This document provides information about the 46th World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) General Assembly taking place in Manila, Philippines from April 26-29, 2015. It summarizes the strong economic growth and investment prospects in the Philippines, highlighting areas like tourism, business process outsourcing, and the favorable policies under the Aquino administration that have contributed to the country achieving investment grade ratings. Details about visa policies, accommodations, activities and tours for delegates attending the General Assembly are also provided.

1. 1
World Trade Center Metro Manila
welcomes you to the
46th WTCA General Assembly
April 26 to 29, 2015

2. 2
Now is a good time to come to the Philippines
Philippine growth
prospects
Overall investment
climate
Tourism
• Increasing international
recognition
• Emerging as one of the
world’s top tourist
destinations
• High growth of tourist
arrivals
• Recognized strong
growth potential
• Economic resilience
• Emerging as a preferred
investment destination

3. 3
Philippines included in the “overweight group” together with China, Russia, Brazil
and South Africa in their Global Emerging Markets list (December 2011)
Philippines could become a “breakout nation”(able to beat expectations in terms of
growth rate; and grow faster than other countries in the same income class per
capita income) (May 2012)
Philippines can be one of the top 10 “growth countries”, or economies that account
for at least 1% of global GDP within the decade (January 2012)
Philippines will leapfrog 27 places to become the 16th largest economy in the world
by 2050 (January 2012)
Philippines as the top country for long term growth due to the rapid population
growth (February 2012)
Philippines recognized for its strong growth potential
Source: Jones Lang Lasalle Leechiu compilation, July 2012

4. 4
Highest growth rate in Southeast
Asia
One of the highest growth rates
in Asia, second only to China
The economy is resilient with better-than-expected GDP
growth amid a weak global economic backdrop
Full-year 2012 and 2013
6.8% 7.2%
6.5%
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
2012 2013 2014F
Philippines World ASEAN-5
GDP growth
Source: “World Economic Outlook”, International Monetary Fund,
April 2014
†
†ASEAN-5 or the original members of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations, includes: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore and Thailand
Makati Business District

5. 5
Stable growth trajectory as substantiated by
recently attained investment-grade status
“Improvements in fiscal management have
made government debt dynamics more
resilient to shocks”
“The Philippine central bank has done a
good job in managing inflows”
“Inflation management track record and
proactive use of macro-prudential
measures to limit the potential emergence
of macroeconomic and financial imbalance
is supportive of the credit profile”
March 2013
May 2013
INVESTMENT GRADE
Fitch S&P Moody’s
BBB- BBB- Baa3
“The Philippines’ economic performance
has entered a structural shift to higher
growth, accompanied by low inflation”
October 2013

6. 6
The Philippines is emerging as a
preferred investment destination
Country Reasons for investing
U.S.1  Sentiment towards the U.S.
 Availability of trained personnel/
efficient manpower
 Availability of low cost labor
 Office lease costs
Japan2  Cost of doing business
 Labor supply
 Competitive salary rates
 Available incentives
Korea3  Labor cost
 Infrastructure (roads and power)
Sources:
(1) ASEAN Business Outlook Survey 2012/2013, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Chambers of Commerce in ASEAN
(2) Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), March 2012
(3) Korean Economic Daily, a publication owned by a syndication of conglomerates that include Samsung, Hyundai, SK and LG, December 2012
“The Philippine labor force has a good
reputation and better English (the
global business language) than its
counterparts in any large economy in
the Asian region.”
“Global Investment Trends Monitor”, United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD), January 2013
John D. Forbes, Senior Advisor at the American Chamber of
Commerce of the Philippines, December 2012
“The Philippines is among the countries
in Southeast Asia which saw higher
foreign direct investment (FDI) flows
last year from a year ago even as total
flows to the region declined.”

7. 7
Philippine trade prospects
•9th year surplus in 2013 at USD 5.085 billion (the Philippines received investment-
grade credit ratings last year after posting strong BOP surpluses in recent years)
•Strong BOP promotes a stable currency environment and facilities and healthy build-
up of foreign exchange reserve
Strong external position with positive balance of payments
•The Philippines ranked 11th places since 2010 to 64th place out of 138 economies in
the World Economic Forum’s Global Enabling Report 2014 due to enhanced market
access (11th place)
•The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects exports to grow as demand picks up in
the US and the euro area
•ING projects Philippine exports to increase by 6.4% annually until 2017
Exports outlook
•In light of the uptrends in consumption and investment, imports of goods and services
are likely to rise relatively strongly, according to IMF (reinforced by the import intensity
of electronics)
•ING projects Philippine imports to increase by 5.4% annually until 2017
Imports outlook

