Category: Buy2Greece

London ranks as Europe’s leading destination for technology and financial services, and is the best city in which to build a European operation according to a post-Brexit survey of over two hundred senior US tech executives. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced the findings in New York during his international trade mission to North America, aimed at strengthening business ties between London and the US following the EU referendum vote.

The findings of the poll commissioned by London & Partners, the Mayor of London’s promotional company, reveals that more of the tech execs surveyed rank London as Europe’s leading tech hub ahead of other cities such as Berlin, Paris and Dublin. Fifty seven per cent also view London as Europe’s leading financial services centre ahead of Frankfurt, Zurich and Amsterdam.

Further analysis of the survey, which was conducted in August after the EU referendum vote, shows that London is seen as the number one destination for US tech executives looking to establish a European operation. The American tech leaders cited London’s superior access to finance, rich talent pool and ease of doing business, in terms of favourable time zones and lack of language barriers.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan addressed the leading figures from New York and London’s tech and business communities at an event hosted at WeWork’s HQ in New York City. He will call for greater collaboration between London and US tech hubs such as New York, and declare that London remains open for US businesses.

This year, Boeing has estimated a demand of an overwhelming 39, 620 airplanes over the following 20 years marking a 4.1 percent increase over the forecast of last year.

On the very first day of Farnborough International Airshow 2016, Boeing released its Current Market Outlook. Here, the company predicted that the total valuation of the brand new airplanes would be about $5.9 trillion.

Randy Tinseth, vice president, marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes has declared that the aviation industry would witness long-term growth that would lead to doubling of the commercial fleet although the financial markets have been hit of late.

He also said that he was expecting the air passenger traffic to expand by at least 4.8 percent over the next twenty years. The emerging markets triggering growth and reasonably priced aircraft carriers are believed to be the crucial factors that drive the growth of the aviation sector.

As many as 28, 140 new airplanes would be required in order to make this prediction come true. This would mark an increase in the number of airplanes to over 5 percent over the last year.

9,100 airplanes would be required immediately, with a large number of planes that would be sent for replacement in the period between 2021 and 2028.

Boeing has decided to replace the huge airplanes with medium and small-sized ones including the 777x, 777 and 787.

Cargo traffic is expected to grow by 4.2 percent every year. This is one of the main reasons why Boeing Airlines would require 1, 440 converted freighters and 930 new freighters.

This CSR, World Summit 2016 in conjunction with the BMAM EXPO Asia 2016 will be a real CSR summit for those who really want to practice CSR in their corporation, community and society at large.  The theme will be on green buildings, soft laws and professionals There will be no invited sponsors such as those transnational corporation who exploiting developing countries, those face-lifting NGOs who fakely love the environment.  There will be no registration fee so that this will be an event for all.  Participants and speakers need to send an application form to us so that an invitation letter will be sent to them directly.

 

http://www.thaiappraisal.org/csr/index.php

New research out today highlights six key risks heading into 2017 that could impact both travel industry prices and the global economy as a whole. They are emerging market performance, financial market turbulence, geopolitical risks, uncertainty surrounding Brexit, potentially fluctuating U.S. interest rates and oil prices.

 

“While business travel repeatedly demonstrates its resilience, the high level of global uncertainty we face heading into 2017 means travel buyers have to be more nimble and flexible than ever in crafting travel programs,” said Jeanne Liu, GBTA Foundation vice president for research. “The outlook shows only marginal increases or flat travel prices, but for 2017, the key to building successful travel programs will be watching and reacting to an ever-changing global landscape.”

 

These findings come from the 2017 Global Travel Price Outlook, research from the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), and leading travel management company Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT). The third annual report provides global, regional and country-by-country projections for air travel, hotel, ground transportation and meetings and events prices in 2017.

 

 

Kurt Ekert, President and Chief Executive Officer of CWT, said, “We are seeing relatively low, inconsistent and in some cases fragile economic growth.  Travelers and travel managers need to understand their travel patterns and spend, and be alert to the impact of economic uncertainty and volatility.  Proper planning will put them in position to make changes when necessary, and to avoid downside financial risk.”

 

Air
Airline prices are projected to increase only slightly (2.5 percent) in 2017, while fares may actually fall below 2015 levels in some markets due to continued low oil prices. Ancillary fees will have an increasing impact: they grew to 7.8 percent of global airline revenue in 2015, up from 6.7 percent in 2014 and that trend is set to continue.

