Author: Buy2Greece

According to FIABCI’s latest research, here are nine current trends:

2. Five years ago, Asians were parking their money in Asia. Today, they have shifted to moving their investment dollars to the U.S.

3. Canada is still the No. 1 source of international U.S. investment.

4. The Canadian government recently closed down its equivalent of the U.S. EB-5 visa program. (The U.S. EB-5 visa program allows visas to be issued to those who invest at least $500,000 in the U.S. and use that money to create or preserve at least 10 American jobs.) Canada’s decision drastically reduced Chinese investment in Canada and has driven more U.S. investment by the Chinese.

5. High tax rates in France and the relative weakness of the euro are driving European investment outside of Europe.

6. Instability in other nations is also driving U.S. investment. Ukrainians are purchasing in Florida, Atlanta, Houston and Jacksonville. Brazilians and Venezuelans are driving the Miami economic recovery as Venezuela undergoes a systematic collapse. Puerto Ricans are exiting Puerto Rico and virtually no one is returning.

7. The current Arab influx in the investment market is huge. People from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon tend to purchase multi-unit buildings of between six and 12 units. They normally don’t purchase hotels and restaurants because of Sharia law prohibiting alcohol sales.

8. Getting money legally into the U.S. continues to be a major issue.

9. Middle Eastern clients tend to prefer more ostentatious properties, while Asians normally prefer new, with top-of-the-line quality.

Only days after Storm Fay disrupted the quiet stretch in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Gonzalo formed Sunday afternoon just east of the Leeward Islands.

“Pouring rain will lash the northern Lesser Antilles Monday,” said AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Andy Mussoline.

Torrential rain and locally damaging winds will blast the northern Leeward Islands Monday as Gonzalo tracks over them before moving toward Puerto Rico Monday night.

Gonzalo is expected to bring many dangers with it as it tracks westward. “Life-threatening flash floods and mudslides will threaten the region,” said Mussoline.

Gonzalo will likely reach the Virgin Islands Monday night before passing Puerto Rico just to the northeast by early Tuesday morning.

Warm water and low wind shear will allow the system to strengthen over the next few days and Gonzalo very well could be a Category 1 hurricane when it nears Puerto Rico.

A cold front will steer Gonzalo on a more northerly path by midweek. Folks in the Bahamas should be on alert once again as the northerly turn will take Gonzalo toward them late this week or weekend, perhaps as a hurricane.

During October, on average, areas most likely for tropical development in the Atlantic Basin tend to shift closer to the nearshore waters of North and Central America.

The Atlantic is behind the curve for the average number of named tropical systems. After about a three week lull, Fay and Gonzalo recently brought the number of named storms to seven. Every year, on an average, there are nine named systems over the Atlantic by the middle of October.

With 18 named systems this season, the eastern Pacific is running ahead of the average. By the middle of October, the average number of named systems is 15.

As a source of inspiration and information for holidaymakers travel blogs are becoming more and more popular. For a number of years ITB has held several events for international travel bloggers, providing opportunities to exchange knowledge and enabling them to meet with trade visitors and exhibitors. Next year, in cooperation with TransitMedia and visitBerlin, for the first time ITB Berlin will be organising a Blog Camp. On 1 and 2 March 2015 Sebastian Canaves and Conni Biesalski will be among those giving fascinating workshops and creative sessions aimed at teaching participants how to improve their blogs in order to reach more readers and showing them how they can earn money with their reports and trips.

From 13 to 26 October 2014 anyone interested can sign up for the ITB Blog Camp at https://www.blog-camp.de/itb-blog-camp-2015/, where detailed information is available about the camp and on how to apply. Applicants should be passionate about blogging and travelling, have a minimum blogging experience of two years and post blogs at least four times a month. Twenty bloggers will be selected from the applications. The first five successful applicants will receive free overnight accommodation from Saturday to Sunday in a hip Berlin design hotel and take part in a bicycle tour, both sponsored by visitBerlin. In general, participants must pay their travel and overnight expenses themselves. Anyone arriving on Saturday, 28 February 2015, can join the networking evening. visitBerlin also organizes a rallye to the Teufelsberg on 3 March 2015. Application details to be announced soon.

Participation in the ITB Blog Camp is the ideal way to prepare for a visit to the world’s leading travel trade show. The event will take place on the weekend before ITB Berlin, which opens its doors on 4 March.