8. 8
The world’s best country in Business English
From 77 represented countries worldwide, the Philippines attained the top BEI
score (7.95), “a BEI level within range of a high proficiency that indicates an ability
to take an active role in business discussions and perform relatively complex tasks"
10 Best Countries
1. Philippines
2. Norway
3. Netherlands
4. United Kingdom
5. Australia
Source: GlobalEnglish, headquartered in Brisbane, California, provides Business English
communication software to multi-national companies – including Cisco, Procter and Gamble,
HSBC, and Pfizer
2013 Business English Index (BEI) Study* by the GlobalEnglish Corporation
6. Belgium
7. Finland
8. Sweden
9. India
10. Singapore
*Employees surveyed in countries for which the official language is English (such as the
United Kingdom, the United States and Australia) are non-native English speakers

9. 9
The Philippines is "#1 in voice
and can be #1 in non-voice BPO services”*
Major global Offshoring & Outsourcing companies in the Philippines
†
*Source: Business Process Outsourcing Philippines
†Over 28,000 Accenture employees in the Philippines as of November 2012 (up
from 25,000 in 2011)

10. 10
At a demographic “sweet spot” with a growing working
population expected to shore up economic output and
domestic demand
Total population estimated at
100 million by year-end 2013
One of the youngest nations in
Asia with 70 percent younger than
35 years old
Working age population to reach
almost 70 percent of the total
population by 2050
Total population Working age(15-64),
percentage of total
Philippine Population
1950 60 70 80 90 2000 ‘10 ‘20 ’30 ’40 ‘50
millions
Percentagetototal
February 2013

11. 11
The Aquino Administration
“Governance reform has been a
centerpiece of the administration’s
policy efforts”
“For the Philippines, [the second credit
rating upgrade] is yet another
confirmation that Aquino’s reforms
have borne fruit, which would help in
attracting not just short-term flows,
but long-term direct investments”
Transparency
Accountability
Address
inefficiency
“Good governance will continue to be the
platform of public administration”
Minimize
corruption
Source: Philippine Investor Relations Office, February 2013
March 2013
May 2013

12. 12
President Benigno Aquino
Included in Time Magazine’s
prestigious “Leader’s List”
alongside U.S. President Barack
Obama and South Korea
President Park Geun-hye
Invited to give keynote speech at the
World Economic Forum “Partnership
Against Corruption” event in Davos,
Switzerland

13. 13
TOURISM
13

14. 14
The Philippines has emerged as one of the
world’s top tourist destinations
One of the 13
“Hottest Travel
Destinations of
2013” in its
January issue
Number 17 on its
list of “46 Places to
Go in 2013,” ahead
of Bangkok, Paris
and Casablanca
One of the top 10
hottest new travel
destinations for
2013
EscayaBeachResort&Spa,PanglaoIsland,Bohol DedonIslandResort,Siargo ElNido,Palawan

15. 15
Internationally recognized for its increasing
competitiveness
Natural attractions
Price competitiveness
Prioritization of the Travel &
Tourism industry
Conducive policy rules and
regulations regime
“The Philippines is the most
improved country in the Asia Pacific
region, ranking 16th regionally and
82nd overall* in travel and tourism
competitiveness, up 12 places since
2012.”




Source: :”Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report
2013“, World Economic Forum, a non-profit foundation
headquartered in Cologny, Geneva and established in
1971
*Out of 140 economies surveyed in 2013
TubbatahaReefMayonVolcano, Albay
PuertoPrincesaUndergroundRiverChocolateHills,Bohol

16. 16
Strong growth momentum from visitor
arrivals
Visitor arrivals to the
Philippines are on a
continuous upward trend
• Philippine tourism achieved a new
milestone in 2012 as visitor
arrivals surpassed the 4 millionth
mark and grew by 9.1% versus
2011
• The country is aiming to hit 6
million visitor arrivals by 2014, and
10 million by 2016
Source: Philippine Department of Tourism
3.5 3.9 4.3 4.6
6.0
10.0
-
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
2010
Actual
2011
Actual
2012
Actual
2013
Actual
2014
Est.
2016
Est.
Visitor arrivals (in millions)

17. 17
Easy Access
3 to 4 hours from China, Singapore, Korea and Japan
9 hours from Dubai
11 hours from Los Angeles
15 hours from United Kingdom and New York
Japan
France
PHILIPPINES
Korea
Dubai
Hong Kong
Los Angeles New York
China

18. 18
No visa required to enter the Philippines for a stay of up
to 21 days
No Visa required

19. 19
What to Expect in
the 46th WTCA GA
19

20. 20
All delegates will be accorded airport assistance and free
arrival and departure transfers

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World Class
accommodationWorld Class
Accommodations

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No problem going around because
everybody speaks English
ChocolateHills,Bohol
Shopping
Night Life
ToursDining
Cultural Tours
Shopping

23. 23
Savor a fusion of culinary experience from world class
cuisine to fastfood restaurants all over the metropolis
Cuisine

24. 24
As needed, professionally-arranged business matching may
be handled by our competent staff with relevant private
companies and government agencies
Meetings

25. 25
Day trips to the most culturally-rich spots north and south of
Manila or to weekend getaways such as Boracay and Palawan
may be made available months in advance of the General
Assembly
For those who may wish to stay
longer in the Philippines…

26. 26