Friday, May 31, 2013
MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index 2013: A Dominance of the Asia-Pacific Region.
Bangkok is this year’s number one city for travel, according to MasterCard’s third annual Global Destination Cities Index.
The study looked at the highest international visitor numbers in 2013, with London, Paris, Singapore, and New York rounding out the top five. London took first place in 2012, however, this year it was edged out of the top spot by just one percent or 25,000 visitors.
A noticeable trend in this year’s report was the dominance of the Asia/Pacific region. Of the 132 cities ranked, 42 are Asian countries. Bangkok is followed by Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo; four of the top ten in 2013 are in the Greater China region.
“With the rise of the Asia/Pacific region, this year’s index reflects the rebalance that the globe is undergoing in large part because of the rise of emerging markets,” said Ann Cairns, President of International Markets, MasterCard Worldwide.
“This shift is further underscored by electronic payments, which are enabling more people from more places to participate in the global economy than ever before.”
“Bangkok brought with it great momentum from last year. Its ascent to number one is not only a first for Asia, it’s emblematic of the rise of the Global South which encompasses much of Africa and Asia as well as South America,” concluded Dr. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Global Economic Advisor for MasterCard and author of the report.
London maintains its number one position in Europe in international visitor arrivals, followed by Paris, Istanbul, Barcelona, and Milan. Istanbul’s growth rates were such that it could well surpass Paris in 2016. The fastest growing city in Western Europe in air travel connectivity is Berlin, which ranks 17.
The line-up of the top ten destination cities in Latin America remains unchanged with Mexico City leading the group. However, Lima, Peru is the fastest-growing city, followed by Sao Paulo, Brazil. If this growth trend continues, Sao Paulo could surpass Mexico City and Buenos Aires in 2017, and Lima could overtake Buenos Aires in 2018.
In the Middle East and Africa Dubai retains its number one rank in the region by a large margin.
New York retains its top ranked destination city in North America, followed by Los Angeles and Miami. Toronto takes fourth position and is trending upwards as the fastest-growing in air travel connectivity in North America.
MasterCard’s Global Top 20 Top Destination Cities by International Overnight Visitors
(“Arrivals” in each of the destination cities is defined as international arrivals that actually stayed in the destination city for at least one night.)
- Bangkok: 15.98m
- London: 15.96m
- Paris: 13.93m
- Singapore: 11.75m
- New York: 11.52m
- Istanbul: 10.37m
- Dubai: 9.89m
- Kuala Lumpur: 9.20m
- Hong Kong: 8.72m
- Barcelona: 8.41m
7 Simple Ways to Boost Your Confidence
Confidence is an exceptional attribute which can draw the line
between successful and unsuccessful people. Confidence is a powerful
emotion which has significant impacts on your mental and physical
well-being. This article is a compilation of some simple ways to boost
your self-esteem without spending hours and hundreds of dollars on
seminars, conferences and self-help books that preach divine ways of
attaining confidence overnight. Happy reading.
1. Love yourself – The first and foremost step you should take on the road to becoming a confident person is to love yourself. Eradicate all the negative thoughts and fill your mind with positive outlooks on your abilities and life. Listen to negative self-talk or negative musings and focus on suffusing your mind with optimistic views and thoughts. Next time you notice yourself engaging in any negative self-talk or criticism, stop and turn the course of the musings towards a positive path.
2. Build up confidence slowly – Confidence does not come overnight. It takes time and you have to persevere and be patient. Every day you will have to build the foundation for a strong establishment of confidence within your mind.
3. Every day is a new day – Every day you gaze at the mirror to brush your teeth, put on make-up or just to check your outfit, utter some affirmative words. Choose your mantra and repeat them in your mind or loudly in front of the mirror. You can choose words like: "I am confident, beautiful and intelligent" or "My confidence is growing everyday" etc. Select words that are not too grandiloquent and are easy to repeat.
