Hotel Sales and Market Pressures: What the Latest Quarter Tells Us About the State of Hospitality

https://newgenadv.com/2025/10/hotel-sales-and-market-pressures-what-the-latest-quarter-tells-us-about-the-state-of-hospitality/

Transaction activity remains strong, with independent and extended-stay properties leading the charge, but national RevPAR and occupancy metrics continue to decline. Meanwhile, macroeconomic indicators—like higher GDP growth and low unemployment—paint a far rosier picture than what hotel fundamentals currently suggest.

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What is the role of non-state actors, such as multinational corporations, terrorist organizations, or international NGOs, in shaping modern geopolitical landscapes?

Non-state actors like multinational corporations (MNCs), terrorist organizations, and international NGOs play a crucial role in shaping modern geopolitics by operating outside of traditional government structures.

They challenge the state-centric model of international relations by wielding significant economic, political, and social influence, often blurring the lines between domestic and international affairs.

Their actions can either align with or oppose the interests of sovereign states, leading to both cooperation and conflict.

Multinational Corporations (MNCs)-
MNCs are powerful economic forces that influence geopolitics through their vast resources and global reach. Their primary role is driven by profit, but their operations have significant political consequences.

Economic Leverage and Lobbying: MNCs use their immense financial power to lobby governments, shape trade agreements, and influence regulatory policies in both their home and host countries. Their investment and employment decisions can be critical to a nation's economy, giving them leverage over governments. For example, a corporation might threaten to pull a major factory out of a country to secure favorable tax laws or relaxed labor regulations.

Corporate Diplomacy and Geopolitical Strategy: In an era of increasing geopolitical tension, MNCs engage in their own form of diplomacy, navigating sanctions, trade wars, and political instability. They can act as "diplomatic brokers" between nations or, conversely, become pawns in state-on-state rivalries, with their supply chains and assets used as leverage.

Infrastructure and Technology: Many MNCs control critical global infrastructure, from telecommunications networks to energy pipelines, and dominate key technological sectors like social media and data services. This gives them power to influence information flows, set global standards, and even aid or hinder state security efforts.

Terrorist Organizations-
Terrorist organizations are non-state actors that use violence and fear to achieve political, ideological, or religious goals. Their impact on geopolitics is significant and often destabilizing.

Challenging State Sovereignty: Terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS directly challenge the sovereignty of states by operating across borders, controlling territory, and imposing their will on local populations. This forces states to dedicate immense resources to counter-terrorism efforts, domestically and internationally.

Shaping Foreign Policy: Terrorist attacks have been a major driver of foreign policy decisions for decades. The 9/11 attacks, for example, directly led to the US-led "War on Terror," which reshaped international alliances, led to military interventions in the Middle East, and resulted in a massive increase in global security cooperation.

Catalyzing Regional Instability: By exploiting existing ethnic, religious, or political grievances, terrorist groups can exacerbate conflicts, destabilize entire regions, and create humanitarian crises. Their actions can draw external powers into regional conflicts, as seen in Syria and Yemen, complicating peace efforts and fueling proxy wars.

International NGOs-
International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) are often seen as a force for good, advocating for social and environmental causes. Their influence is rooted in their moral authority, expertise, and ability to mobilize public opinion.

Advocacy and Norm-Setting: INGOs like Amnesty International or Greenpeace play a vital role in setting international norms and agendas on issues like human rights, climate change, and humanitarian aid. They can "name and shame" states for their actions, lobbying international bodies and mobilizing public campaigns to pressure governments into changing their policies.

Service Provision and Information Gathering: Many NGOs, such as Doctors Without Borders or the Red Cross, provide essential services in conflict zones and disaster-stricken areas where state capacity is lacking. They also act as important sources of information, providing a ground-level perspective on crises that can challenge or complement official state narratives.

Filling Governance Gaps: In a world with complex transnational problems, NGOs often fill governance gaps left by states. They create networks of experts, civil society groups, and citizens to tackle issues like poverty, public health, and environmental degradation, often working in partnership with, but also holding accountable, governments and international organizations.

