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Muslim tourists spent $62 billion in shopping and dining

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Where are there favorite destinations?

Cities from the Asia Pacific region have been named as the world’s top shopping destinations for Muslim tourists in a report which provides detailed insights into their spending behaviour while travelling.

According to a release from MasterCard and CrescentRating, the MasterCard-CrescentRating Muslim Shopping Travel Index 2015 (MTSI 2015) has revealed Muslim travellers spent a total of $62 billion globally in shopping and dining.

Kuala Lumpur was second on the overall list of 40 cities in the MTSI 2015 which also included Singapore in third spot which was topped by Dubai in the number one spot.

The research showed that shopping expenditure by Muslims in 2014 amounted to $36 billion, while dining expenditure amounted to $26 billion

The MTSI 2015 looks at in-depth data covering Muslim travel shopping from 40 international cities creating an overall index, based on a number of criteria. It is the first time detailed insights have been provided on the consumer spending behaviour of Muslim travellers.

Here’s more from MasterCard and CrescentRating:

The MTSI 2015 is the latest research collaboration between MasterCard and CrescentRating on this sector following the launch of the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015 earlier this year.

“The MasterCard-CrescentRating Muslim Travel Shopping Index is a fascinating insight into the shopping habits of Muslim consumers and will prove to be an invaluable tool to the entire sector,” said Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of CrescentRating & HalalTrip.

“The research looks at two of the most important expenditure components of Muslim travellers which are shopping and dining. The Index reveals how important Asia Pacific is to the sector and the vital contribution they are making.

“The MTSI 2015 is a perfect complement to the GMTI2015 which we launched earlier this year and allows us to provide a complete picture of how Muslims spend their money when travelling.”

“The MTSI 2015 provides a deeper look at two key components of the traveler consumer experience – shopping and dining. We see this as an important resource not only for us to better understand this significant and fast-growing traveler segment, but also a source of data that will inform and support the efforts of our partners in the travel industry,” said Matthew Driver, Group Executive, Global Products and Solutions, Asia Pacific, MasterCard.

The 40 international cities covered in the MTSI 2015 were scored against a comprehensive set of metrics which included suitability as a shopping destination, Muslim friendly services and facilities and ease of travel. Each criterion was then weighted to make up the overall index score.

Dubai topped the ranking for overall Muslim Travel Shopping with a score of 79.5 followed by Kuala Lumpur with a score of 73.3. Singapore scored 71.6 on the Index making it the number one ranked city from the non-OIC countries and third in the overall list.

Bali also made into the top 10 scoring 58.2 closely followed by Penang with 56.9. In total, Asia Pacific contributed 14 cities to the overall top 40 list.

A significant highlight of the MTSI 2015 was the high number of non-OIC countries featuring in the top 40 list.

Singapore, secured a rank among the top five overall destinations for Muslim traveller shopping. This further revealed the potential for non-OIC destinations, with 25 on the list, to attract Muslim travellers by proactively catering to this segment.

MTSI 2015 will be updated on an annual basis and will feature more cities in future releases.

Earlier this year, the GMTI 2015 showed that in 2014, the Muslim travel segment was worth $145 billion with 108 million Muslim travellers representing 10% of the entire travel economy.

This is forecasted to grow to 150 million visitors by 2020 and 11% of the market segment with a market value projected to grow to $200 billion. 

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Hong Kong still on track to take one of top three IPO positions in 2015

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It’s expected to finish September with 72 new listings worth $156b.

According to the latest analysis by the National Public Offering Group of Deloitte China, following a sharp correction across the global stock markets in August and strong volatility in the A-share market since mid-June, Hong Kong and Shanghai are expected to continue to come top and second in the global initial public offering (IPO) ranking in terms of funds raised respectively in the first three quarters of 2015.

Amid lingering uncertainty in the timetable for the U.S. interest rate hike and outlook of a weaker Chinese economy; Hong Kong’s strong IPO pipeline; suspension in IPO activities in the A-share market since early July, as well as a slowdown of offerings in other key stock exchanges, all of these factors will help Hong Kong remain as one of the first three IPO venues globally by the end of 2015. 

Here’s more from Deloitte China:

By 30 September 2015, Hong Kong is expected to record 72 new listings that will raise HK$156.4 billion, 13% fewer IPOs and 19% more funds against 83 IPOs and HK$131.3 billion raised over the first three quarters of 2014. During the past three quarters, five extra-large deals contributed to more than two-thirds of the total funds raised in the market. 

“Expectations over the timing of the U.S. interest rate hike, weaker Chinese economic performance, steep correction in major stock markets, and a jittery A-share market were all factors that contributed to the Hong Kong stock market’s tumble in the third quarter,” said Mr Edward Au, Co-Leader of National Public Offering Group at Deloitte China. 

“We are, however, looking forward to more positive news, including a solid timetable for the interest rate increment in the U.S. and more Chinese economic stimuli measures after the Fifth Plenary Session of 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee. They are critical to huge offerings, which are waiting in the wings, as these listings require a stable stock market to support a larger fund appetite,” added Mr Au. 

However, Deloitte maintains its IPO forecast for Hong Kong in 2015 to have about 120 new listings mega IPOs have applied for listing before the end of the year and towards the end of September. 

Over half of the IPOs come from Chinese financial services firms, with the others from consumer/ retail business and the infrastructure sector. Altogether, they can contribute as much as HK$100 billion to the IPO funds raised by Hong Kong if the market is conducive. In addition, the IPO pipeline has more than 90 IPO candidates planning to debut before the U.S. interest rate rise this December or next January, which will represent a higher cost for all capital activities and the outflow of capital to the more developing markets. 