What if you could capture the dimensions of your home simply by walking around with your phone before you went furniture shopping? It’s one of several big questions Google is asking as part of Project Tango, an effort by the company’s new Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group to expand the reach of space and motion for mobile devices to a “human scale.”

The technology is “still in the very early stages,” said Iska Hain, global communications and public affairs manager at Google, in an e-mail interview, but the implications for Real Estate and home improvement are huge.

The new prototype – a 5-inch Android smartphone armed with custom-built sensors and software designed to track the full motion of the device – can create a real-time 3D model of the space around you.

“These sensors make over a quarter-million 3D measurements every single second, updating the position and location of the phone, fusing this information into a single 3D model of the environment,” said Johnny Chung Lee, project lead at ATAP, in a YouTube video introducing Project Tango, where an example of its capabilities included the mapping and placement of furniture in a home. It is an effort that has spanned a year of work with universities, research labs and industrial partners around the world, aiming to concentrate the robotics and computer vision technologies of the last decade into a mobile phone, according to the Project Tango website and YouTube video.

Google is shipping a limited number of prototypes to professional developers by mid-March, and, according to Hain, is challenging them to think about questions that could change the way Real Estate agents do business:

What if directions to a new location didn’t stop at the street address?
What if you never again found yourself lost in a new building?
What if the visually impaired could navigate unassisted in unfamiliar indoor places?

“There are so many possibilities,” she said. “As we get further along, there is potential for the technology to be used by many verticals (retail, art, Real Estate, etc.).”

It all began after a fellow passenger sneezed and then allegedly said: “I have Ebola. You’re all screwed.” The man sneezed on an airplane and then allegedly joked to seatmates that he had Ebola caused a scare on a US Airways flight Wednesday.

US Airways Flight 845 from Philadelphia was greeted with a hazmat team and inspected by local health officials when it arrived in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, according to reports. A spokesman for American Airlines, which now includes merger partner US Airways, acknowledged the plane was inspected on arrival “due to a possible health issue on board.”

Another passenger notified a flight attendant, who alerted the captain. The carrier then followed protocol for such a situation, which – in this case – forced the plane to be halted on the tarmac so that a four-person hazmat crew could inspect the plane.

A passenger’s video captured the fallout that ensued from the joke.

“It’s going to look worse than it is,” a flight attendant can be heard telling passengers via the aircraft’s PA system. “I’ve done this for 36 years. I think the man that has said this is an idiot, and I’ll say that straight out. If you hear me that’s fine.”

The hazmat crew climbed on board, moving down the aisle in plastic suits with breathing apparatuses hiding their faces. People pulled out cellphones to capture the scene. A child squealed in the background.

As the health crews got to the joking passenger, he can be heard on the video saying: “I was just kidding. I ain’t from Africa.”

Passengers were booing when the man was eventually escorted off the flight.

A 110 metre long temporary road bridge weighing 350 tonnes has been launched over the Great Western Main Line as part of Crossrail improvement works in the area.

The temporary structure has been installed at Thorney Lane, in Iver, ahead of the demolition of the existing bridge at Christmas.

Both Thorney Lane Bridge and Stoke Poges Bridge in Slough will be demolished at Christmas and replaced with permanent bridges to allow enough room for overhead electric cables to be installed over the tracks on the Great Western Main Line. Crossrail’s new electric trains will be quieter, smoother and more reliable than the existing diesel suburban trains.

Stoke Poges Lane Bridge in Slough will be closed between late November 2014 and April 2015 with traffic redirected along Farnham Road or Stoke Road and William Street.

Matthew White, Surface Director at Crossrail said: “Crossrail will provide a major improvement in public transport for people in the area – better stations, new trains and more comfortable journeys. Passengers will be able to travel right through central London without having to change trains, making it easier and more convenient to get to a range of destinations across the capital and the South East”.

Matthew Steele, Programme Director for Crossrail at Network Rail said: “Crossrail is one of the most important projects that Network Rail is working on and promises to deliver huge improvements to rail transport in Slough, South Buckinghamshire and across the route. The project team are committed to delivering these important works efficiently and in partnership with the local authorities.”

Source:- Cross Rail

As Super Storm Hudud lashes the Indian east coast, tropical Storm Fay headed toward a close brush with Bermuda before dawn Sunday, and the British island territory off the U.S. coast prepared itself for heavy rains, high winds and rough surf.