Unlocking Career Success: The Role of Placement Agencies in Noida

In today’s competitive job market, finding the right career opportunity can be a daunting task for candidates, while companies often struggle to recruit skilled professionals. This is where placement agencies step in to bridge the gap between employers and job seekers. Noida, one of India’s rapidly growing IT and corporate hubs, has seen a massive demand for placement agencies due to its diverse range of industries and employment opportunities. Follow this link https://www.destinyhrgroup.com/it-recruitment-noida

How can domestic production reduce African youths unemployment and the rise of informal street vending as a survival strategy?
Domestic production can reduce youth unemployment and the rise of informal street vending by creating a formal, structured economy with diverse job opportunities and skill-building pathways.
The informal street vending sector often serves as a survival strategy for young people with few other options, but it's a vulnerable form of work with limited potential for growth.
Local production offers a sustainable alternative by creating a virtuous cycle of job creation, skills development, and economic growth.

1. Direct Job Creation and Formal Employment-
When a country focuses on local production, it creates a wide range of formal jobs in factories, workshops, and distribution centers.
These are stable jobs with regular wages, social security benefits, and legal protections that informal vending lacks. By producing goods like textiles, processed foods, and furniture locally, a country can directly employ thousands of young people who would otherwise be unemployed or forced into the informal economy.
This shift provides a more secure and reliable source of income, reducing the necessity of turning to street vending as a last resort.

2. Skills Development and Vocational Training-
Local industries require a skilled workforce.
This increased demand for skilled labor would drive the creation of technical and vocational training programs that teach young people practical skills in manufacturing, engineering, design, and logistics. Instead of simply selling pre-made products, youth can become skilled technicians, engineers, and designers.
This not only makes them more employable but also gives them the tools to innovate and start their own businesses.
These skills provide a foundation for a long-term career, moving them beyond the precarious existence of street vending.

3. Fostering Entrepreneurship Beyond Vending-
While street vending is a form of entrepreneurship, it is often low-value and difficult to scale.
A focus on local production opens the door for young people to become producers and innovators rather than just vendors.
With a guaranteed local market, young entrepreneurs can start businesses that produce goods to fill the supply gaps left by reduced imports.
This could involve everything from small-scale agro-processing to creating a local furniture brand.
These businesses have the potential to grow, create more jobs, and build generational wealth, offering a far more robust path to economic ownership than street vending.

In Africa- Are we empowering youth to lead in industries—or leaving them behind while others profit from our consumption?
We are largely leaving youth behind while others profit from our consumption.
The over-reliance on imported goods and services creates a cycle where African youth are primarily consumers and distributors, rather than empowered producers and innovators.
This dynamic stifles entrepreneurship, limits skills development, and hinders the creation of a robust, self-sufficient economic future for the continent's large youth population.

The Vicious Cycle of Consumption, Not Production-
The current economic model often leaves young people on the sidelines of industrial development.
When a country's market is flooded with cheap, ready-made imports, local manufacturing industries struggle to compete and may be forced to close.
This eliminates the very sectors that would provide jobs and opportunities for young people to gain hands-on experience in manufacturing, engineering, and design. The result is a lack of career pathways, forcing youth into low-wage, insecure jobs in the informal sector or into unemployment.
For example, some data shows that in some African countries, the unemployment rate for young people can be over 50%.

Denying Opportunities for Innovation and Skills-
By importing finished goods, we effectively outsource the entire problem-solving cycle.
Young people are denied the chance to identify local challenges and create innovative solutions because foreign-made products already exist.
This prevents them from acquiring critical practical skills and developing a mindset of innovation.
Instead of becoming engineers who design new technologies or entrepreneurs who build factories, they become consumers of technologies and goods produced elsewhere.
This creates a significant skills gap that makes it even harder to build a domestic industrial base in the future, perpetuating the cycle of dependency.

The Path to Empowerment-
Empowering youth to lead in industries requires a fundamental shift in economic strategy.
By prioritizing local production through supportive government policies, targeted investments, and robust vocational training, we can create an environment where young people are not just consumers, but creators.
This would open the door for youth-owned businesses to fill supply gaps, create jobs, and build a more resilient and prosperous economic future for themselves and their communities.