4. Write a confidence journal – Make it a second nature to yourself to maintain a confidence journal or diary. Every morning or every night spend a few minutes making some entries into this diary. Your entries can be as fantastic as "I delivered a fabulous presentation at work today" or as simple as "I cleaned my microwave today". The idea is to identify things you accomplish on a daily basis which goes a long way in boosting your confidence.
5. Delete negative thoughts – Write a letter to yourself listing all your negative thoughts. This should be a comprehensive list of things you feel you are not good at or things you feel you are not proud of for having said or done them. Once, you have compiled your list, burn it or bury it.
6. Surround yourself with positive people – This may be easier said than done. But try to surround yourself with confident and happy people. Their cheerful presence will imbue you with a high level of positive energy. A great man once said, "Confidence is contagious".
7. Pause and reflect – Everyday at every available opportunity, take a moment to mull over your abilities, qualities, achievements and talents. Spend some time pondering over all the things you like and appreciate about yourself. You can also let your mind wander onto memories of kind words or compliments paid by an individual. Going back to my first point, learn to love yourself and learn to appreciate yourself.
Remember confidence is an attitude that can be developed by maintaining a positive belief in one's abilities.
1. Love yourself – The first and foremost step you should take on the road to becoming a confident person is to love yourself. Eradicate all the negative thoughts and fill your mind with positive outlooks on your abilities and life. Listen to negative self-talk or negative musings and focus on suffusing your mind with optimistic views and thoughts. Next time you notice yourself engaging in any negative self-talk or criticism, stop and turn the course of the musings towards a positive path.
2. Build up confidence slowly – Confidence does not come overnight. It takes time and you have to persevere and be patient. Every day you will have to build the foundation for a strong establishment of confidence within your mind.
3. Every day is a new day – Every day you gaze at the mirror to brush your teeth, put on make-up or just to check your outfit, utter some affirmative words. Choose your mantra and repeat them in your mind or loudly in front of the mirror. You can choose words like: "I am confident, beautiful and intelligent" or "My confidence is growing everyday" etc. Select words that are not too grandiloquent and are easy to repeat.
4. Write a confidence journal – Make it a second nature to yourself to maintain a confidence journal or diary. Every morning or every night spend a few minutes making some entries into this diary. Your entries can be as fantastic as "I delivered a fabulous presentation at work today" or as simple as "I cleaned my microwave today". The idea is to identify things you accomplish on a daily basis which goes a long way in boosting your confidence.
5. Delete negative thoughts – Write a letter to yourself listing all your negative thoughts. This should be a comprehensive list of things you feel you are not good at or things you feel you are not proud of for having said or done them. Once, you have compiled your list, burn it or bury it.
6. Surround yourself with positive people – This may be easier said than done. But try to surround yourself with confident and happy people. Their cheerful presence will imbue you with a high level of positive energy. A great man once said, "Confidence is contagious".
7. Pause and reflect – Everyday at every available opportunity, take a moment to mull over your abilities, qualities, achievements and talents. Spend some time pondering over all the things you like and appreciate about yourself. You can also let your mind wander onto memories of kind words or compliments paid by an individual. Going back to my first point, learn to love yourself and learn to appreciate yourself.
Remember confidence is an attitude that can be developed by maintaining a positive belief in one's abilities.
Source & Credit to: Joya D via www.weekendnotes.com
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Medical Tourism Booming in Malaysia
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/wpmdwn/booming_medical) has announced the addition of the “Booming Medical Tourism in Malaysia” report to their offering.
The Malaysian medical tourism industry is going through a phenomenal growth phase, offering immense opportunities for players involved in the business. Despite the global economic downturn, the market is growing exceptionally in each and every field of medical treatment.
Healthcare expense in developed countries together with the issue of time is making people seek affordable healthcare services in developing countries such as Malaysia.
