Amadeus research puts the spotlight on what Filipino travellers want

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Woman using laptop and looking away at airport

Manila, Philippines: Asia is today the world’s largest travel market, yet the vast majority of its population has yet to travel beyond their borders. This makes the Asian traveller a force to be reckoned with – one that presents the greatest opportunity for the travel industry, but also many challenges. To move the industry towards a closer understanding of travellers in the region, Amadeus has launched Journey of Me Insights, an Asia Pacific traveller study spanning 14 markets.

Albert Pozo, President of Amadeus Asia Pacific said, “There is no traveller today quite as important as the Asia Pacific traveller. Yet the irony is that even as we talk about the ‘Asia Pacific traveller’ – it doesn’t exist. The diversity we see across nationalities, gender and generation in this region is astounding. More than that, our research has showed us that the preferences, behaviours and demands of travellers vary enormously from one country to another. The industry must come to grips with this. The one-size-fits-all approach is a thing of the past.”

Travellers referring to mobile for information

Spanning 14 markets, Amadeus Journey of Me Insights is the most comprehensive research on Asia Pacific (APAC) travellers to date 

Philippines report reveals that 61% of Filipino travellers would be open to sharing their personal information in return for a more personalised travel experience

As part of the Journey of Me Insights project, Amadeus today publishes a report on Filipino travellers titled “Journey of Me Insights: What Filipino travellers want”. From when and how Filipino travellers plan and book their trips, to how and why they want to stay connected while travelling, to how frequently they use sharing economy services, and the types of new technologies they would be most interested in, the study takes a multi-faceted look at what Filipino travellers want. The findings unveiled four themes for travel providers to focus on:

The personalisation-privacy paradox – 64% of Asia Pacific travellers interviewed are open to sharing personal data for more relevant offers and personalised experiences. Slightly more cautious, 61% of Filipino travellers feel the same. For travel providers, the mandate is clear – personalisation must be carefully balanced against rising privacy concerns. They will need to respect and protect personal data and the need for privacy at all times. Above and beyond adhering to legislation, travel players must be able to articulate ‘what’s the value?’ to get travellers to share their data.

Businesswoman talking on smartphone in airport

Get real: Recommendations they can trust – Travellers take their lead from other travellers. Inspiration is the doorway to opportunity for travel providers, but authenticity is the key to unlocking it. Rather than the glossy pictures of travel brochures or the carefully curated Instagram feeds of celebrities, Asia Pacific travellers seek what’s genuine, and turn to their fellow travellers for inspiration. When planning trips, Filipino travellers are most influenced by word of mouth from friends, family and colleagues as well as traveller reviews. Their social network and travel review sites were likewise voted most likely to have sent them relevant recommendations about travel.

The right content, through the right channel, at the right time – In the world of travel, every engagement point matters. Beyond personalisation, connecting with travellers in a timely and intuitive manner is equally important. While the vast majority of Filipino travellers would be interested in receiving travel recommendations from the moment they consider a trip all the way up to while they are on the trip, travel players must consider carefully how to connect with them and with what content. 52% of Filipino travellers prefer to receive updates and recommendations about their trip through e-mail, with only 6% happy to be contacted via mobile messaging services. Recommendations that help them save money was the top choice for Filipino travellers (50%), while timesaving tips were less popular (12%). 

There are many Asias within Asia – The most dominant observation from Journey of Me Insights is that there is no consistent profile for the Asia Pacific traveller. Stark contrasts in behaviours, needs and preferences were observed across all geographic and demographic lines. For example, while 66% of Chinese travellers do most of their trip booking on mobile, only 36% of Filipino travellers do so. Separately, while 70% of Japanese travellers have never used a sharing economy service for trip accommodation, 66% of Filipino travellers have, and almost half of all Indian travellers say they do so ‘often’ and ‘very often’. And while 78% of Filipino travellers think it’s important to find service staff at the destination that speak a language they understand, only half (47%) of Malaysians do, with Hong Kong travellers (4%) even less likely to think the same.