How are tech-savvy youth in some countries getting lured into cybercrime rings?
The luring of tech-savvy youth into cybercrime rings is a growing concern globally, including in places like Taiwan, which has a highly digitally literate youth population. These rings exploit a combination of psychological, social, and economic factors, leveraging the very digital environments these youth are comfortable in.

Here's a breakdown of how they're being lured:

1. The Appeal of "Easy Money" and Financial Gain:
Promise of Quick Riches: This is by far the biggest draw. Cybercrime rings advertise the potential for making large sums of money quickly, with minimal effort compared to traditional jobs. This is especially attractive in regions with limited legitimate economic opportunities, high youth unemployment, or where there's a strong desire for rapid wealth.

Piecework / Percentage-Based Pay: Many cybercrime jobs, particularly for lower-tier roles like "money mules" or phishing email distributors, offer payment based on the volume of work or a percentage of the stolen funds. This can make it seem like a direct, immediate reward for their efforts.

Lack of Perceived Risk (Initially): Young individuals, often with an "optimism bias," may not fully grasp the severe legal consequences or believe they are invulnerable to harm or capture. The digital nature of the crime can make it feel less "real" than a physical crime.

2. Exploiting Technical Skills and Curiosity:
Gamification and Challenge: For many tech-savvy youth, an initial interest in hacking might stem from curiosity, a desire to understand how systems work, or a love for solving complex puzzles (like a game). Cybercrime rings often frame tasks as challenges or opportunities to "prove their skills" within underground communities.

"Ethical Hacking" Gray Area: Some youth initially explore the world of hacking through legitimate avenues like "ethical hacking" or "bug bounty programs." However, without proper guidance and mentorship, the line between ethical exploration and illegal activity can become blurred, especially when presented with illicit opportunities for quick cash.

Access to Tools and Knowledge: The internet provides readily available (and often cheap or free) tools, tutorials, and communities where individuals can learn hacking techniques. This lowers the barrier to entry for cybercrime.

3. Online Communities and Social Influence:
Dark Web Forums and Encrypted Chats: Cybercrime rings actively recruit on underground forums on the dark web, as well as on encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram, Discord, and Snapchat. These platforms offer anonymity and a sense of belonging.

Peer Recognition and Status: Within these online communities, successful hackers or fraudsters gain respect and status. This desire for peer recognition, notoriety, or a sense of accomplishment can be a powerful motivator, especially for socially isolated youth who may find validation online.

Mentorship (Malicious): More experienced cybercriminals may act as "mentors," guiding younger recruits through their first illicit activities, offering technical advice, and reinforcing the perceived benefits while downplaying the risks.

Normalization of Deviance: Being immersed in communities where illegal activities are openly discussed and glorified can normalize such behavior, making it easier for youth to cross ethical and legal lines without fully understanding the gravity of their actions.

4. Direct Recruitment Tactics:
Fake Job Advertisements: Cybercrime rings post "job" ads on the dark web or even seemingly legitimate platforms, often for roles like "developers," "pentesters," "designers" (for fake websites/phishing lures), or "money mules." The pay might be attractive, and the "job description" might initially hide the illicit nature of the work.

Test Assignments: Recruiters often use multi-stage "test assignments" – sometimes paid – to vet potential recruits' technical skills. These can range from basic tasks to actual work on illicit projects, effectively drawing the youth into the criminal activity.

Social Engineering and Grooming: Similar to romance scams, recruiters might build rapport with youth over time, grooming them by appealing to their vulnerabilities, desires, or frustrations, before introducing them to criminal activities.

Coercion and Threats: In some cases, initial voluntary involvement can escalate to coercion. If a youth becomes entangled, they may be threatened with exposure, violence, or harm to their families if they try to leave the ring. This is particularly common in large-scale human trafficking/cybercrime syndicates operating out of certain regions.

