The Knowledge to Decide

Germany and France have decreased or removed public transport fares. In Dunkirk, France, public transport was made free for all from September 2018 – even for tourists. Registered residents in Tallinn, Estonia can now access fare-free services on buses, trams, and trolley. To decrease the number of private cars on the road, Luxembourg’s new government has made public transport free for all. Will free public transport help to lower the number of cars on the road? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-more-countries-follow-the-growing-trend-of-free-public-transport/  

Spire was honored to participate at the GATES Vietnam ICT Reseller Channel Summit 2018 as a Research Partner. The Summit was held on 4-6 December, 2018 in Vietnam. Japnit Singh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on Vietnam’s booming ICT sector, focusing on market trends and growth strategies. Singh discussed the digital landscape in Vietnam for e-commerce, e-payments and government policies for Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Vietnam’s fast-growing population will boost domestic demand. Vietnam’s middle-class is set to rise to 33 million by 2020. Vietnam’s stock of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) reached around USD18 billion in 2017; up approximately 11% from 2016. Revenue from telecommunication services for the first 6 months in 2018 amounted to VND189,948 billion and VND1,026,000 billion for the IT sector. E-commerce has been on the rise. Facebook website stores are among the top three sales

According to a customer survey by Skytrax, four out of the five best airports in the world are in Asia. These five includes Singapore’s Changi Airport, Incheon International Airport (Korea), Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) and Hong Kong International Airport. These airports are destinations in themselves as they offer a complete experience in terms of services, entertainment, retail and comfort. Asian authorities are realizing that the airport is the thing that makes the first impression on both tourists and investors, and cannot be seen only as an infrastructure project. Can Asia’s airports lead the way in terms of customer experience? Read here more:  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/asian-airports-are-world-beaters/

Spire was honored to participate at Career Day held at the Anglo-Chinese School, Jakarta. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group shared insights on career opportunities, scope in market research and business planning. Career pathway selection is an important subject for students to consider. Based on his experience, Bahar discussed available opportunities for high school students in the economy of the future, as well as the skill-sets needed to take advantage of these opportunities. The talk concluded with a question and answer session. Read here more:  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-talks-about-career-opportunities-at-anglo-chinese-school-jakarta/

The number of Chinese international tourists rose from around 10 million in 2013 to about 130 million in 2017. Will Chinese outbound tourism transform Southeast Asia’s tourism industry? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his viewpoint on the SEA tourism industry in China News Service’s news portal. The new generation of Chinese tourists increasingly prefers to travel solo instead of in groups. Perera highlighted that China’s huge middle class are keen travelers and accounted for 143 million international tourist trips in 2017. This is even though only one out of ten Chinese holds a passport, underlining the enormous growth potential. Outbound Chinese tourism has also had a transformational effect on Southeast Asia’s tourism industry. In Thailand alone it contributed USD16 billion in 2017, sparking substantial investment. However, Chinese tourist growth is expected to moderate as China’s economic growth slows.

The European Union (EU) and Japan have signed one of the largest trade deals in history. The Economic Partnership Program, signed on 17 July 2018 in Tokyo, has been in the works since 2012. Expectations from the agreement include a trade zone that covers 600 million people and a massive boost in exports from the EU to Japan. It took more than half a year for the deal to get from negotiations to a formal agreement. Ironically, the increasingly protectionist trade stance of the Trump administration may have helped to strengthen EU and Japan trade relations. How will the EU-Japan trade deal affect the USA’s trade stance? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/japan-and-eu-sign-mega-trade-deal-yet/

Spire Singapore collaborated with the Singapore Children’s Society (SCS) on its CSR activity for the eighth consecutive year. The beneficiaries took part in fun and engaging activities. Spire Singapore took beneficiaries of the Singapore Children’s Society to an excursion to the River Safari at the Singapore Zoo. Children explored wildlife living within the great river eco-systems of the world, from the Mississippi to the Mekong Children watched the alligator gar and the peculiar Mississippi paddlefish. They learnt about the world’s most critically endangered wildlife – such as the Chinese alligator and Indian gharial. The River Safari ended on a happy note when the children enjoyed lunch and took part in a quiz about what they had learnt. Spire is immensely proud to support the amazing work of the Singapore Children’s Society, our CSR partner.  Read more  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spires-csr-activity-with-scs-beneficiaries-at-the-river-safari/

Over the past decade, Ethiopia has experienced an average economic growth rate of about 10%. Ethiopia is expected to grow by 8.5% in 2018, topping China’s projected growth of 6.5%. In recent times, the Ethiopian government has abandoned its 1970’s Communist ideology and put in place some basic reforms. They went on to build sturdy infrastructure and launch a successful industrial policy, calling to mind China’s own development pathway. The Chinese have contributed significantly to the building of Ethiopian infrastructure, with rail systems, buildings and dams. Will Ethiopia succeed in copying China’s development model? Read here more:  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/ethiopias-strategic-cooperation-with-china/

Spire Singapore hosted its second Client Entertainment Night of the year. Our business associates and partners joined us for a dinner reception followed by the movie screening of Walt Disney Studios’ Christmas classic “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” – inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale. The movie’s main plot revolves around a key that the story’s protagonist Clara (Mackenzie Foy) needs to unlock a box with that holds a gift from her late mother leading her to the mysterious parallel world of Four Realms. She must retrieve the key and return harmony to the unstable world – travelling through the ominous Fourth Realm – home to the tyrant Mother Ginger – with the help of Philip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a soldier she meets on the way. The highly anticipated movie, the sumptuous food and even better company made for a welcome break from the office. Read here more:  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-client-entertainment-night-november-2018/

The share of mobile games in China rose from 12% in 2011 to 63% in 2017. Will China become a global leader in mobile gaming? Lin Tianran, Senior Consultant at Spire Research and Consulting, shared her viewpoint in China Daily – Asia Weekly section on 3 September 2018. China established its presence on the global gaming stage by winning the first Esports championship in Jakarta at the 18th Asian Games. Esports is set to go further at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, where it will be acknowledged as an official medal sport. The growth potential in the gaming market is vast. There are approximately 500 million players in China. This community is seeing a shift to mobile games from PCs. A mobile device now makes everyone a potential gamer. Chinese tech giant Tencent is the top-earning publisher for mobile games, with 147 mobile games under its portfolio. Its famous title Arena of Valor raked in approximately USD2 billion in revenues in 2017. However, challeng