globe with crisis text
The crisis is hitting some expats markets hard, but in the meantime some Asian and South American destinations are booming.

As global recession looms, expat marketers are wondering which markets will be left after the storm.

While some traditional expat markets seem close to collapse, others attract more and more foreigners, offering new business opportunities for expat service providers.

Our team at ExpatMarketing.com has rated some of the largest local expat markets by attractiveness. The assigned market score, portrayed by up to four stars, reflects how important the given expat market will be in the near future. Continue reading

highly skilled immigrants
Marketers are often asked to estimate the size of a specific expat population. But how big is the market?

When asked to estimate the total size of their target market, expatriate marketers often face difficulties with the answer. There’s virtually no global data on international expatriation, and the available information usually does not differentiate between migrants, international students and high-income-expatriates. So what can you say the next time your boss asks you where to spend the expatriate marketing budget? Continue reading

Liz Perelstein, international education at the higest level
Liz Perelstein founder of School Choice International

With more than 200 million expats worldwide, International and local schools may already have students from all around the world. Embracing this diversity can be a powerful marketing tool.

School Choice International helps expat families to select the right schools for their children. With a database of schools, curriculum, and some 100 consultants worldwide in 50 key locations, the company promises parents to find schools that fit their children’s needs. Continue reading

international education is necessary for expats with children
There is a booming market for international schools, according to Nicholas Brummitt, Managing Director of ISC Research.

More parents than ever before are looking to send their kids to international schools. Hence enrollment numbers and fee income will rise hand-in-hand over the next few years.

Nicholas Brummitt, Managing Director of ISC Worldwide, says this is the result of  increased demand not only from expat families, but also wealthy locals looking to ensure their kids get the best possible education.

He talks to Expat Marketing about how schools and countries are preparing for this growth, as well as what it’s worth. Continue reading

Are expats really buying more luxury cars?

Expats around the world are still feeling the pinch from the global financial crisis – which means luxury cars are probably the last things on their wish lists. Or are they?

Recent research suggests that high-end car sales could see a rise in the coming year, with wealthy expats being a large percentage of the owners. Countries in Asia and Africa have seen a dramatic increase in car sales in 2011, prompting luxury car brands to step up their presence overseas. Continue reading

Overly complex products have turned consumers off to travel insurance, says Adrian Shaw, Medical Insurance Director at AAIB and founder of Expat Compare.

Millions of expats around the globe travel home for the holidays. But only a fraction purchase international travel or medical insurance. This is a both a major liability for expats (who could face huge medical bills in an emergency) and a missed opportunity for international insurers.

Adrian Shaw, founder of the insurance aggregator Expat Compare, explains the lack of consumer awareness and what insurers can do to tap the market’s potential. Continue reading

Source: VIP Communications; click to enlarge

‘Tis not only the season to be jolly, but also to phone home–particularly for African expats.

VIP Communications, a provider of international calling services, recently released its 2011 Holiday Calling Report, a look at the seasonal calling habits of over 40,000 expat customers from 100 countries. It measured both average daily call volume and average time spent on the phone. In addition to Christmas the report included data for Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. Continue reading

Source: PWC; click to enlarge

A paradigm shift is underway in global mobility. Record numbers of positions will move overseas as the global economy integrates more tightly and emerging markets mature. As the number of international assignments grows, companies will look to their youngest employees to fill them.

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) report titled Talent Mobility 2020, the number of international assignments will increase 50% by 2020, to nearly 400 per large organization. The youngest professionals, the so-called “millennials,” will hold the bulk of these jobs. 80% of those PWC surveyed said they wanted to work abroad at some point, a trend that held across both developed and emerging economies. Continue reading

David Pryor, Senior Executive Director at MediCare, says there is fierce competition for young expat professionals.

The medical industry has been quick to spot potential in the young professional demographic. These expats often purchase the same level of cover as older expats, but claim much less, making them a profitable customer segment.

David Pryor, Senior Executive Director of MediCare International, talks to Expat Marketing about this group’s health insurance needs and how best to reach them.

David, what makes young professionals so attractive as a target group? Continue reading