The Knowledge to Decide

Between the years 2019 to 2025, one in seven of the estimated 173 million tourists to the world’s top 300 cities will be from China. Will China continue to lead global tourism growth? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his viewpoint on the global tourism industry in China Daily – Asia Weekly section on 19 June 2019. China is leading the booming global tourism industry as the world is adjusting to the new world order in global trade. Perera highlighted that iconic cities like Rome, Paris, Tokyo and New York are still preferred by tourists. But a small proportion of tourists, driven by interest in wildlife and heritage, is contributing to a growing trend of tourism to nature reserves and rural areas. In 2019, the world’s top 300 cities will account for almost 50 per cent of the global international travelers while being home to just 20 per cent of the world’s population. Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media

A report highlights that by 2050, Arctic temperatures are expected to rise by 3 to 5°C, leading to a rise in sea levels and threatening the homes of four million people. Solutions using Artificial Intelligence could incorporate data from smart meters and Internet of things (IOT) sensors to predict a city’s energy demand so as to help optimize energy production. Carbon emissions could be significantly reduced through the use of 3D printing and raw material water reduction. How can advanced technology like AI, IoT and 3D printing help tackle climate change? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/deploying-industry-4-0-technology-to-mitigate-climate-change/

Introducing phosphorous back in African soil is important as it helps plants in early life to build root systems. 80 per cent of phosphate reserves are controlled by five countries. Morocco has 75 per cent of the global reserves. After an 800 per cent price hike in 2008, phosphate rock has become costly. An alternative option is compost. Compost not only provides phosphorous and other nutrients but can also restore the soil structure by adding organic matter. Compared to mineral fertilizers, compost is much more accessible and economic. Will cost-effective compost rejuvenate African agriculture? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-compost-turn-out-to-be-the-magic-mineral-for-african-agriculture/

What will be the impact of Indonesia’s recent Presidential and legislative elections on its growing economy? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Business Times – Singapore. Mr. Joko’s likely victory in the Presidential elections of Indonesia would mean improved competitiveness through continued economic reforms. He would probably continue working on attracting direct foreign investment, build infrastructure, continue civil service reform, promote special economic zones and for locally sourced commodities to nurture value added processing. Mr. Joko’s second term would also be beneficial for Indonesia’s ICT startup sector. However the pace of the economic reforms may be slow, owing to the signs that the new legislature may possibly enhance the weight of social conservatives in politics. Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/will-indonesias-new-government-be-favorable-for-economic-growth/

O n 25th April, Spire, Yamada Consulting Group (YCG) and SPEEDA jointly organized a breakfast seminar in Singapore to share insights about the political risks that businesses face in ASEAN in a year of multiple elections. The panelists were Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, MS. Khor YU Leng, Research Director, Southeast Asia Segi Enam Advisors Pte. Ltd and Mr. Takashi Kawabata, Lead Asia Economist, Uzabase Asia Pacific, Pte. Ltd. The speakers discussed the political risks associated with the General elections in Singapore and the combined Presidential and Legislative elections in Indonesia, as well as Malaysia one year on following the dramatic election of 2018. The General elections in Singapore will be held at the latest by March 2021. In a planned to step down, the Prime Minister would hand over the reins of power to a next generation Prime Minister, an event that in Singapore’s post-war history has happened only twice, once in 1991

In 2017, 26 megacities were in emerging economies, compared to 7 in developed economies. There are likely to be 48 megacities with populations above 10 million by 2035. By 2020, Greater Jakarta is predicted to be home to 36 million people, making it the biggest megacity of all. War torn Baghdad, with a population of 10 million, may soon join the ranks of the world’s megacities. African cities Dar es Salam and Luanda are predicted to become megacities by 2030. With larger populations to attract investment and nurture productivity growth through network effects, megacities in developing countries will likely see rising incomes. Will emerging economies drive all urban growth in future? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-emerging-countries-dominate-the-pool-of-global-megacities-in-future/

One billion people, or 15 per cent of the world’s population, are people with disabilities. The employment rate of working age Americans with disabilities in 2016 was 36 per cent, versus 79 per cent for those without disabilities. Tech giants are in favor of employing people with autism because of their ability to focus on details and identify patterns useful for cyber-security. Will the tech sector create new employment opportunities for persons with disabilities? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-the-tech-sector-create-new-employment-opportunities-for-persons-with-disabilities/

Spire was honored to participate at the 26th International Franchise and Exhibition , Malaysia, 2019. The event was held on 6th April in Kuala Lumpur. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group, shared insights on key trends in franchise industries in the Asia. Bahar discussed key trends in three sectors suitable for franchising, namely pre-school education, facilities management and laundry services. Global cleaning services are expected to reach USD74 billion at 6 per cent CAGR (compound annual growth rate), accounting for 5 per cent of the global facilities management market by 2022. With urbanization, construction and smart cities as some of the growth drivers and by using robotics, IoT(Internet of things) and analytics, cleaning services would see improved performance. In 2015, USD260 billion was spent on private education in the Asia- Pacific, with Singapore being the highest spender in the region at USD700 million. A

On January 3, 2019, China became the first nation to land a probe on the far side of the moon. A rover was released to perform experiments in the Von Karman Crater, located in the South Pole-Aitken Basin. With the assistance of 3D printing technology, lunar facilities might be constructed there. Can permanent research bases for human beings be built on the moon? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-3d-printing-enable-the-construction-of-permanent-facilities-on-the-moon/

Spire was honored to participate at the GATES Consumer Channel Summit, Southeast Asia, 2019. The Summit was held on 20-22 March, in Bangkok. Hafidz Omar, Thailand Country Manager at Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on key trends in consumer tech and challenges encountered in ASEAN. Omar discussed how the IOT (Internet of Things) is impacting the retail industry in ASEAN countries. He also discussed the growth opportunities in geofencing, mobile payment and retail operations, to name a few recent innovations in retail technology. With the expansion of Geofencing technology (defined by GPS or RFID technology) , in the next five years retailers will be able to customize merchandise and promotions according to the customer profile. Online payment is still a challenge for e-commerce retailers in Asia-Pacific as most customers prefer cash on delivery and 73 per cent of the Southeast Asia’s population do not own a bank account. However mobile payment may be a s