A tropical storm warning was already in effect on Bermuda. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Fay was not expected to gain any more strength, but warned that hurricane conditions were still a possibility and islanders should stay alert.

Fay was centered about 45 miles (65 kilometers) south of Bermuda early Sunday and moving north-northeast at 17 mph (28 kph). The storm had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 Fay was expected to pass just southeast of Bermuda before dawn, dumping up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain in some areas. Bermuda’s government weather service warned that the storm would cause hazardous surf throughout Sunday.

As a ray of hope forecasters said a cold front was likely to absorb Fay on Monday.

The outbreak of Ebola forced many major airlines to suspend their services to West Africa. Emirates, British Airways are two of the major airlines who have stopped their services immediately after Ebola outbreak became a travel alert worldwide. However, there are two airlines that are still continuing their services to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Brussels Airlines and the Royal Air Maroc the largest airline of Morocco are taking this as a part of their social and humanitarian responsibility. Brussels Airlines says it has no plans to stop flying into Guinea, Sierra Leone or Liberia in the immediate future.

The vice president of Brussels Airlines, Mr. Geert Sciot said, “Without our flights it would become almost impossible for the medical team to reach the country.”

Sciot, who said that the airline has made flights to Africa a focus of their service for decades, said that the World Health Organization and other health groups had directly asked senior airline leadership to continue service to West Africa. Health groups also partnered with Brussels Airlines to implement measures to ensure safety for the passengers and crew.

All passengers leaving the region have their temperatures taken and are screened with a questionnaire; patients with Ebola symptoms are not allowed to fly. Airline crew are not permitted to spend the night in at-risk locations, so they travel on a Brussels flight to Senegal when they need to stay overnight in West Africa.

Attendees at today’s WTM Vision Conference Rimini will hear how the rapid adoption of tablets and smartphones by consumers around the globe is creating a new business environment for the travel and tourism industry.

Euromonitor International will present research showing how smartphones will become a significant transactional channel as customers become more comfortable using their devices for purchases as well as research.

According to Euromonitor, global online travel sales accounted for US$589 billion in 2013, amounting to 25% of total travel and tourism sales. Online sales are expected to grow faster than the total travel industry, growing 10% year-on-year and reaching US$827 billion by 2017.

And in 2017, 45% of the world’s population or 3.3 billion people will be internet users, with smartphones the most popular way of getting online.

Euromonitor also noted some changes to consumer behaviour as a result of the proliferation of devices and wider internet penetration.

It suggested that “online and mobile developments have enabled [consumers] to increasingly bypass traditional distribution, which has helped to drive growth in new business models and, particularly, peer-to-peer”.

The dominance of portable devices over fixed-line computers for internet access has led to the emergence of multi-screen consumer. Euromonitor refers to Google research which identifies sequential and simultaneous usage trends.

“In the case of sequential usage, smartphones are generally the starting point for consumers, who then move to PC, tablet or TV to continue their search for information on travel destinations and services, and possibly make their travel bookings. In the case of simultaneous usage, consumers will typically make a search on brands watched in TD advertisements through their smartphone or tablet,” Euromonitor said.

World Travel Market, Senior Director, Simon Press said: “The evidence is overwhelming. As the internet population grows and the adoption of devices increases, significant new consumer trends are emerging. Events such as the WTM Vision Conferences are helping the global travel industry understand these changes and find ways to thrive in the new economy”.

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site*, today announced its annual Travellers’ Choice awards for restaurants across the globe. In total,353 fine dining restaurant winners were identified, including the top 25 in the world and dedicated lists for Asia, Canada, China, Europe, India, South America, South Pacific, the U.K. and the U.S.

Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager, TripAdvisor India says“Congratulations to the winning restaurants. For a while now, Indian chefs and Indian cuisine have been on a path of ascendancy on the global gastronomical stage – with 3 Indian restaurants being ranked by discerning global travellers on the Asian list of top fine dining restaurants, this is a great moment that calls for celebrations. Also, when global travellers start loving the best restaurants that locals enjoy, one knows something good is happening”.

“We are indeed proud that ITC’s culinary brands continue to garner appreciation in the country and are abetting India’s recognition on global platforms. We value the integrity of the TripAdvisor rating platform, that facilitates an integral interface for us, with our guests and are happy to be recognized through this medium” said DipakHaksar, Chief Operating Officer, ITC Ltd-Hotels Division.