Mr Au suggested that the key for Hong Kong’s longer-term success as a top IPO venue will be to drive more inflow of capital into the city. That include strengthening its advantages as a platform for Mainland companies to go international, developing itself to become a mutual market for Asia and encouraging more multinational companies and Chinese firms to establish their corporate treasury centres in the city. The latter two measures will help diversify Hong Kong’s IPO portfolio to spur more listings from high-growth or small-to-medium-sized companies in Asia. 

As for the A-share market, it saw 192 companies raise RMB147.4 billion through new listings in the first nine months of 2015. Excluding the third quarter of 2013, the IPO activities for this third quarter were the slowest in five years – completing merely five IPOs and raising RMB1.24 billion.

Following strong volatility in its stock market, IPOs on the Mainland were suspended since 4 July 2015.

“The first three quarters of this year were among the most erratic for IPO activities at the A-share market, which experienced a speed up in new listing processes earlier in the year followed by approval of large and even jumbo listings, then the subsequent suspension of IPOs by early July,” said Mr Anthony Wu, Leader of China A-Share Capital Market of the National Public Offering Group, Deloitte China. 

Mr Wu told, Deloitte that IPOs at the A-share market may not be able to resume in the remaining months of 2015. Despite various measures and controls, it will take time for investors to regain confidence in the A-share market and for the market to steadily pick up. Before such conditions come into place, reform for the Chinese capital market is expected to be slow and IPO activities will be put on hold. 

Given that 28 companies were approved to list in July and another 42 companies have passed the meetings of the Public Offering Review Committee of the China Securities Regulatory Commission to date, Deloitte estimates that only about 30-50 of these companies will be able to complete their listings once IPOs restart. The majority of these offerings are expected to be small to medium in scale and come from the manufacturing sector. 

Contact Us today for all your funding needs, including Loans, Project Finance, Bank Guarantee, SBLC, Letters of credit, DLC. 
 
 
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10 tips for scoring ‘big’ with your business plan

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1. Deal with ‘Risk’

On the first read of any business plan, investors are looking for quick reasons not to invest, rather than reasons to invest. Think realistically about the risks of your business. Eliminate or reduce them.

The first priority of a business plan reviewer is to make sure that there is minimal or no risk for the investor. It that is not done right, the screener’s job becomes obsolete.

If you succeed at dealing with this risk factor, you have created an opening for your business. When you start to write a business plan, the first question is: What is the worst case scenario for an investor? What matters to investors is more important than what matters to you.

2. Candid risk disclosure

Risk disclosure does not discourage investors but actually helps investors assess the management’s level of “realism”. That can be used to your advantage.

Most entrepreneurs think risk disclosure in the business plan is a threat… they might not get the investment. However, the opposite is true: risk disclosure can be used to portray the image that the entrepreneur is trustworthy, reliable and that his business works.

The business plan combines many factors, or should I say ‘ingredients’, for the right recipe. Show the investor that you are a good ‘cook’.

3. The management team looks very qualified for the job

An experienced management team really turns the heads of investors. Prove that no one else can do this job better than you and your management team.

4. Have an accurate plan for using the requested investment money

Explain exactly why you need this amount of money and how it will be used. Show clearly that you value the investor’s money more than your own. Your business projections need to be accurate and clear.

5. ‘Excel’ proficiency and accuracy

Everybody knows that Excel sheets have a lot of formulas. This poses a reasonable chance for mistakes. Clever investors do not trust Excel sheets, just like auditors.

Check your formulas and double check your calculations. Business plan reviewers make sure that the calculations are correct, if not, they reject your plan immediately.

6. Leave out any hint of arrogance. This includes your presentation and you.

There is no room for arrogance. The real entrepreneur is open to constructive criticism.

Ask yourself: “What did I miss? Where are my strengths?” In order to find this information the entrepreneur needs to ask a ‘third party’ to have a look at his/her business plan, not a spouse, family member, or ‘best friend’.

7. Respect and understand your competition

You have analyzed the competition, admitted their strengths, pointed out their weaknesses and used that to your advantage in your plan. This is an important part of your strategic planning process.

8. Explain your projections effortlessly

Knowing your stuff will allow you to explain your projections in detail. Every CEO is expected to have some reasonable knowledge about accounting for his/her business.

You can NOT just copy and paste some balance sheets with good looking numbers in your business plan. The investor sees through that and will grill you at his convenience. You will have to explain every detail at some point in time. At that stage of the process, you’ll just end up on the wrong pile.

Your job is to enhance your accounting, illustrate the strategic planning process, tell the story, and back it up with numbers.

9. Your presentation is ‘clean’. It has ‘INTEGRITY’ written all over it.

That includes your information, logic and presenting style. The cover letter or ‘teaser’ are clear and succinct. The plan has a look and feel of professionalism. It’s not too long, but with sufficient information. 

And remember, be real: dreamers get spotted immediately. Know what you’re standing for, with both feet firmly on the ground.

Present with integrity, in every aspect. You’ll keep the attention going.

10. Existing sales and/or contracts

Your financial business projections are conservative and backed up by existing sales or contracts.

Show the mechanism that makes your sale move into an ever-growing upward spiral. Show how your product or service appeals to your public, how you get the sale and how ‘the sale’ grows into a permanent stream of happy clients, referrals or more sales. Make your strategic planning process look logical, easy and natural. But, above all, get it started. Get out of dreamland, make it happen.

Contact Us today for all your funding needs, including Loans, Project Finance, Bank Guarantee, SBLC, Letters of credit, DLC. 
 
 
Skype: dl.financials.limited
EMAIL:  info@dlflimited.net OR  credit.finance2012@gmail.com
 
 
NOTICE: Brokers are paid 1% commission for every successful transaction. If you want to be our broker or company representative in your country, EMAIL us  for more information.
   

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