Category: In the News

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Europe In the News UK

High Street ‘ at risk of losing multi-channel retailers ’

‘More than a quarter of sales for High St / multi-channel retailers will be online by end of 2014’ 

Research from IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) reveals that online is taking an increasingly large share of sales for multi-channel retailers (those with a physical store presence).

In its latest e-retail survey of senior e-commerce professionals, IMRG – the UK’s industry association for e-retail, formed in 1990 – found the internet is expected to account for 27% of sales for multi-channel retailers during the fourth quarter of 2014.

Overall, the results show that 5% of these stores’ retail sales have shifted from stores to online since March this year.retail

In terms of growth expectations for Q4, retailers overall are more confident than last year, with 85% of survey respondents forecasting e-commerce growth in excess of 10%. In last year’s survey, 80% of respondents expected the same level of growth during the last quarter of 2013. However, the latest results reveal a higher percentage of online-only/catalogue retailers (92%) expect annual growth to be in excess of 10%, while just over three-quarters (77%) of multichannel retailers forecast the same rate of growth.

E-retail has been growing very strongly for more than ten years and mobile commerce has added even more impetus to this trend. The role of the physical retail outlet is coming under increasing scrutiny and it’s important that ALL instrumental parties recognise this.

James Roper, chairman and founder of IMRG said: “This IMRG research highlights how councils and landlords are killing so many of the UK’s high streets by ignoring the fundamental transformation taking place in shopping.

“Retailers who are already taking more than a quarter of their sales from outside of their physical stores can no longer bear the same costs and lengths of commitment to rents and business rates negotiated when all of their sales were store-based. 10,000 retail outlets have been empty for over three years and tens of thousands more are at risk as their costs rise and productivity falls.

“MRG is actively addressing this vital issue by using its seat on the Government’s Digital High Street Advisory Board to propose new principles for measuring high street performance and the creation of a new multi-channel value model to inform all stakeholders.”

The IMRG e-Retail Survey in October questioned more than 50 senior e-commerce professionals (heads of e-commerce, CEOs, managing directors and marketing directors) regarding their expectations/forecasts over the festive trading period and Q4 2014.

 

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In the News

Shopping web extensions prove most exciting for marketers

New research finds .Buy is the most anticipated gTLD among marketers.

With a plethora of new web extensions going live on the internet, those that are shopping-focused are deemed the most valuable by marketers, according to research from the Trademark Clearinghouse.

The results of the survey show that .Buy and .Store are among the most anticipated new web extensions to launch, as marketers look to stake their claim on the lucrative general top-level domains (gTLDs) in this internet age. The .Web, .Shop, and .App extensions are also expected to secure significant interest when launched next year.

The research revealed that 69% of respondents are interested in registering a .Buy domain. The second most-anticipated domain is .VIP (67%), followed by .Store (65%). Overall, there is significant interest in the value of the new gTLD programme, with 84% of those polled considering registering a new domain name within the next 12 months.Domains On Smartphone Shows Internet Websites And Information Addresses

Marketers also marked out domain portfolios as something they should take responsibility for within the business: 79% of respondents polled believe that marketers should be involved in the domain name portfolio management within a company, with 43% believing marketing teams should take full responsibility. Only 21% of respondents believe that the legal team should be fully responsible and 36% believe it should be a joint effort between marketing and legal teams.

Many marketers recognise the benefits of the new domains as an opportunity to differentiate their brand in the digital world. 54% of the respondents believe that registering a relevant gTLD would help differentiate their brand online.

Protecting their brand’s online space is a key issue for marketers, with 30% of respondents viewing cybersquatting is the most critical issue within the domain registration space.

Jan Corstens, world-wide project manager at the Trademark Clearinghouse said: “Brands and businesses are increasingly aware of the value which a relevant domain name offers, and there is significant potential for businesses to use the new gTLDs to distinguish themselves online.

“Retail and tech giants such as Amazon and Google have been extremely proactive around domain registration for a reason and smaller and medium-sized businesses should also be considering the advantages the gTLD programme could offer them.

“The domain name space is expanding quickly; businesses would be prudent in staking a claim, and protecting the security of their brand’s online presence.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Germany In the News UK USA

Christmas shoppers to spend £17.4 billion online

Online sales set to account for close to a quarter of all Christmas spend in the UK, with the average household forecast to splash out a total of £775 on the festive season. Mobile shopping is expected to grow by 301% year-over-year.