Travellers’ Choice awards honor top travel spots worldwide based on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for restaurants worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period.

What the travellers have to say!

1. Indian Accent, New Delhi(397 reviews)
“Amazing food / unconventional presentation and varied flavours”: It’s a small little restaurant tucked into a quiet corner in Delhi’s Manor Hotel. The Chef ShantanuMehrotra was a delight to talk to, He met us and checked our likes and dislikes. We ordered the fixed menu. The first thing that strikes you is the food presentation. It is unconventional to say the least! Minni blue cheese naans to Duck cornetto to carrot soup and pork ribs all were well made, flavourful and experimental. The chuski served in a miniature pressure cooker (see pic) gave us a much needed break from eating before the main course. The main course of Lamb shank was awesome and the choice of house wines was good with Sanagtorres red and a savignon blanc from New Zealand. The servers were smart professional and very helpful. Overall a very good experience.Reviewed by a TripAdvisor traveller from New Delhi, India.

2. Peshawri, Mumbai, Maharashtra (453 reviews)
“OMG! One of the Best!!!”:Where do I begin??! Peshawri is one of my MUST-GO places whenever I’m in Mumbai. No trip of mine to this wonderful city is complete without at least 1 visit. The food is ‘to-die-for’ and the service is pretty good too. Authentic north Indian cuisine. If you are a large group try the big Peshawri naan. Also recommend the mixed platter as a starter and of course the mandatory paneer dish in the main course! Don’t miss this if in Mumbai!!! Reviewed by a TripAdvisor traveller from Dubai, UA.E

3. Bukhara, New Delhi(1,202 reviews)
“Amazing Experience”: This place was recommended to me as THE place in New Delhi to eat. As I live in London, I like to think I’m pretty discerning when it comes to Indian cuisine – and this place lived up to its reputation. They have a great menu for single diners that allows you to try a bit of everything. My favourite dishes were the dal and the butter naan. Special thanks to my waiter Praveen who provided truly excellent recommendations, as well as flawless and friendly service. Reviewed by a TripAdvisor traveller from Toronto, Canada.
1. Indian Accent, New Delhi(397 reviews)
2. Peshawri, Mumbai(451 Reviews)
3. Bukhara, New Delhi(1200 Reviews)
4. Villa Maya, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) (188 Reviews)
5. Dakshin , Chennai (Madras)(213 reviews)
6. Dum Pukht, New Delhi(168 reviews)
7. Karavalli, Bangalore (151 reviews)
8. Thai Pavilion, Mumbai(181 reviews)
9. Nawab Saheb in Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel, Mumbai (138 reviews)
10. Prego, Hyderabad (128 reviews)

Annexure:
1. Indian Accent, New Delhi(397 reviews)

Review:

“Amazing food / unconventional presentation and varied flavours”: It’s a small little restaurant tucked into a quiet corner in Delhi’s Manor Hotel. The Chef Shantanu Mehrotra was a delight to talk to, He met us and checked our likes and dislikes. We ordered the fixed menu. The first thing that strikes you is the food presentation. It is unconventional to say the least! Minni blue cheese naans to Duck cornetto to carrot soup and pork ribs all were well made, flavourful and experimental. The chuski served in a miniature pressure cooker (see pic) gave us a much needed break from eating before the main course. The main course of Lamb shank was awesome and the choice of house wines was good with Sanag torres red and a savignon blanc from New Zealand. The servers were smart professional and very helpful. Overall a very good experience. Reviewed by TripAdvisor traveller from New Delhi, India

2. Peshawri, Mumbai(451 Reviews)

Review:

“OMG! One of the Best!!!”: Where do I begin??! Peshawri is one of my MUST-GO places whenever I’m in Mumbai. No trip of mine to this wonderful city is complete without at least 1 visit. The food is ‘to-die-for’ and the service is pretty good too. Authentic north Indian cuisine. If you are a large group try the big Peshawri naan. Also recommend the mixed platter as a starter and of course the mandatory paneer dish in the main course! Don’t miss this if in Mumbai!!! Reviewed by TripAdvisor traveller from Dubai, UAE

