Buy2Greece.com

Author: Buy2Greece

  • Athens witnessed an enterprising recovery of the Hotel industry in 2013

    Hotels in Athens reported significant performance improvement in 2013, according to data from STR Global and GBR Consulting. The market saw strong growth after the 2004 Olympic Games with significant increases in occupancy and average daily rate. This trend was reversed at the end of 2008 as a result of a prolonged period of social unrest.

     

     

    “The period of social unrest caused a significant impact on the hotel industry in Athens as demand declined for the city”, said Elizabeth Winkle, managing director of STR Global. “However, the industry’s performance has been on an upward trend for nearly a year now, and we expect to see this trend continue. Positive news has emerged surrounding the economic situation and outlook in Greece. If this can be maintained, leisure tourism is expected to recover further because of the attractiveness of Athens as a destination”.
    According to Stefan Merkenhof, managing consultant of GBR Consulting, “The impact of the Greek crisis on the Athens tourism industry in the period 2010 through 2013 has been significant with a total estimated loss of EUR2.5 billion for the sector as a whole, of which EUR820 million was for the Athens hotels. However, Athens tourism has been recovering since May 2013 as the negative headlines on Greece disappeared and a positive outlook started emerging. In the first two months of 2014, we have seen significant increases in international tourist arrivals at Athens as well as significant improvements in occupancy levels, albeit with stabilising room rates. With the leisure market solidifying and the return of the conference and incentive market to Athens, of which there are already clear signs, the city seems to be set for a substantial recovery, in line with its rich offering for leisure and MICE travellers alike”.

     

     

    In 2013, the downturn bottomed out, primarily due to a recovery in leisure tourism. From April onwards, occupancy levels significantly improved compared to 2012, while room rates stabilised. Occupancy rose 7.0 percent in 2013 to 56.8 percent.

     

     

    As a result of the occupancy increases, revenue per available room also improved significantly. RevPAR for the market increased 7.9 percent to EUR53.89. The biggest increase in RevPAR was achieved by the Economy segment with a 13.2-percent increase, followed by the Upper Upscale segment with a 4.7-percent increase.
    Source: STR Global.

  • WHAT MAKES A LUXURY HOME?

    Buy2Greece.com –

    65% Had Designer Kitchens

    89% Had an entertainment room that could seat more than six people

    57% Had a wet bar

    37% Had a wine cellar

    54% Had original Artwork

    67% Had Professional Landscape

    28% Had pool/gym/home theater

    32% Had wired home environment

    39% Had open floor plan

     

     

     

  • Moni Toplou

    Buy2Greece

    Moni Toplou (Greek: Μονή Τοπλού) is a 15th-century monastery located in a dry and barren area in theLasithi regional unit, on the eastern part of the island of Crete in Greece. It is about 6 km north of the village ofPalekastro and 85 km east of Agios Nikolaos. The monastery was originally called Panagia Akrotiriani (Virgin Mary of the Cape), after the nearby Sidero cape. Its current name literally means “with the cannonball”, thus called by the Turks for the cannon and cannonballs (Turkish: top) it had in its possession for defensive purposes.

  • The town of Kardamyla

    Buy2Greece.com

    Kardamyla is the third largest populated area on Chios (after the City of Chios and Vrontados). The name of the settlement has survived from antiquity, though the present form of it is more recent. It has a port, Marmaro, built at the head of the large natural harbor. The majority of the population is engaged in seafaring. In recent years, schools and public buildings have been built with donations given by the local ship owners to their birthplace, but the widespread urban renewal means that almost nothing of the old traditional houses has survived. The remains of a medieval defence-work can be seen on the Gria hill. The remains of a Hellenistic wall show that the site was defended in antiquity. Five kilometers from Kardamyla to the north is the beach of Nagos and next to that, the beach of Giossonas.