UK shoppers are set to spend a record £74.3billion in the run-up to Christmas, with almost one in four pounds expected to be spent online, according to research commissioned by digital offer marketplace RetailMeNot – operator of VoucherCodes.co.uk. The study, conducted by the Centre for Retail Research, forecasts that online sales at Christmas will grow by 19.5% to £17.4 billion this year, compared to £14.5 billion in 2013.Men hands hold a tablet touch computer gadget with a gift

On the high street, shoppers are expected to spend £56.9billion this year, but as Christmas Day draws closer, the proportion of online retail sales is likely to increase as consumers turn to the web to escape the crowds. As such, e-commerce is predicted to account for 23.4% of Christmas sales this year, up from 20% in 2013, while bricks-and-mortar sales are expected to decline by 2.1%.

Mobile shoppers to drive increase in Christmas spend

With Brits increasingly using tablets and smartphones to shop, mobile purchases are expected to account for over a quarter (29.8%) of all online Christmas sales, up 301% compared to last year, and representing a total of £5.2 bn, almost twice as much as the Germans (£2.9bn) and nearly three times higher than in France (£1.8 bn)

Although the PC is still the killer outbound channel for Christmas shopping, with a predicted £12.2 billion to be spent by Brits, tablets and smartphones are increasingly important. This year, tablets are expected to account for £2.1 billion of all Christmas sales, while smartphones are expected to account for £3 billion, representing 18% of all online sales. Brits are set to have the highest share of online and mobile shopping in Europe this Christmas (23.4% and 29.8% respectively) and are even ahead of the US, where 18.7% of the Christmas shopping will be done online, of which 28.4% is projected to be mobile.

Giulio Montemagno, senior vice-president of international at RetailMeNot, said: “Retail spending in the weeks before Christmas is the most important period of trading for retailers both online and offline. Retailers, particularly of specialist merchandise, will often take 20% or more of their sales in this period.

“This Christmas looks set to be a bumper year for online retailers as a record number of consumers will be turning to the web to order gifts. With shoppers spending 23 pennies out of every pound online, retailers must ensure that they are appealing to consumers through mobile and tablet devices. The study reveals that almost 30% of all online Christmas sales will occur on mobile this year and in such a competitive retail environment it’s more important than ever that retailers have a solid mobile strategy in place to target shoppers as they shop online or in-store.”

Brits set to be biggest Christmas spenders in Europe

 The international study also found that British shoppers are likely to be the highest spenders during the Christmas season in Europe, with a total projected spend of £74.3billion, followed by the Germans (£61.2billion) and the French (£54.9billion).  UK Households are expected to spend on average £459 on gifts, £172 above the European average and £22 ahead of the US.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Data Driven Channels In the News UK

Tips for bloggers looking to monetise their sites through affiliate commission

affiliate, have a mint

Recently, Optimus Performance Marketing looked into the average amount of money made by the average ‘lifestyle’ blogger in the UK; finding that they can make as much as £906 per year through affiliate sales and commission alone.

Following this discovery, the team at OPM have compiled a selection of advisory tips for bloggers who may be looking to start taking advantage of affiliate commission on their websites in the near future.

Top tips for bloggers considering becoming affiliates:

Are you doing it for the right reasons?

It’s all well and good thinking that your blog is at the stage where it could start making you money, and it’s true that affiliate marketing is one of the most effective ways to make money online.
However, simply because you want to ‘make money’ should not be the sole reason for wanting to continue a blog. Blogging and writing insightful and imaginative articles that strike a chord with your audience should be the ultimate driving force spurring your blog on. Readers will see through posts that are too promotion-heavy.

Do you have a wide enough following?

In order to start making some money from your blog, you don’t necessarily need to have thousands and thousands of existing subscribers. In our experience, much of the engagement and comments left on a lifestyle blog will be from individuals who have organically discovered your site through social media pages and not by those who are already subscribed to your blog. If you feel as though your content is generating enough unique views, engagement and comments from a wide plethora of readers, then becoming an affiliate site is absolutely something to consider seriously.

Are you driving enough traffic to your blog from social media platforms?

