of broader economic diversification and competitiveness, poverty reduction, livelihood enhancement, and sustainable inclusive growth,” said Larry Strange, Executive Director of CDRI.

The conference is part of an effort of the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System in Asia (ReSAKSS-Asia), an initiative facilitated by IFPRI, to strengthen networking between policy researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

Despite the recent rapid economic growth in certain Asian countries, the continent of Asia is still home to two-thirds of the world’s poor people. The region also has the highest proportion of undernourished people on the planet. Since farming is the main source of income and employment in Asia, the surest way to effect reduction of poverty and malnutrition levels is through agriculture—strengthening the policies and institutions that affect Asian citizens’ access to jobs and food.

“Leaders in each country deeply value the food security of the rural poor, especially women and children, and we are developing food and nutrition security policy for the region to improve the situation,” said H.E. Dr. Yim Chhay Ly.

“The ReSAKSS-Asia conference itself has been designed in part for capacity strengthening. Each of us, including researchers, government officials, private sector actors, has important experiences to share with others in our country and in other countries,” said Paul Dorosh, director of the Development Strategy and Governance Division at IFPRI. “All of us should be learning from one another.”

For more information, please visit: www.cambodia.resakss-asia.org

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFPRI was established in 1975 to identify and analyze alternative national and international strategies and policies for meeting the food needs of the developing world, with particular emphasis on low-income countries and on the poorer groups in those countries. It is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. www.ifpri.org.

The Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) is an independent Cambodian development policy research institute. CDRI’s mission is to contribute to Cambodia’s sustainable development and the well-being of its people through the generation of high quality policy-relevant development research, knowledge dissemination and capacity building. http://www.cdri.org.kh/

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States. As stated in the President’s National Security Strategy, USAID’s work in development joins diplomacy and defense as one of three key pieces of the nation’s foreign policy apparatus. USAID promotes peace and stability by fostering economic growth, protecting human health, providing emergency humanitarian assistance, and enhancing democracy in developing countries. These efforts to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide represent U.S. values and advance U.S. interests for peace and prosperity. www.usaid.gov

Feed the Future is the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. With a focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, Feed the Future supports partner countries in developing their agriculture sectors to spur economic growth and trade that increase incomes and reduces hunger, poverty and undernutrition.  More information:  www.feedthefuture.gov

The post Asian Fusion: New Thinking and Actions for Improving Food and Nutrition Security in Asia appeared first on Core Sector Communique.

The “Visa on Arrial” (VoA) Scheme of the government has increasingly become popular with the tourists. The scheme registered a growth of 26 % in the year 2012 over the figures of 2011. A total number of 16,084 VoAs were issued during 2012 as compared to 12,761 VoAs issued during 2011. The highest number of 4604 VoAs were issued to the tourists from Japan followed by New Zealand ( 3150 ) and The Philippines ( 2444).

The following are the other important highlights of VoAs issued during the year 2012:

( i) The number of VoAs issued during 2012 were Japan (4,604), New Zealand (3,150), the Philippines

(2,444), Indonesia (2,426), Singapore (1,974), Finland (914), Vietnam (186), Cambodia (157), Luxembourg (110), Myanmar (109) and Laos (10).

(ii) During 2012, the highest number of VoAs were issued at Delhi airport (9,596), followed by Mumbai (3,276), Chennai (2,273) and Kolkata (939).

(iii) During the month of December 2012, a total number of 2,181 VoAs were issued as compared to 1,640 VoAs during the month of December 2011, registering a growth of 33.0%.

(iv) The number of VoAs issued during December 2012 for nationals of the eleven countries were Japan (691), New Zealand (505), Indonesia (310), Singapore (256), the Philippines (239), Finland (104), Vietnam (34), Myanmar (20),Cambodia (13), Luxembourg (9) and Laos (0).

As a facilitative measure to attract more foreign tourists to India, the Government launched the “Visa on Arrival” (VoA) Scheme in January 2010 for citizens of five countries, viz. Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore, visiting India for tourism purposes. The Government extended this Scheme to the citizens of six more countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos and Myanmar in January 2011.

The post Visa on Arrival Scheme becomes more Popular Twenty Six Percent Growth in 2012 appeared first on Core Sector Communique.