Andy Michaels Lim, Managing Director, South East Asia, Amadeus IT Group added, “At Amadeus, our goal is to help the travel industry thrive by putting the traveller at the centre of everything we do. That’s why we’re investing to understand who they are and what they want. The Philippines report gives us many interesting insights – some expected, others less so. One of the observations that stood out to me was how important cost-saving is to Filipino travellers. Indeed, the Philippines peso has fallen to an eleven-year low so this is not surprising. But this can be an opportunity to travel players, if for example, they can help build more rewarding journeys for their travellers that also saves them money. With Amadeus Journey of Me Insights, we hope to help our customers and partners shape a future of travel that travellers want.”

Journey of Me Insights was conducted in collaboration with YouGov across 14 markets in Asia Pacific including Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. 

All figures, unless otherwise stated, were provided by YouGov.  Total sample size was 6,870 adults across Asia Pacific who have travelled internationally in the last 12 months. Fieldwork was undertaken between 8^th and 17^th May 2017.  The survey was carried out online. 

For further information on the research methodology and more findings, visit www.amadeus.com.

About Amadeus

            

Amadeus is a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail and ferry operators, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and travel management companies).

The Amadeus group employs around 15,000 people worldwide, across central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters), Nice (development) and Erding (operations), as well as 70 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations globally.

This year marks 30 years since Amadeus was founded. Throughout 2017, the company will be celebrating 30 years of collaboration with customers, 30 years of technological innovation and 30 years of helping power better journeys for travellers all over the world.

The group operates a transaction-based business model.

Amadeus is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under the symbol “AMS.MC” and is a component of the IBEX 35 index.

To find out more about Amadeus please visit www.amadeus.com, and www.amadeus.com/blog for more on the travel industry.

The Coca-Cola Company announces new Global Vision to help a World Without Waste

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The Coca-Cola Company announced today that it is fundamentally reshaping its approach to packaging, with a global goal to help collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% of its packaging by 2030. 

Company Sets Goal to Help Collect and Recycle a Bottle or Can for Every One it Sells by 2030 

This goal is the centerpiece of the Company’s new packaging vision for a World Without Waste, which the Coca-Cola system intends to back with a multi-year investment that includes ongoing work to make packaging 100% recyclable. This begins with the understanding that food and beverage containers are an important part of people’s modern lives but that there is much more to be done to reduce packaging waste globally. 

“The world has a packaging problem – and, like all companies, we have a responsibility to help solve it,” said James Quincey, President and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. “Through our World Without Waste vision, we are investing in our planet and our packaging to help make this problem a thing of the past.” 

The Company and its bottling partners are pursuing several key goals: 

• Investing in the planet: By 2030, for every bottle or can the Coca-Cola system sells globally, we aim to help take one back so it has more than one life. The Company is investing its marketing dollars and skills behind this 100% collection goal to help people understand what, how and where to recycle. We will support collection of packaging across the industry, including bottles and cans from other companies. The Coca-Cola system will work with local communities, industry partners, our customers, and consumers to help address issues like packaging litter and marine debris. 

• Investing in packaging: To achieve its collection goal, The Coca-Cola Company is continuing to work toward making all of its packaging 100% recyclable globally. The Company is building better bottles, whether through more recycled content, by developing plant-based resins, or by reducing the amount of plastic in each container. By 2030, the Coca-Cola system also aims to make bottles with an average of 50% recycled content. The goal is to set a new global standard for beverage packaging. Currently, the majority of the Company’s packaging is recyclable.

World Without Waste is the next step in the Company’s ongoing sustainability efforts, building off success in replenishing an estimated 100% of the water it uses in its final beverages. The Company2 

achieved and exceeded its water replenishment goal in 2015, five years ahead of expectations. These efforts are part of the Company’s larger strategy to grow with conscience, by becoming a total beverage company that grows the right way. 

“Bottles and cans shouldn’t harm our planet, and a litter-free world is possible,” Quincey said. “Companies like ours must be leaders. Consumers around the world care about our planet, and they want and expect companies to take action. That’s exactly what we’re going to do, and we invite others to join us on this critical journey.” 

