Travel giant TUI Group is confident enough in the long-term prospects of Greek tourism that it aims to bring 10 percent more tourists to Greece in 2015 compared to the year before, according to the company’s CEO, Friedrich Joussen.
Mr. Joussen recently hosted a dinner on Rhodes for the island’s local and regional authorities, tourism bodies and Alternate Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura. During the dinner, he expressed his support to Greece and estimated that the country’s tourism will be on the up this year.
He also pointed out that TUI is aiming to extend Greece’s tourism season from 180 days to 210 and underlined that Greece remains an authentic destination and a strategic priority for TUI.
On her part, the alternate tourism minister underlined that combating seasonality in Greek tourism is one of the main priorities of the government.
When answering journalists’ questions regarding rumors of new government measures that may affect the sector, Ms. Kountoura stressed that she will not agree to measures which may harm tourism.
Also present at the dinner hosted by Mr. Joussen was the secretary general of the Greek National Tourism Organization, Panos Livadas; the governor of the South Aegean Region, George Chatzimarkos; the mayor of Rhodes, Fotis Hatzidiakos; the chairman of the Rhodes Hoteliers Association, Antonis Kambourakis; the vice governor of tourism for the South Aegean Region, Marieta Vakiani Papavasileiou; and local hoteliers cooperating with TUI Group.
Home-based travel franchise CruiseOne, which is part of the world’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company World Travel Holdings, is announcing today at the annual International Franchise Expo the opening of its 1,000th location. The franchise has locations in all 50 states and Mexico, and grows by 10 percent each year.
“While our system continues to grow, we are dedicated to maintaining a low staff to franchisee ratio to ensure we are providing a personal and high-quality level of service that benefits franchisee’s business development,” said Tim Courtney, CFE, vice president of franchise development for CruiseOne. “In fact, we believe this is one of the main reasons why we have an industry-leading 94 percent retention rate among franchise owners.”
Travel professionals are still in high demand among leisure travelers. According to the America Society of Travel Agent’s (ASTA) 2015 Traveler Decision Making Study, nearly half of the travelers who used a travel agent in the past year expect to increase their usage of agents in the future. In addition, more than 50 percent of people surveyed believe they have a better vacation experience when booking with a travel agent.
“It is an exciting time to be in the travel industry and we are thrilled to have reached the 1,000th franchise milestone,” said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president of CruiseOne. “This accomplishment is possible as a result of our hardworking staff at our corporate headquarters and our franchisees who make up the fabric of our company and create a sense of family. It takes a village to be successful and we would not be where we are today without each and every individual contribution.”
The company plans on celebrating this achievement by capitalizing on the number 1,000. CruiseOne will be donating $1,000 to its signature charity Make-A-Wish®, adding to the more than $500,000 donated by the company and its parent company, World Travel Holdings, since the partnership’s inception in 2011. In addition, $1,000 will be awarded to both a randomly selected franchisee and their respective customer, and four staff members will receive $250 each ($1,000 total).
CruiseOne is committed to being “Rich in Diversity” and empowers all owners and employees to reach their highest potential by leveraging their broad range of talent, experiences, personalities, viewpoints and ideas to generate business growth. Veterans and active-duty spouses make up 30 percent of the military-friendly franchise, and the number of millennial owners has increased by nearly 20 percent in the last four years.
CruiseOne is looking for franchisees who are passionate about travel, helping others and are eager to go into business for themselves, but not by themselves. No experience in travel or sales is necessary as all new franchise owners attend a 6-day training at CruiseOne’s world headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where they learn how to use CruiseOne’s industry-leading booking systems and get an introduction to the cruise and resort vacation industry. New franchisees can open their home-based business for less than $10,000 and work anywhere with an Internet connection.
Airlines are raising ticket prices by up to $10 round-trip. Just in time for summer. Airlines know people want to fly in the summer. Demand remains high at the moment, and the airlines believe travelers are willing to pay the extra ten bucks.
Initially on June 4 JetBlue raised some prices, followed by a ten-day slug-fest in which various airlines jumped in and out to match, tweak, add or subtract routes. The ball really got rolling last week when Southwest joined in; by week’s end, the carrier’s pricing morphed into a full-blown, system-wide hike which was then matched by American and appears to be sticking.