3. Bukhara, New Delhi(1200 Reviews)
Review:

“Amazing Experience”: This place was recommended to me as THE place in New Delhi to eat. As I live in London, I like to think I’m pretty discerning when it comes to Indian cuisine – and this place lived up to its reputation. They have a great menu for single diners that allows you to try a bit of everything. My favourite dishes were the dal and the butter naan. Special thanks to my waiter Praveen who provided truly excellent recommendations, as well as flawless and friendly service. Reviewed by TripAdvisor traveller from Toronto, Canada

4. Villa Maya, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) (188 Reviews)

Review:

“Fabulous food in rustic scenic surroundings”

Every dish is carefully made to perfection. Be very specific with your choice and your steward will wow you. Spoke to the chef also. Surroundings are typical local flavour of the British raj. An experience one should not miss.Reviewed by TripAdvisor traveller from New Delhi, India

5. Dakshin , Chennai (Madras) (213 reviews)

Review:

“Sensational food and Phenomenal service”: I have to tell you this is one of the best restaurants I have been to in India. This is my first trip to Chennai and lot of my colleagues were raving about this restaurant. I will be honest I went there with no expectations what so ever but I should say I had the best experience while dining out. Actually I felt like I was being served at home. The waiters were very courteous and were very friendly in their approach. Suresh and Hemath made our evening a very special one. During our conversation with the waiter he found out it was my wedding anniversary and immediately organized for a cake. I was very touched with their caring nature. Now the food! I do not have words! It was simply irresistible. I had mentioned that I’m not a big chilli eater at the beginning and the chefs carefully crafted the food for me. It was delight to have the just right taste for me. I definitely recommend this food for anyone in this world. Overall a very happy and satisfying experience and I definitely wanted to share this with anyone who reads this. I’m glad I went to this restaurant and will definitely come back during my next visit. Thanks to all! Reviewed by TripAdvisor traveller from California, United States

6. Dum Pukht, New Delhi (168 reviews)

Review:

““First class service to match the bill but maybe not the food”: 1st thing to say is the food was good and the bill NOT as large as at the LaLit the next night but still twice what a better meal in Pune had cost the day before.I guess the locals go to see who is also there – apparently a smattering of Bollywood folk. Since I’d not recognise any of them my focus was the food. Biryni cooked under a pastry top to keep the steam in was equal and no better to countless indian buffets serving biryani, Prawns were lovely and well cooked, beer came out of the bottle as it should. Staff were attentive and explained what was what and made recommendations. All in my impression was “good, not excellent”, trading on “the place to be seen” more than achieving outstanding cusine and charging based on the hype over substance.”Reviewed by TripAdvisor traveller from Edinburgh, United Kingdom

7. Karavalli, Bangalore (151 reviews)

Review:

“Very good food, very nice garden setting (behind the hotel)”:There were two Karavalli’s listed on TripAdivsor but only this one has the correct address (the other one does not exist). After searching for this restaurant we found it in a garden setting down a hill behind the hotel, very pretty with garden seating. I was eating dinner with an Indian and although we asked for mild spice (in deference to my western palate) it was still pretty hot for me, but great flavors. We had Sungatache Kodi which was a prawn dish with ground coconut and spices ,excellent for using the breads in the sauce. And we had mutton dish which was very good (although the hotter of the two dishes). As a digestive we were served a salty spice broth which I really enjoyed although I had to drink it slowly due to the spice level.Reviewed by TripAdvisor traveller from Dallas, Texas, United States

8. Thai Pavilion, Mumbai (181 reviews)
Review:
“Amazing food …”: The Thai Pavilion, one of the restaurants of Vivanta President is one of the best Thai restaurants. The food is just amazing and the ambience is fantastic.Reviewed by TripAdvisor traveller from Warwick, United Kingdom

9. Nawab Saheb in Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel, Mumbai (138 reviews)

Review:

“Tons of good food…”:The basic idea here is to put you in a descent ambiance, then give you a ton of really good food. Simple. You can choose a mix, veg, or non-veg Prix Fix meal. Service was fine, but frankly, I was so scared every time they walked up that I’d be given more food that I probably didn’t pay much attention.Reviewed by TripAdvisor traveller from New York City, New York

10. Prego, Hyderabad (128 reviews)

Review:

“Consistently Good Food and Service”:I usually order the chicken picatta and the garlic bread. The garlic bread is really a super-thin pizza type bread – delicious and addictive. The pastas and risottos are also excellent. Do try the Sunday Brunch so that you can sample a variety of pastas and other wonderful dishes. Service is always prompt and impeccable.Reviewed by TripAdvisor traveller from Midwest