Wednesday 28 January 2015

The Recession, Austerity and Tourism

Hello everyone. I have just published my latest piece of travel writing on Alvinology on the theme of tourism in the age of austerity. Much of southern Europe is still stuck in a deep recession, so how will this affect the experience of tourists visiting Spain and Greece? It is mostly good news actually, as my piece will explain. I hope you will enjoy the piece and if you have any questions about visiting Spain or Greece, please leave me a comment below. Thanks for reading!

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4 comments:

  1. Chin Lam Toh29 January 2015 at 15:10

    http://thehearttruths.com/2015/01/25/singaporeans-i-cannot-be-your-member-of-parliament-in-government/
    Hi LIFT, (sorry, off topic but) the link above starts with a photo of Roy Ngerng, and a friend (who also reads your blog) & I have been arguing about his looks & dress sense.
    She says his clothes are mismatched & the nerd glasses dont suit him, and that he needs a complete image overhaul if he is to continue being in the public eye.
    To me Roy is VERY good looking & doesnt need to change a thing. Being the fashion maven that you are, what do you think? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Limpeh Foreign Talent30 January 2015 at 00:41

      OK here's my opinion.

      1. I'm afraid I am gonna take the side of your friend - Ngerng isn't physically ugly per se, but I do find his clothes terribly mismatched and the nerdy glasses don't do him any favours whatsoever I'm afraid. So she is right ... or at least, I find myself agreeing with her.

      2. You need to think about your audience: if you are say an independent film maker trying to tell everyone that you are not your average corporate film maker, that you are quirky, creative and your ideas are so original - then fair enough, do whatever you need to get people to notice you. If it means wearing brightly coloured badly mismatched clothes, then so be it. At least people will not ignore you. But if Ngerng is thinking about politics and is claiming that he knows enough about how the CPF system should work, then what makes him think that dressing like a quirky independent film maker would be the right image to go for? It is clearly not - he needs to dress like someone that older Singaporean uncles and aunties would trust with their CPF. Would you trust someone like that with your life savings? I would not.

      3. A lot of people criticize Roy Ngerng and Tan Hui Hui for being immature, too inexperienced and too young to know enough about CPF, government and the working world to even have the right to try to speak about the issue of CPF. Dressing in this kind of manner would merely reinforce prejudices against his inexperience and youth - it does not help combat his image problem and it will not help the cynical folks take him more seriously. He looks like someone who may organize some kind of alternative arts festival - not someone who is ready for the more serious business or political world.

      4. At the end of the day, I think it is important to wear what you feel good in and to be happy with the image you have created for yourself. I hate it when I see someone who is forced to wear something that s/he clearly hates. So if Roy Ngerng is happy doing what he does in terms of dressing like that, then fine - I shall not criticize him or say that he looks bad (or anything like that). I am just saying that his current image doesn't help his political aims. I am a marketing and branding guru (apart from being a fashion maven according to you), hence I think he has a branding problem here.

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    2. Chin Lam Toh30 January 2015 at 05:15

      Thanks for your objective well-measured response, which takes the bigger picture into account.
      So basically, his flaw is one of "image not suited to purpose" rather than "dressing poorly and being deficient in the looks department".
      Im happy to accept this conclusion, have admitted defeat, owe her a cup of coffee -and one to you too! :)

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    3. Limpeh Foreign Talent30 January 2015 at 11:47

      I don't think your friend said that Roy was ugly per se - just that she didn't like his style or didn't think that his style suited him, right? I think that his problem is from a branding perspective - in the world of marketing, you package up your product to appeal to your intended audience. If he was working in the arts or IT (I've done a contract with Google and he would blend in there just fine), then fair enough. But if he wants to talk about CPF as his main issue, then you must have some kind of image which suits that issue and we're talking financial services and asset management here. For that, his current image is totally wrong. I accept that he is a passionate young with strong beliefs, but he could do with a bit of help when it comes to PR. Right now, he seems to want to shout as loud as he wants without paying enough heed as to how his message (and image) is coming across. That is quite immature as he is but sabotaging his own efforts in the long run if he doesn't consider that aspect of PR.

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