We cannot highlight enough the important role that social media will play in whether or not a move into the realm of affiliate commission is a successful one. By staying active and sharing original content on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google + and Pinterest, you can make sure you are continually building your following and chances of making commissions through sales made through your site. It is also worth actively encouraging shares, retweets and re-pins of particularly popular posts, especially by other high-profile bloggers who may follow you.

Is your content engaging enough for your audience?

If you are seriously interested in making money through your blog, you will need to start writing reviews of products and services with affiliate marketing in mind. You cannot simply throw links out randomly and expect a wave of commission to start rolling in. It is far more effective to think of the affiliate links as added resources that compliment your existing copy, and not the sole reason you have written the piece in the first place.

Do you have the extra time to dedicate to your blog?

Perhaps a rather straightforward point, but chances are you already juggle writing and managing your blog with full-time work or studying. Therefore, an important question to ask yourself is whether you can dedicate the required amount of time to monetising your blog, especially if it starts to do very well for you. Would you be willing to forego the odd night out or shopping trip with friends in order to stay in and work on your blog? If the answer is no, then you might want to re-think your options.

Would you know the kinds of affiliate programs to approach?

Affiliate links will earn you commission if you successfully drive a sale to the merchant, which means that a blog reader will need to click on one of your embedded links, and either purchase or sign up to something before you see any kind of commission. Therefore, the more relevant your affiliate ad is to your reader’s likes and preferences, the higher the chances they will click on the link and make a subsequent purchase.

Mark Russell, CEO of Optimus Performance Marketing, said: “In theory, using affiliate commission to boost your income could not be easier or more straightforward. However, in reality, in such a saturated market, it’s important that one is 100% sure of the things to take into account before committing to affiliate sales. It is our hope that the advice and tips included above will help any bloggers with their decision-making process and help them to avoid making a rushed choice.”

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In the News Singapore UK

Marketing is seriously broken, report claims

‘Almost half of all Brits will end a brand relationship due to badly targeted marketing or where it isn’t relevant or bespoke to them’

Traditional marketing methods are dead. That’s according to new consumer research from 3radical , a new British mobile gamification platform company, which has revealed that brands aren’t reaching their audiences anywhere near as effectively as they should.

Almost half (45 per cent) of UK consumers surveyed by 3radical said they are less likely to buy from or engage with brands because they currently don’t get the right or relevant information they need to make a purchasing decision. A third of Brits (30 per cent) also stated that they will ignore communications from their favourite Brands due to a lack of bespoke and targeted marketing, even potentially leading to them to end a brand relationship altogether.Online consumer

What DO customers want from brands?
Rewarding, relevant and timely, but more than anything – mobile. When asked, 55 per cent of consumers said that they are much more likely to respond to timely marketing messages, and that location and mobile were critical factors. Consumers are also becoming savvier to their own power and influence, and are looking for brands to offer something back in return for their loyalty and custom. Eighty-seven per cent of those surveyed said they were looking for a reward or something back in order to read or respond to messages. A further 50 per cent said this had become more important over the past year, as they are bombarded with marketing messages and need to select carefully with whom they engage.

Smartphones are becoming a key hub of communication with consumers, and are increasingly the bridge between bricks-and-mortar retail and the digital world – 93 per cent of those surveyed had a smartphone or tablet, and more than 60 per cent kept these close to them for 12 hours or more per day. Sixty per cent use their smartphones while they are shopping and Brands need to be ‘invited in’ by consumers, as it is such a personal channel

Gamificiation – fad or formula?
Gamification is becoming an important part of the marketing mix. Although a buzzword that has graced the lips of marketers for some time, it seems that gamification is only now being taken seriously and implemented into digital marketing strategies. According to Gartner, 70 per cent of the Global 2000 brands will have begun to introduce gamification to their marketing and customer service efforts by the end of 2014. From a spend of $100 million in 2010, organisations are set to spend up to $2.8 billion on gamification by 2016 – building to $5.5 billion by 2018.

David Eldridge, CEO and co-founder at 3radical, said: “Brands need to completely rethink the way they are interacting with their customers and prospects in order to survive. The fundamentals of our business are built on the knowledge that typically less than 5 per cent of marketing communications are getting a response – that leaves a 95 per cent opportunity for brands to get one up on their competitors. Our research shows that consumers are giving brands a clear message about what they want; nowadays, they are looking for a true value exchange between the business and the customer. It needs to be mobile and it must be contextually relevant to them.”