The Coca-Cola Company will work to achieve these goals with the help of several global partners: the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative, The Ocean Conservancy/Trash Free Seas Alliance and World Wildlife Fund (The Cascading Materials Vision and Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance). Coca-Cola will also launch efforts with new partners at the regional and local level and plans to work with its key customers to help motivate consumers to recycle more packaging. 

“We would like to encourage everyone to recycle as part of a circular economy, where plastic, glass, and aluminum are reused or repurposed as many times as possible, rather than being used once and then thrown away. We look forward to working with the industry, local communities, NGOs, government organizations, and even our critics to highlight this critical issue. When we all come together to help solve this problem, collectively we will make a bigger difference than if we simply act alone,” said Winn Everhart, President & General Manager of Coca-Cola Philippines. 

The Coca-Cola System in the Philippines has already started on the journey towards achieving this goal through their active participation with the Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Materials Sustainability (PARMS) – a multi-stakeholder coalition supported by the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) and composed of the top corporations in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. Recently, Coca-Cola and other members of PARMS announced their commitment to work with government and non-government organizations in developing a sustainable solid waste management program in the country, starting with its plan to build a state of the art materials recovery and reprocessing facility. 

To learn more, visit Coca-Cola Journey at http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/world-without- 

waste.

All is set for the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) on ABS-CBN Sports +Action premiere on January 25

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The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), a new regional-concept basketball league which is a brainchild of Senator Manny Pacquiao, opens its first season this Thursday, January 25 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, and will be shown live on ABS-CBN Sports + Action. 

MPBL gives fresh and undiscovered Filipino basketball talents from local communities and former collegiate and professional players their chance to shine on national TV.

“This will support the youth who are interested in the sports. This will be great help to them. From the grassroots, we are going to discover good players. “Hindi naman kami nakikipag compete sa ibang liga, kundi ito ay ambag, tulong din sa pag-promote ng basketball dito sa Pilipinas. It’s possible that players who shine in the MPBL will eventually get the opportunity to be drafted by other leagues so it could be complementary,” Pacquiao said. 

Arnold Vegafria

Arnold Vegafria, AVL Events International Chairman, happens to be the business manager of Manny Pacquiao and now the overall head of production and marketing of MPBL says, 

"Through Senator Manny Pacquiao's vision, we have a basketball league that truly reaches the grassroots level. Finally, Filipinos from all walks of life who have the talent and passion for the game will be able to show their mettle in the hardcourt. We are thankful for I hope advertisers and basketball fans will support this. This is another platform where Filipinos can find their potential basketball heroes." 

Dino Laurena, Abs-Cbn Sports head expressed his excitement with the entry of the MPBL S+A, which aims to give grassroots athletes and undrafted or untapped basketball players a venue to showcase their skills and continue to pursue their basketball dreams. 

“It was very natural for us to get together because of our shared vision for Philippines sports and our desire to support Filipino athletes in the grassroots level. Serendipitously, we are celebrating the anniversary of the MBA (Metropolitan Basketball Association) this year, which had the same concept and objective,” he said.

All games in the MPBL will feature a home-and-away format similar to the old Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA). Similar to the MBA, the MPBL features teams that represent a province, city, or municipality in the country and has a home and away format that will give the teams a chance to play in their home court in front of their fans. Currently, the league has 10 teams from Metro Manila and Luzon, and will eventually expand to include teams from Visayas and Mindanao.

This first MPBL season, ten teams will compete in the maiden conference of the league, namely Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Caloocan, Imus, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Quezon City, and Valenzuela.

They will compete in a single-round robin elimination round with each team hosting at least two home games in their respective arenas.

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) heads during  media  conference, Annabel's Restaurant, January 22.

Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes also said that each team is required to have at least three players that are truly homegrown to the area.