5. Lack of Awareness of Consequences:
Underestimation of Risks: Many young people simply don't understand the severe legal repercussions (fines, imprisonment, criminal record impacting future employment/travel) of cybercrime, or they believe law enforcement cannot catch them due to the internet's anonymity.

Blurred Lines: They may not differentiate between "harmless fun" (e.g., pranking a website) and serious felony crimes like data theft or financial fraud.

To counter this, many countries, including Taiwan, are focusing on early intervention, cybersecurity education in schools, providing positive pathways for tech talent (e.g., ethical hacking competitions, cybersecurity career programs), and enhancing law enforcement capabilities to swiftly identify and prosecute cybercriminals, making the risks more apparent.

What motivates individuals to engage in cyber fraud — greed, unemployment, ideology, or something else?
The motivations for individuals to engage in cyber fraud are complex and multifaceted, often involving a combination of factors.
While greed is overwhelmingly the primary driver, other psychological, social, and economic elements play significant roles.

Here's a breakdown of the common motivations:

1. Greed / Financial Gain (The Dominant Motivator)
Direct Profit: This is by far the most common and powerful motivation. Cyber fraud offers the potential for significant financial gain with perceived low risk of detection or consequence. This includes:

Direct Theft: Stealing money from bank accounts, credit cards, or through fraudulent transfers (e.g., BEC scams).

Selling Stolen Data: Identity theft, credit card numbers, personal identifiable information (PII), and intellectual property are highly valuable commodities on dark web marketplaces.

Ransom: Extorting money from individuals or organizations by encrypting data or threatening to leak sensitive information (ransomware, data exfiltration).

Fraudulent Schemes: Luring victims into fake investment opportunities (crypto scams, Ponzi schemes), online shopping scams, or romance scams, all designed to extract money.

Low Barrier to Entry, High Reward: The "cybercrime-as-a-service" model allows individuals with relatively low technical skills to engage in lucrative fraud by purchasing or renting tools and services.

Perceived Anonymity: The internet offers a sense of distance and anonymity, which can embolden individuals to commit crimes they might not attempt in the physical world, believing they can evade law enforcement.

2. Socioeconomic Factors
Unemployment/Poverty: While not a direct cause, economic hardship, lack of legitimate employment opportunities, or the desire for a "higher quality of life" can push individuals, particularly in certain regions, towards cyber fraud as a perceived means of survival or quick wealth accumulation.

Desperation: Extreme financial pressure or personal debt can create a sense of desperation, leading individuals to rationalize fraudulent behavior.

Disparities: Socioeconomic inequalities can lead some individuals to feel a disconnect between societal goals and their legitimate means of achieving them, potentially leading to criminal activity.

3. Psychological Factors
Thrill-Seeking / Challenge: Some individuals are motivated by the intellectual challenge of bypassing security systems, solving complex technical puzzles, or the adrenaline rush associated with illegal activity. This can be particularly true for "script kiddies" or those with advanced technical skills.

Ego / Notoriety: A desire for recognition, status, or a sense of power within online communities (e.g., hacking forums) can drive individuals to commit high-profile attacks or leave digital "calling cards." This is often linked to narcissistic traits.

Lack of Empathy / Psychopathy: Some individuals involved in cyber fraud may exhibit traits like a lack of empathy, antisocial behavior, or a disregard for the harm their actions inflict on victims. They may view victims as mere obstacles or abstractions.

Rationalization: Fraudsters often rationalize their actions, convincing themselves that their victims "deserve it," that companies can afford the loss, or that they are simply exploiting a broken system.

Peer Pressure / Social Influence: Especially among younger individuals, involvement in online hacking groups or communities can lead to peer pressure, where individuals gain recognition or acceptance by engaging in illegal cyber activities.

4. Ideology (Less Common for Pure Fraud, but Relevant in Cybercrime)
Hacktivism: While more typically associated with data leaks, DDoS attacks, or website defacements, some hacktivist groups engage in activities that could be considered fraud if they involve manipulating systems for political or social statements, rather than direct financial gain. Their motivation is to advance a cause or expose perceived wrongdoing.