In their latest research study, Booming Medical Tourism in Malaysia, RNCOS’ analysts identified and deciphered the market dynamics in important segments to clearly highlight the areas offering promising possibilities for the companies to boost their growth. The market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 13% during 2013-2017. The robust growth in revenue along with medical tourists is being driven by factors such as cost-effective treatments, skilled medical professionals, and government support.
In the report, the Malaysian medical tourism market is studied thoroughly on various grounds. Comprehensive study of the current market scenario along with the existing medical infrastructure covering hospitals, healthcare human resources and technological developments has been done. Moreover, different drivers and characteristics of the market have been discussed along with forecasts to provide an understanding of the market dynamics. This section intends to aid companies in designing their business strategies and provide them with key insights that can help them boost their profits. Also, the research has included an in-depth analysis of costs, comprising comparison of cost saving in various countries and treatment wise cost comparison of Malaysia with other countries.
Further, the report covers analysis of market, broken down into eight major market segments. This has helped our analysts to clearly identify and highlight the market segments offering maximum opportunity for growth. For instance, our study reveals that alternative medicines are becoming very much popular in Malaysia. Tourists are being fascinated by the alternative medical practices as these practices not only cure the illness but also increase the resilience of the human body devoid of any side effects.
The study further delves into the detailed description of the major players in the industry, covering description of their businesses and their recent developments. This will help the reader to gain a deeper insight into each key market player. In a nutshell, the research provides all the prerequisite information for intending clients looking out to venture into these markets, and facilitates them to devise strategies while going for an investment/partnership in Malaysian medical tourism industry.
Credit: www.breakingtravelnews.com
Source: Medical tourism booming in Malaysia | News | Breaking Travel News
Regional Turmoil Prompts Saudis To Change Their Vacation Plans
Local tourism experts predict that the political uprisings in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and other Arab countries has had an impact on Saudis’ vacation choices.
Europe and south-east Asia remain the destination of choice for many Saudi tourists in light of developments in the Middle East.
According to local travel agencies, 20 percent of Saudi tourists prefer to spend the summer vacation in the Kingdom, as the month of Ramadan will begin tentatively Jul. 9, coinciding with the beginning of the school holidays. On the other hand, 30 percent of the Saudis who intend to travel this summer have chosen to visit Turkey.
“This summer, we anticipate that Europe will witness a 20-percent increase in the number of Saudi tourists, while Arab countries will witness a sharp decline,” Mohammad Abdul Aziz, a manager at the Gulf for Travel and Tourism Agency, told Arab News.
“Malaysia and Singapore will also be attractive destinations for many Saudi tourists. Meanwhile, Turkey is expected to receive more than 30 percent of Saudi holidaymakers this year,” he added.
Nasser Al-Tayar, chairman of Al-Tayar for Travel and Tourism, affirmed that 5 million Saudis traveled outside the Kingdom during the summers of 2011 and 2012.
“Since Ramadan happens to fall during the beginning of the summer season this year, almost 3 million Saudis will opt to remain in the Kingdom,” said Abdul Khaleq Radwan, an employee at a local travel agency.
“During the summer of 2010, Egypt alone received more then 500,000 Saudis. This season is different, as initial surveys indicate a 60-percent drop in Saudi tourists traveling to Egypt due to fears about the political situation,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sultan Abdullah, a marketing executive at a private company, said he had planned to spend his summer vacation in Egypt, but after the latest violence the country witnessed, he is no longer sure.
“I am hesitant; I love Egypt and used to frequently visit, but the recent events have left me wary. I am currently searching for alternative vacation spots. London is an option, as I have many friends living there,” he added.
Alternatively, Mohammad Saeed views the present state of affairs in some Middle Eastern countries as a chance to travel somewhere new.
“I think this is a good chance to explore new countries. We have been accustomed to traveling to Egypt every summer. This year, I will opt perhaps for Malaysia instead.”
Credits
Writer: IBRAHIM NAFFEE
Source: www.arabnews.com
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