Rusty Warner, Forrester Research, added: “Customer insights professionals now approach campaigns much differently than the past. Smart marketers know they must engage their customers with contextually relevant content that sparks an interaction cycle and provides utility while creating a value exchange.”

Daniel Chia, marketing communications manager consumer, Dell Singapore, said: “Consumers today are looking for an experience with brands. They are becoming increasingly hard to reach with the more traditional methods of marketing. In fact, they’re almost immune to it. However, they love to compete, play and share with their friends – stuff they do in their everyday life. New technology and approaches on mobile in particular, such as gamification, makes them part of this brand experience and allows them to engage with brands over and over again – as well as giving them something in return. So encouraging and rewarding consumers for finding out more, sharing and visiting becomes an option and lets us address the whole customer lifecycle.”

3radical has revealed this research as it launches its new mobile gamification platform globally. The new company, aimed at shaking up the digital marketing space, launches this month after a three-year testing and building project in Singapore.

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In the News UK

Get set for ‘Manic Monday’: UK e-shoppers set to smash festive records

Report says ‘Manic Monday’ will outstrip ‘Cyber Monday’ with 151 million visits to online retail sites and £676.5 million spend:

2014 Predictions

  • Black Friday – Spend: £555.5m (More than £385k per minute). Online traffic to retail sites: 124 million (17% increase compared to 2013)
  • Cyber Monday – Spend: £649.6m (£451k per minute). Online traffic to retail sites: 145 million (26% increase compared to 2013)
  • Manic Monday – Spend: £676.5m (£470k per minute). Online traffic to retail sites: 151 million (26% increase compared to 2013)

 

New figures produced by the global information services company, Experian, in conjunction with IMRG, the UK’s industry association for online retailers, have tipped online Christmas shopping to set new records this December.

Buoyed by increasing consumer confidence in delivery times and click & collect, and also fuelled by the widespread use of mobile technology, the Experian-IMRG projections estimate that the key peaks for pre-Christmas online shopping include Cyber Monday (the first Monday in December) and Manic Monday (the second Monday in December). Huge online spending increases in 2014 are also predicted as people are more comfortable shopping online and leaving it increasingly later in the run up to Christmas.

Insights are taken from the combined datasets of Hitwise, Experian`s online competitive intelligence tool, and the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index using historical data and trends to make estimated predictions for 2014.Shopping transaction technology

According to Experian and IMRG:

  • Manic Monday will surpass Cyber Monday and will be the busiest pre-Christmas online shopping day in the UK, with 151 million online visits to retail sites spending an estimated £676.5 million.
  • Online traffic on Manic Monday is expected to be up 26 per cent year on year, with shoppers spending an average of £470,000 each minute.
  • Online sales on Black Friday are expected to reach £555.5 million, with smartphone and tablet devices accounting for £196.6m.

James Miller, senior retail consultant at Experian Marketing Services, said: “Christmas 2014 is on track to be another record breaking year for online retail in the UK. Continuing a trend we identified last year, Cyber Monday will no longer be the busiest pre-Christmas online shopping day, with Manic Monday expected to take the lead. With increased confidence in the standard of delivery services and ‘click and collect’, we expect to see people break away from traditional shopping habits. This is why it’s key for marketers to make sure their Christmas campaigns reflect these peaks of interest and know their audience in order to offer them the gift ideas they are looking for through the best channels to engage them on.

“We have identified a number of key demographic types, who are believed to be behind the rise of online sales during the festive period. Online shopping is an important leisure activity for a wide variety of people, from active middle-income families with teenage children to young singles. These tech-savvy groups are typically early adopters of new technology trends, prolific online shoppers, and active users of mobile and tablet devices.”

Tina Spooner, chief information officer at IMRG said: “The US phenomenon of Black Friday is now firmly embedded in the UK e-retail calendar and, while the first two weeks of December are traditionally the peak festive trading weeks for the online retail industry, Black Friday now marks the start of the online shopping season. Smartphones and tablets are set to account for over half of all traffic to retail websites during the festive season and on Black Friday alone, online spend via mobile devices is set to reach over £196m.

“E-retail sales have grown 17% year-to-date in 2014 and retailers are increasingly confident in their online performance during the fourth quarter, which indicates the industry is gearing up for another record-breaking Christmas.”