Hikes are usually quick and decisive affairs in which one airline raises prices system-wide and competing carriers either jump in or not.
Travelers can still save money on airline tickets, if they can wait to fly until Aug. 25 or beyond, because there will be a significant price drop; in some cases, this will translate into savings of up to 20%. The most popular days, Friday or Sunday; are usually happen to be the most expensive days to fly. Instead, traveling on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday can save money.
Europe, with six economies in the top 10, continues to dominate the rankings, reveals the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015. This has been possible thanks to Europe’s world-class tourism service infrastructure, excellent health and hygiene conditions, and—notably, thanks to the Schengen Area—high degree of international openness and integration.
However, there are still some significant divides across the region, says the report.
Not all European countries are making the most of their cultural resources, prioritizing the Travel &Tourism sector to respond to new trends, or fostering a dynamic business environment by removing red tape.
Source: World Economic Forum
From the world’s first commercial flight in 1914, to today’s 32 million flights annually, aviation has become part and parcel of our everyday lives. With some three billion air passengers, and 50 million tonnes of freight carried every year by planes, it is estimated that aviation contributes US$2.4 trillion annually to global GDP.
In the next 20 years (2015-2034), according to Airbus’ Global Market Forecast, global passenger traffic will grow at an average 4.6% a year, driving a need for some 32,600 new aircraft above 100 seats (31,800 passenger & 800 freighters greater than 10 tonnes) worth US$4.9 trillion. By 2034, passenger and freighter fleets will more than double from today’s 19,000 aircraft to 38,500. Some 13,100 passenger and freighter aircraft will be replaced with more fuel efficient types.
Emerging economies which collectively account for six billion people, are the real engines of worldwide traffic growth. They will grow at 5.8% per year compared to more advanced economies, like those in Western Europe or North America, that are forecast to grow collectively at 3.8%. Emerging economies also account for 31% of worldwide private consumption which will rise to 43% by 2034. Economic growth rates in emerging economies such as China, India, Middle East, Africa and Latin America will exceed the world average. A knock on effect is that middle classes will double to almost 5 billion people.
The tendency to travel by air is increasing. In today’s emerging economies, 25% of the population take one trip per year, and this will increase sharply to 74% by 2034. In advanced economies, such as North America, the tendency to travel will exceed two trips per year.
“Asia-Pacific will lead in world traffic by 2034 and China will be the world’s biggest aviation market within 10 years, and clearly Asia and emerging markets are the catalyst for strong air traffic growth,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “Today, we are ramping up production of the A350 XWB and we are studying further production rate increases beyond rate 50 for single aisle aircraft to meet the increasing demand for air transportation.”
Long-haul traffic will increasingly be to, from or between aviation mega-cities*, rising from 90% (0.9 million passengers a day) today to 95% (2.3 million passengers a day) by 2034. Aviation mega-cities are centres of urbanisation and wealth creation and will increase from 47 to 91 cities by 2034 with 35% of World GDP centred there. These mega cities are already served well by air transportation and the existing route network will accommodate 70% of all traffic growth between now and 2034.
In the widebody market, Airbus forecasts a trend towards higher capacity aircraft on long-haul and an increasingly wide range of regional and domestic sectors. As a result, Airbus forecasts a requirement for some 9,600 widebody passenger and freighter aircraft over the next 20 years, valued at some US$2.7 trillion. This represents 30% of all new aircraft deliveries and 55% by value. Airbus will be especially well placed to win a leading share of the widebody market, with the A330, A350 and A380 representing the most modern and comprehensive product line available today from 200 to over 500 seats.
In the single aisle market, where the A320 Family and the latest generation A320neo Family are firmly established as the global market leaders, the latest Airbus forecast sees a requirement for nearly 23,000 new aircraft worth US$2.2 trillion over the next 20 years, an increase of nearly 1,000 aircraft compared to the previous forecast, representing 70% of all new units and 45% of the value of all deliveries.