  • Obama: “Greece and the U.S. stand side by side as partners and allies”

    Buy2Greece.com

    ANA-MPA — “For one day, we are all Greeks,” U.S. President Barack Obama told an event held at the White House on Friday to commemorate the Greek Independence Day of March 25, 1821, also stressing that “Greece and the United States stand side by side as partners and allies.”

     President Obama emphasized the profound impact Greek-Americans had in the American nation, and referred specifically to the Greek communities of Tarpon Springs (Florida) and Chicago. He closed his brief address by exclaiming in Greek “Long live Greece!”

     Opening the event, Vice President Joe Biden, who had called Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras the day before the celebration “to congratulate Greece,” said that he welcomed Greece’s continued economic progress as the government carries out its reforms, and pledged enduring U.S. support for returning Greece to economic growth and prosperity. VP Biden also expressed his support for the reopening of the Theological School of Halki

     Archbishop Demetrios of America thanked President Obama for the hospitality and great honour to the Orthodox Greek-American community, and spoke of the “common values” uniting Greeks and Americans.

     In the event, held for the 28th consecutive year, Greece was represented by Culture and Sports Minister Panos Panayiotopoulos, Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni and Greek Ambassador to Washington Christos Panayopoulos.

    A private meeting was held before the start of the event between President Obama, VP Biden and Archbishop Demetrios, in the White House’s Green Room.

  • Second home buyers are older, have more money and like warmer climates

    Buy2Greece.com

    Fannie Mae reports that second home buyers “tend to be older, have higher incomes, and put larger down payments on their second homes than primary residence buyers.”

    We hope you were holding on to something when you read those truly and deeply shocking revelations. There is little comfort in the fact that certain homebuyers are not getting any younger, or no less predictable.

    The information comes from Fannie Mae’s latest Housing Insights, which focuses on the second home buyer. “A typical second home buyer is 47 years old, comes from a two-earner household, and finances the purchase of the home 61% of the time,” the report states.

    In another revelation, the report states that the secondary home market grew significantly during the housing boom but that growth ceased following the housing bust.

    Readers of HousingWire will already know that vacation home sales were up nearly 30% in 2013. To bad you can’t count on second-time homebuyers to do anything but predictably buy a second home.

    The report holds other information like the fact that second home buyers still tend to buy in warmer climates.

    Yes, we knew that, and the states they pick also never seem to change.

    “Since January 1998, 34% of all second home mortgages originated on properties located in Florida, California and Arizona,” Fannie’s report states.

    And even though those states experienced home price volatility, with home prices decreases of 40% or higher in each state from 2006-2012, it hasn’t dampened buyers’ interest in those states.

    C’mon, there is a condo in Alaska with your name on it. Any takers?

    With second home buyers typically being wealthier, they are more prone to buy in cash. “The recovery in financial markets has allowed many second home buyers, who are typically older and more likely to own financial assets, to sell some of their assets to buy second homes or use dividend payments from these assets to cover second home mortgage expenses,” Fannie report states.

    The report also predicts that an aging population could lead to an increase in second home sales in the future. “As the population continues to age, we expect people to continue to use their savings to buy second homes, thereby contributing to a segment of the mortgage market that will continue to grow in the years to come,” the report says.

    Now as long as your jaw is still attached to your head, get busy getting older so you can buy that second home you’ve always wanted.

    Florida is waiting! And don’t worry, it won’t change.

  • The A c r o p o l i s museum

    acropolis222

  • city of Athens

    http://www.cityofathens.gr/en/

  • This Is The Most Beautiful Beach In Greece, Which Means It’s The Prettiest Beach In The World

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/14/navagio-most-beautiful-beach-greece_n_4936056.html?utm_hp_ref=travel

  • phocuswrighteurope

    An Unmatched Speaker Roster

    PhoCusWright Europe assembles the industry’s best, biggest and brightest to share their perspectives on the current groundswell of consumer expectations, and present their vision for what lies ahead … and how to prepare for it.

     

    http://www.phocuswrighteurope.com/speakers-presenters/