State-Sponsored Activity: Nation-state actors often engage in cyber operations (including economic espionage or intellectual property theft which is a form of fraud) motivated by geopolitical interests, national security, or economic advantage rather than individual financial gain. While individuals execute these acts, their motivation stems from state directives.

5. Revenge / Dissatisfaction
Insider Threats: Disgruntled employees, former employees, or individuals with a grievance against an organization or individual may use their access or knowledge to commit cyber fraud or cause damage. This is a significant concern for insider threats.

In summary, while financial gain remains the most prevalent and direct motivator for cyber fraud, it's often intertwined with socioeconomic pressures, psychological predispositions (like thrill-seeking or lack of empathy), and sometimes even ideological or revenge-driven impulses. Understanding this complex interplay of motivations is crucial for developing effective prevention, detection, and enforcement strategies.

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Why is youth unemployment so high despite Nigeria's large and young population?
Nigeria indeed has a very large and young population, often referred to as a "youth bulge," which theoretically could be a demographic dividend driving economic growth. However, several factors contribute to persistently high youth unemployment, turning this potential advantage into a significant challenge:

Skills Mismatch and Inadequate Education:
Outdated Curriculum: The Nigerian education system, particularly at the tertiary level, often teaches theoretical knowledge that is not aligned with the demands of the modern job market. Many graduates emerge with degrees but lack practical, technical, and digital skills sought by employers.


Lack of Vocational Training: There's a strong societal preference for university degrees over vocational and technical education. This leads to a shortage of skilled tradespeople and technicians, even as industries like manufacturing, construction, and renewable energy struggle to find qualified workers.

Poor Quality of Education: Public educational institutions often suffer from underfunding, inadequate infrastructure, and a shortage of qualified instructors, further compromising the quality of graduates.

Slow Economic Growth and Limited Job Creation:
Oil Dependence: As discussed, Nigeria's over-reliance on oil has led to an economy that struggles to create sufficient jobs in diversified sectors when oil prices are low. The non-oil sectors, which have greater potential for mass employment (like agriculture and manufacturing), are underdeveloped.

Struggling Private Sector: The overall business environment in Nigeria is challenging due to issues like poor infrastructure (especially power), high cost of doing business, difficulty accessing finance, and policy inconsistencies. This discourages investment and limits the capacity of the private sector to expand and create jobs.

Informal Economy Dominance: A significant portion of the workforce (around 92.7% in Q2 2023) operates in the informal sector, which often offers low-paying, precarious jobs with little to no social protection or opportunities for career progression.

Lack of Experience Required by Employers:
Many entry-level positions require prior work experience, creating a "catch-22" for fresh graduates who can't get experience without a job and can't get a job without experience. This perpetuates a cycle of unemployment.

Internship and apprenticeship opportunities are often limited or poorly structured.

Corruption and Nepotism:
Systemic corruption and nepotism in the hiring process can sideline merit and qualifications, giving an unfair advantage to those with connections rather than the most competent candidates. This discourages motivated youth and perpetuates inequality.

Mismanagement of public funds meant for youth development programs further exacerbates the problem.

High Population Growth:
While a young population is a demographic asset, rapid population growth without corresponding economic expansion means a large influx of new job seekers into a labor market that cannot absorb them.

Geographical Imbalances and Urbanization:
There's a high degree of geographical mobility towards urban centers in search of jobs, putting immense pressure on limited urban job opportunities and infrastructure.

Limited Access to Capital for Entrepreneurship:
Despite a strong entrepreneurial spirit among Nigerian youth (many of whom would prefer to start their own businesses), access to affordable loans, mentorship, and business development support is often limited.

Government Policy Gaps and Implementation Challenges:
While various youth employment initiatives and action plans have been launched (e.g., NYEAP), their impact has often been limited by insufficient funding, inconsistent monitoring, poor implementation, and a lack of long-term strategic vision.

These factors combine to create a challenging landscape where millions of young Nigerians, despite their energy and potential, struggle to find meaningful employment, leading to social unrest, increased poverty, and a significant "brain drain" as many skilled youth seek opportunities abroad.