Globally traffic growth has led to average aircraft size ‘growing’ by 46% since the 1980s with airlines selecting larger aircraft or up-sizing existing backlogs. Larger aircraft like the A380 combined with higher load factors make the most efficient use of limited slots at airports and contribute to rising passenger numbers without additional flights as confirmed by London’s Heathrow Airport. A focus on sustainable growth has enabled fuel burn and noise reductions of at least 70 per cent in the last 40 years and this trend continues with innovations like the A320neo, the A330neo, the A380 and the A350 XWB.
In a recent survey conducted by users of the Rotten WiFi app revealed the best airports in terms of their WiFi service. Dublin Airport (DUB)/Ireland in Europe, Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)/Thailand in Asia and Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA)/USA in America emerged as the best in business.
The study found that Dublin Airport had the fastest Wi-Fi download speeds of any European airport and the third fastest in the world behind Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand and Chattanooga Airport in the United States.
The survey, which was conducted by users of the Rotten WiFi app and website, tested and evaluated the quality of WiFi services in more than 130 airports in 53 countries.
The Top 10 airports in terms of the fastest download speeds feature five airports in Europe, two in the US and three in Asia.
Dublin Airport has offered its customers unlimited free Wi-Fi since September 2012, and was one of the first major European airports with free WiFi.
The top 10 fastest WiFi Airports of the world (by download speeds, Mbps)
1. Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)/Thailand – 41.45
2. Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA)/TN,USA – 30.98
3. Dublin Airport (DUB)/Ireland – 19.45
4. Vilnius International Airport (VNO)/Lithuania – 18.04
5. Helsinki Airport (HEL)/Finland – 17.46
6. JL Airport Ngurah Rai/ Indonesia – 16.01
7. Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH/RCKH)/Taiwan – 15.55
8. Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN)/Sweden – 15.48
9. Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport – 15.28
10. Frankfurt Airport (FRA)/Germany – 14.47
The English celebrity chef, restaurateur, and media personality of global reach, Jamie Oliver, decided to visit the Greek island of Ikaria. The visit was prompted by Oliver’s latest research focusing on longevity and the role of quality of food for living a long and healthy life.
The inhabitants of the island of Ikaria are known for their life quality and longevity, therefore Jamie Oliver set sail for the island, known for its natural and untouched beauty, to examine first-handedly the food habits and the traditional Ikariotika dishes.
Journalists report that the chef arrived on the island on Monday 18th of May, heading straight to Armenistis, one of the many beautiful villages of Ikaria. The chef of the Greek restaurant MaryMary told peoplegreece.com, that the British chef tasted fried mullet, spaghetti with pesto greens, ‘kopanisti’ Ikaria and wild greens sautéed.
Jamie apparently had a great time on the island, discovering the traditional cuisine, and he expressed his love for Greek food telling his fans and followers by uploading photos on Instagram with comments like: “Delicious simple food cooked by a Greek mum…all homemade; the cheese, bread, herb pie and very very tasty peas and broad beans cooked in a fabulous way slowly with fennel and extra virgin olive oil…I’m even loving the table cloth…It’s all good learning lots and being well looked after…Big love, Jamie”.
He even went on to pay a tribute to the traditional Greek salad with another post: “Beautifully simple Greek salad the classic way, with juicy tomatoes, olives and crumbly feta! Proper bold flavours and super fresh ingredients”.
Jamie Oliver, apart from being a celebrity chef, has demonstrated over the years his sensitive side by establishing the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation in 2002, with the mission to shape the health and wellbeing of current and future generations and contribute to a healthier world, by providing better access to food education for everyone.
The world renowned chef, through his Foundation, has managed to run three core food education programmes, in schools, communities and with young people across the UK.
The main projects of the Foundation are the Kitchen Garden Project – empowering primary school teachers to integrate growing and cooking into the school day; the Ministry of Food programme – inspiring people of all ages to get in the kitchen and try out cooking; and the Fifteen Apprentice Programme providing inspiration and support to disadvantaged youth to pursue a career in the food industry.
The couple, who have six children, Maddox, 13, Pax, 11, Zahara, 10, Shiloh, nine, and twins Knox and Vivienne, six, are reportedly thinking about splashing out $4.7 million on the entire island of Gaia so they can enjoy more private holidays together.
A source close to the couple said: “Angie fell in love with it. It will need development, but at that price they’ll have no problem building the vacation home of their dreams.”
source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
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