“The advantage of this is really the pride of the players playing for their respective provinces and cities. We also believe that it will be more exciting because of the support of the fans for their teams. In the preseason, we can really see that they are excited as they also want to see their home players succeed,” he adds

“We would like to thank Sports and Action and ABS-CBN for this. There's a lot of talent na mabibigyan ng chance,” Commissioner Duremdes said.

MPBL team coordinator Emmerson Oreta, a former professional player like Duremdes, added that their long-term goal is to have all teams featuring all homegrown players, like their preseason champion, the Bulacan Kuyas.

Helping Duremdes and Oreta in running the league is another former professional and national team player Zaldy Realubit, who heads the operations, and assistant commissioner Satar Macantal, Pacquiao’s childhood friend who played for Pacquiao’s local team and helped him organize basketball leagues in their hometown of General Santos City.

To further encourage fans to watch the opening at the Araneta Coliseum, Vegafria said they will be giving away one car and ten motorbikes on January 25.

Don’t miss the premiere of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League on January 25 live from the SMART Araneta Colisuem on ABS-CBN S+A and S+A HD. 

The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League telecast is a production of AVL Events International and ABS-CBN Sports + Action. 

Catch the games every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 7 pm to 11 pm. Watch online via iwantv.com.ph or skyondemand.com.ph. For news and updates, visit sports.abs-cbn.com or follow @abscbnsports on Facebook and Twitter.

Disney Unveils First Trailer For “The Nutcracker And The Four Realms”

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Watch the first trailer for Walt Disney Pictures‘ new fantasy adventure “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” which has just been launched at http://youtu.be/2ktuvx9hrMw.

All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world.

Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy and featuring a special performance by Misty Copeland, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is directed byLasse Hallström and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale.

In Philippine cinemas October 31, 2018, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is distributed by The Walt Disney Company (Philippines.)

Morgan Stanley reinforce positive outlook on PH telco play, Globe stock earns ratings upgrade

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A large foreign investment house posted its positive outlook for the Philippine telco sector and Globe Telecom in particular for 2018. Morgan Stanley released its research paper this month, entitled “ASEAN Telcos 2018 Outlook”, comparing Globe with other telco players in the ASEAN region with optimistic results. 

Morgan Stanley noted that:

“Globe has been winning market share from competition in the mobile and broadband segments, which has resulted in Globe outperforming competition by 6% in 2017. Unlike competition, we like that Globe has made efforts to increase its capex to densify the network in preparation for 4G. We recognize the risk of a third player but it will be 2-3 years before a new player is operational. In the meantime, we see Globe’s effort in driving improvements in the network as a positive for growth.”

As a result, Morgan Stanley upgraded the Philippines from its least-preferred market to rank in line with Malaysia and Thailand, at the same time upgrading Globe shares from underweight to overweight. As defined by Morgan Stanley, a stock rating of overweight means that the stock’s total return is expected to exceed the average total return of the Morgan Stanley analyst’s industry (or industry team’s) coverage universe, on a risk-adjusted basis, over the next 12-18 months. Morgan Stanley upgraded Globe on the back of lower depreciation charges, increases in data monetization and improvement in customer growth.

Morgan Stanley said it forecasts Globe Telecom’s data revenues to grow at an 11.5% compounded annual growth rate (2016 to 2019) driven by strong growth in mobile data traffic from a low base, and improved data monetization as a result of lower mobile competition in the market. Also, Morgan Stanley forecasts data revenues to account for 73% of wireless revenues by 2020, up from 54% in 2015.

“The Philippines has historically been categorized as a highly competitive telecom market, despite being a duopoly. However, competition in the mobile space moderated in 2017, but we expect it to rise again in the near future, as operators go after fixed broadband market share and as risk of a third player looms,” the Morgan Stanley report noted.

The research paper also highlighted that Globe has significantly increased capex to improve its network compared to other countries in the ASEAN region. The study indicated that though the capex cycle is an important underlying driver to boost the stock price performance of the company, it can also decrease the return of invested capital (ROIC) and can limit capital distribution. The capex cycle is driven by three key points, namely technology upgrades, network expansions and fixed network investments.