The Great Debate UK
Small businesses set to reap the rewards of eastern promise
– Ian Wheeler is vice president of marketing and distribution at Amadeus. The opinions expressed are his own.-
In the last year, 45 million tourists (near to the population of Spain) travelled from China to the West. In fact, tourism from China grew by an average of 27 percent a year between 2002 and 2008.
As western households rein in their spending and rediscover the virtue of living within their means, Chinese consumers are taking full advantage of their higher savings rates and an enormous government stimulus package. In its latest travel industry report, The Amateur-Expert Traveller, Amadeus, has highlighted the opportunity for the UK market to gear up, ready to make the most of this trend.*
The growing importance of non-western cultures in the make-up of the world’s travellers has very real consequences and opportunities for small businesses. It is essential that the UK tourism industry taps into this market and looks to develop new products, services and working practices to suit this new and lucrative influx from the East.
from Environment Forum:
Is China getting serious about tracking emissions?
At a major global climate summit in Copenhagen this week, China slammed rich nations for having weak and unambitious goals to cut carbon emissions.
Meanwhile, back at home, China's main government group charged with monitoring greenhouse gases struck a new contract with Picarro, a California-based company that makes gas analyzers. The deal will double the number of Picarro analyzers that the Chinese Meteorological Administration uses.
Rio’s charm offensive
Jan Du Plessis, the man parachuted into the chair at Rio Tinto from British American Tobacco (they’ve so much in common), has spent a day on a charm offensive with the big shareholders in the mining group.
This Chinese deal is marvelous, he’s telling them. Not only do we get a fine price for selling what are merely minority, passive stakes in our mines, but just think of what we’ll be able to dig up in China with a powerful local to open the doors for us.
