The Importance of Travel & Tourism to the Global Economy: An infographic

One reason for the growth of travel & tourism is the rise in the amount of bleisure trips. Bleisure is a combination of business and leisure trips and 72% of business travellers now add a leisure component to business trips.

The hospitality sector needs to properly understand their customer segments and stay relevant to them. There is a great opportunity for hotels and restaurants to stand out from the crowd and create unique experiences for guests on each visit. This will help them to thrive in a market that keeps on growing.

The-Importance-of-Travel-and-Tourism-to-the-Global-Economy

The Economy Is Booming: 5 Places Where You Should Put Your Money

You’ve probably heard the news: The Philippines has one of the most vibrant economies in the world, rising faster than any other country in Asia next to China. We are no longer “the sick man of Asia,” but “Asia’s rising tiger.”

Unfortunately, it’s hard to feel these economic gains if your money is simply lying in your piggy bank or savings account. While it makes sense to save for the rainy days, majority of personal finance experts would also advise you to allocate a portion of these savings into promising investments. These have the potential to double or even triple your capital in the long run.

Take a look at the following investment vehicles and see what best fits you:

Bonds

If you want your money to earn interest, you can invest in credit instruments like bonds. Essentially, bonds are contracts in which an investor lends money to a borrower, like the government or a corporation. The borrower then agrees to pay interest at a fixed amount.

These investments are good for those who want security and have low risk tolerance. If your financial goal is to protect your capital, then bonds certainly fare better than stocks. But since it has minimal risks, expect the returns to also be minimal and incomparable with what you might possibly get from equities.

*Here’s a FREE 23-page step-by-step guide on how to make money selling e-books including which topics to write.

Mutual funds

Mutual funds are basically pooled funds from various investors managed by professional fund managers. When you pool your money with other investors, you create a bigger capital that can be invested in various instruments like bonds, stocks, and foreign exchange.

One of the biggest advantages of mutual funds is diversification, which lowers your exposure to risks. If one investment fails, you don’t lose all your capital because it is invested in other channels. You can earn from mutual funds through asset appreciation, interest, and dividends. Choosing the type of mutual fund—fixed income, money market, equity, or balanced—depends on your financial goals and risk profile.

Born2Invest

Stocks

Buying a stock from a company means you become part owner of that company. Many financial experts would tell you that now is the best time to invest in the local stock market, since the Philippine Stock Exchange has been outperforming even some of the biggest markets around the world. Investing in the stock market gives you high returns, especially over the long term.

However, it is also highly risky, as you could lose a significant amount of your capital if you don’t have a strategy in place. Though the basic principle is to buy shares at a low price and sell them at a high price, you need to study the market first and keep yourself updated on the companies that you’re investing in to make sure that you maximize your earnings.

Businesses

Putting up a sound and profitable business is also a great way to make your hard-earned money work for you. All you need is capital and a good business idea that responds to the needs of your target consumers. You also need to have the right attitude towards business, and that includes a lot of patience, optimism, and guts.

If you’re not too confident that you can start a business, maybe you should consider franchising. This is advisable to startup entrepreneurs who have yet to gain business management experience. This way, you can take advantage of a brand’s popularity and strength to make your venture profitable.

Financial education

Finally, investing in your own financial education is your most valuable asset when it comes to building wealth. That means grabbing every learning opportunity that comes your way. You won’t be able to successfully invest in bonds, stocks, businesses, and mutual funds if you have no idea what you’re doing. Warren Buffett is even said to allot 80 percent of his working day to reading and learning and 20 percent to actual investing.

These days, there are no excuses for lack of knowledge. You have the whole Internet at your disposal, and a simple Google search on the basics of investing will yield thousands of results. You can also use free apps like Born2Invest to get your daily fix of business and finance news that will help you make the right investment choices.

There are also countless financial seminars that you can attend to expand your knowledge base and network with like-minded people. Take full advantage of the booming Philippine economy through investing in it. Consider the amount of money you have, your financial goals, and your risk aversion to help you choose the investment vehicle that’s right for you.

**This is a guest post from Born2Invest.

—-

Receive more money tips by subscribing to Rock To Riches for FREE.

Rock your way to abundance!

#moneyliferocknroll

 

OFW Friends, What Do You Miss About the Philippines?

MANILA, Philippines — Google Philippines has launched a campaign to crowd source a song dedicated to our beloved overseas Filipino workers (OFW) to be released in time for National Heroes Day on August 31.

“We are doing it for the OFWs kasi alam namin na mahirap ang buhay ng mga Pinoy abroad (because we know the hardship Filipinos experience living abroad) and one of the things they miss the most are friends and family and all things Pinoy like music,” Google Philippines marketing head Ryan Morales said.

Users — whether an OFW missing the country or a Filipino missing OFW/s — need only to post their contribution using the hashtag #GoogleMissKoNa on their social media accounts. Google Philippines will then curate the posts with the help of five local artists Sponge Cola, ItchyWorms, Kjwan, Ebe Dancel, and Mikey Bustos, all of which will also help in putting the melody together and recording the song.

Ang mga Pilipino sentimental talaga kaya ang sarap nila bigyan ng song na puwede nilang kantahin kapag nami-miss nila yung Pilpinas (Filipinos are really sentimental so it really feels good to make them a song they could sing whenever they miss the Philippines),” Itchyworms drummer Jazz Nicolas said.

If asked to submit his own contribution, Nicolas said it would be about Pinoy’s natural warmth and hospitality.

“Mas warm talaga yung Pinoy lalo na kapag nakakita ka ng kapwa Pinoy sa ibang bansa alam mo close ka na. Mayroon talaga kayong bond agad (Filipinos are really warm especially when we meet each other in other countries; as if we have known each other for a long time. There is an immediate bond),” Nicolas said.

google-ph-ia

Every submission to the song will also amount to a P1 donation made in behalf of the Blas Ople Policy Center to build halfway houses for victims of human trafficking.

Google said the initiative is also part of their “Balikbayan” campaign which “aims to reconnect overseas Filipinos with their families and friends and help them sustain and enrich their relationships despite physical barriers.”

*This article by Jose Bimbo Santos first appeared on InterAksyon.com