 

 

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In the News

UPU gives global e-commerce a boost

Delivering Mail Arrow Showing Mail PostAs early as July 2015, online retailers worldwide will be able to move their wares across borders more easily when Posts can start offering a new optional parcel service responding to this need.

So says the Universal Postal Union’s Postal Operations Council (POC), which has just approved specifications for a service covering items up to 30kg. It also features track-and-trace options and a five-business-day delivery standard from the moment an item arrives in the destination country.

With online sales expected to reach 1.5 trillion USD this year alone, the service is part of a global integrated e-commerce solution the UPU developed after adopting a resolution last April to speed up its work on meeting the needs of stakeholders in this bustling market.

Items delivered under the new service will not require a signature on delivery. Starting in 2016, Posts will have to provide pre-advice data of package contents to customs authorities, a measure expected to improve customs clearance of items.

Eventually, customers will also be able to choose their preferred delivery location.

The POC also validated a merchandise-return service, which will make it easier for customers to return unwanted goods to e-tailers abroad.

Brazil’s Vantuyl Barbosa, vice-chairman of the POC, was charged with overseeing the UPU’s work on an e-commerce framework. He said: “E-commerce is changing the way we do business.” 

“Posts must adapt to the market and provide both e-tailers and customers services they want.”

The latest UPU statistics show letter volumes continuing to go down, while packets and parcels traffic is going up.

Posts processed 6.7 billion domestic parcels in 2013, or 3.7% more than in 2012. Traffic of international packages, including small packets – which travel in the letter-post stream – and parcels, was about 300 million items, an increase of more than five per cent on the previous year.

UPU Economist José Ansón said: “There is a significant shift in mail composition, a clear sign of the rise of international e-commerce.”

At a major UPU e-commerce forum last March, market representatives pleaded for simpler, reliable and cost-effective postal services to expand an already booming domestic business beyond national borders.

The UPU will now develop pay-for-performance targets for Posts offering the optional service, as well as an Internet-based inquiry system for customers.

The UPU body dealing with operational issues also gave the green light to a new e-commerce guide outlining practical recommendations for Posts as they develop their e-commerce capabilities and services for domestic, regional and cross-border markets.

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In the News

Globalisation is recovering from financial crisis – report

Detailed analysis of the state of globalisation around the world has been released by global logistics firm DHL, in its third edition of the Global Connectedness Index (GCI). The latest report shows that global connectedness, measured by cross-border flows of trade, capital, information and people, has recovered most of its losses incurred during the financial crisis.

In particular, the depth of international interactions – the proportion of interactions that cross national borders – gained momentum in 2013 after its recovery had stalled in the previous year. Nonetheless, trade depth, as a distinct dimension of globalisation, continues to stagnate and the overall level of global connectedness remains quite limited, implying there could be gains of trillions of US dollars if boosted in future years.Globalisation recovers (DHL) WEB

Frank Appel, CEO, Deutsche Post DHL, said: “In the aftermath of the financial crisis, globalisation has increasingly come under pressure and international trade negotiations face growing resistance. In this environment of uncertainty, the DHL Global Connectedness Index offers a comprehensive, fact-based understanding of globalisation and demonstrates the huge potential for countries to further increase their connectedness. I am convinced that a prosperous world needs more, not less integration.”

The DHL Global Connectedness Index 2014 documents the substantial shift of economic activity to emerging economies that is pushing the world’s economic center of gravity eastward. Emerging countries are now involved in the majority of international interactions whereas before 2010, the majority of international flows were from one advanced economy to another. Notably, the ten countries where global connectedness increased the most from 2011 to 2013 are all emerging economies, with Burundi, Mozambique and Jamaica experiencing the largest gains.

Advanced economies have not kept up with this shift. This suggests they may be missing out on growth opportunities in emerging markets.

Professor Pankaj Ghemawat, co-author of the report and internationally acclaimed globalisation expert and business strategist, said: “Counteracting this trend would require more companies in advanced economies to boost their capacity to tap into faraway growth.

“This is particularly evident in light of the fact that a decades-long trend toward trade regionalisation has gone into reverse.” In fact, the GCI 2014 reveals that every type of trade, capital, information and people flow measured has expanded over greater distances in 2013 than in 2005, the report’s baseline year.

