The Knowledge to Decide

As foreign tourism booms in Cambodia, foreign-built resorts are on the rise due to amendments to the foreign ownership law that make provisions of up to 70% foreign ownership. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Cambodia ranks sixth among 184 countries in terms of long-term tourism growth in the period from 2014 to 2024. Cambodia’s attractions include its world-class archaeological sites, beautiful islands, long coastline and indulgence in gambling – an activity often prohibited in neighbouring countries. International tourist arrivals in Cambodia grew by 4.2% (year-on-year) as of August 2014. Foreign investors in Cambodia mainly hail from China, Singapore, Japan and Thailand. New resorts and boutique hotels in Cambodia offer tourists a high standard of accommodation, allowing Cambodia to compete directly with other established tourist destinations. Is Cambodia destined to be the next tourism hotspot? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/s

Indonesia is now poised to become a popular holiday destination for national and international tourists. The growing tourism sector is becoming economically significant. Against that backdrop, the third South East Asia Hotel Expansion Summit 2014 gathered key industry stakeholders and service providers from Indonesia’s travel and tourism sector to discuss the market outlook and potential business opportunities. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, was amongst the prestigious list of speakers at the 3rd Annual SEA Expansion Summit 2014 held in Jakarta, Indonesia. In his presentation, Bahar emphasized how the tourism sector boosts the economy. 2014 saw a record number of inbound tourist arrivals, at 8.6 million. He shared that Indonesia’s travel and tourism sector is expected to grow further due to the implementation of a common ASEAN Visa, expected by the end of 2015. However, the nation still struggles with challenges such a

The retail and food & beverage (F&B) sectors contributed MYR 434 billion to Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013. In a bid to facilitate the contribution of franchising to retail growth, the Franchise International Malaysia 2014 Conference gathered industry professionals to share insights and explore opportunities within the local retail market. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, was amongst the guest speakers at the Franchise International Malaysia 2014 Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In his presentation, Bahar emphasized the steady rise of Malaysia’s retail market. Malaysia had seen impressive economic growth compared to its Asian neighbours; registering 6.2% real GDP growth in Q1 2014, while Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia reported -0.6%, 4.9%, 5.1% and 5.6% GDP growth respectively. The retail sector had been a key contributor to this growth. The average Malaysian consumer still pr

In spite of attracting 8.8 million international tourists in 2013, Indonesia has the lowest tourism rating in the region – 17th in Asia and 70th worldwide. As more hotels and resorts start to integrate social media and mobile technology into their operations, what untapped opportunities lie in Indonesia’s hospitality sector? Taking that as the keynote, the Bali Technology Conference, Indonesia 2014 brought together professionals from the hospitality industry to discuss technology trends and potential business opportunities. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, was amongst the prestigious list of speakers at the Bali Technology Conference 2014 held in Bali, Indonesia. In his presentation, Bahar emphasized the vital importance of hotels integrating mobile technology and social media to reach out to tech-savvy tourists who are increasingly making decisions using online content. He opined that the rise in domestic trips and increased spe