The 2014 Index Results

In addition to a comprehensive overview on the state of globalization, the 2014 report also provides detailed insights into the connectedness of individual countries and regions. The Netherlands retained its top rank as the world’s most connected country and Europe is once again the world’s most connected region. All but one of the top 10 most globalised countries in the world are located in Europe, with Singapore as the one standout.

North America is the second most globally connected region and leads on the capital and information pillars, with the United States as the most connected country in the Americas. Overall the US is ranked 23rd place out of the 140 countries measured by the GCI. The largest average increases in global connectedness from 2011 to 2013 were observed in countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean. Middle East and North Africa was the only region to experience a significant decline in connectedness.

 

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In the News UK

New online resource for the data protection community

Opt-4, the data protection and permission marketing consultancy, has launched a new online service for the data protection community Layout 1called The Data Protection Network.

The Data Protection Network (DPN) has been developed to provide dedicated expert opinion, thought leadership, quality resources and learning materials to both experts and non-experts in the field of data protection and privacy.

The new platform can be accessed at: www.dpnetwork.org.uk and registration is open to anyone with an interest in data protection. With a newly assembled governance board of industry experts on hand, the site promises to deliver a wealth of materials and practical resources. Data Protection Officers (DPOs) and those handling personal data will be able to learn about the law, apply their knowledge and comply with the requirements.

Chairman of the Governance Board, Robert Bond – partner and Notary Public at leading law firm Charles Russell Speechlys – welcomed the new resource: “This is an exciting time in the development of privacy law. The draft European Data Protection Regulation will require Data Protection Officers to have a thorough understanding of the law and its implications. DPN will provide practical advice and keep DPOs updated on changes as they happen.”

All of DPN’s resources are written, developed and edited by experts in the data protection and privacy field and the library is packed with the tools DPOs need to craft quality policies and establish solid processes that govern good data protection practice.

Rosemary Smith – DPN co-founder – said: “The Data Protection Network has been established in the belief that those who are responsible for data protection and privacy are not necessarily lawyers or experts, they may just have been handed the baton and asked to make a difference.”

Jenny Moseley – DPN co-founder – added: “Our mission is to empower talented individuals and give them the tools they need to master data protection. The website will be supplemented with webinars and events”

For more detail about the DPN and to become a member, visit: www.dpnetwork.org.uk/membership

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Asia-Pacific Europe France In the News Italy Philippines Spain UK

New European digital campaign to promote Philippines

The Philippines Department of Tourism (PDOT) has announced a new campaign to further promote the Philippines through digital and social media platforms.

The campaign, launched by the GTI (Global Tourism Interface) Network – a group of marketers from around the world – across France, Italy, Spain and the UK, will aim for an increase in tourists from each of the destination markets.Visit the Phillipines (WEB)

Each market will utilise a digital press office and creation of individual social media pages –Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to engage with a wider audience. The strategy will also encompass blogger relations in order to reach key influencers in the travel, food and lifestyle sectors.

There will also be blogger press trips to further increase online presence. This will include an inaugural ‘Jeepney Roadtrip’ where an influential vlogger from each market will endeavour to reach the Philippines in a Filipino Jeepney, an iconic vehicle of the islands.

Other activity includes the placing of Facebook advertisements and co-branding with relevant trade partners in each market. Additionally, the campaign will be engaging the travel trade on joint-promotional activities to drive point-of-sale and actual bookings to the Philippines.

Philippines Tourism Promotions Board, chief operating officer, Domingo Ramon Enerio, said: “We know that many people research their holidays online now and we want to target our possible customers and give them the best and most up-to-date news about our islands. Additionally, we love the idea of visitors taking their own images and sharing them with other followers of our channels.

“We also look forward to working with bloggers whose honest accounts of their travels give their subscribers and followers great pleasure and provide lots of source information and tips for travellers to inspire their research.”

Visit: www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com

Pictured are:
Back Row: Blaise Boresee, Interface Tourism Group France; Serena de Valle, Interface Tourism Group Italy; Chris Pomeroy, Interface Tourism Group Spain; Amanda Hills, Interface Tourism Group UK.

Front Row: Marie Venus Tan, officer in charge, Department of Tourism, Europe; Gael de la Porte, Interface Tourism Group, France; Domingo Ramon Enerio, chief operating officer, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB); assistant secretary Eugene Kaw, Philippines Department of Tourism.