 

• Asia Pacific, while projected to experience a 1.1 percent decrease in prices, is expected to remain mostly stable throughout 2017, helped by lower fuel prices. Japan and Singapore however, are expected to see a significant impact on airfare pricing given currency exchange rate projections.
• EMEA is a mixed bag.  It is anticipated that Eastern Europe will see a 4 percent increase in prices due in part to [limited competition prices in Western Europe prices are expected to increase by 0.5 percent and in Middle East and Africa by 2 percent.
• Latin American and the Caribbean are expected to experience a 1.9 percent decrease in prices.
• In North America fares are projected to increase 3.7 percent.  Carriers are expected to reinvest some of the profits enabled by low fuel prices to purchase new aircraft and improve their product.

 

Hotel
Mega hotel mergers are grabbing headlines, but their impact on prices likely won’t be felt until 2018. Hotel services such as room service, laundry and security remain important to corporate travelers. Traditional hotels, therefore, remain an attractive option for business travelers, despite the sharing economy options.

 

• Asia Pacific is expected to see hotel prices fall slightly, by 0.6 percent.
• EMEA again varies by region as geopolitical issues impact on hotel rates. Also, low oil and gas prices have decreased corporate travel for [the sector, primarily in the Middle East, Africa and Russia. It is anticipated that Eastern Europe prices will fall 2.4 percent, Western Europe prices will increase 1.8 percent, and Middle East and Africa rates will fall slightly, by 0.5 percent.
• Prices in Latin America and the Caribbean are projected to decrease by 0.9 percent.
• Overall, North American hotel prices are expected to rise by 4.0 percent in 2017, but it will be a tale of two coasts. West Coast cities, including Seattle, Los Angeles, San Jose and Vancouver, will experience high single- to double-digit growth because of the high-tech boom and a shortage of hotel rooms. Meanwhile, East Coast cities including New York City and Toronto, as well as Canada’s oil and gas region, will face low growth or even a reduction because of an over-supply of hotel rooms.

Ground
An intensely competitive climate will dictate continued flat pricing for the global ground transportation sector.

 

• Asia Pacific prices are expected to increase slightly, by 0.8 percent.
• EMEA is projected to remain flat across the board, with a very slight 0.1 percent decrease expected in Western Europe.
• LATAM prices will edge forward by 0.5 percent.
• Prices in North America are expected to remain flat in 2017.

 

Meetings & Events
Modest increases in cost per attendee, per day, for meetings and events are expected for Asia Pacific and North America. Europe is expected to remain flat and Latin America will see a decrease of 10 percent. Group sizes will increase marginally in the 3-6 percent range for Asia Pacific, Europe and North America, while remaining flat in Latin America.

The British citizens’ vote to exit the European Union is threatening the inexpensive air transportation in Europe, from and to United Kingdom after 20 years of enjoying the advantages of the free market, reports CNN Money

The low-cost companies are to be strongly affected by Brexit. Because of the leaving proceedings from the European Union, the United Kingdom finds itself unable to join the Open Skies agreement and therefore in need to negotiate the access to the single aviation market. The price that Britain could be forced to pay might be to accept the supremacy of EU regulations and possible air free movement of workers.
“We have written today to the U.K. government and the European Commission to ask them to prioritize the U.K. remaining part of the single EU aviation market,” EasyJet CEO Carolyn McCall said Friday.
EasyJet Chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall declared the company remained “confident” in the strength of its business model after Britain voted to leave the EU. Still, the same Dame Carolyn urged the European Commission to prioritize British airlines remaining part of the EU aviation area “given its importance to trade and consumers”.
In a statement on Monday, EasyJet stated that the operating environment in May and June for European airlines had been “extremely challenging”.
Low-cost companies’ shares have fallen sharply, some by more than 20% after the voters have chosen the Brexit. Furthermore, Europe should allow British operators access to the single market, but it is likely that the Europeans will obtain a higher cost. Meanwhile, competing companies such as Lufthansa and Air France could take the opportunity to restrict the powerful operators such as EasyJet, in the European area.

Source:- European

Two deadly explosions at Istanbul’s Ataturk international airport killed 36 and injured more than 140 people. According to one senior Turkish official, the death toll might rise to 50.

Three terrorists armed with bombs and guns ran open fire near an entry point to the terminal. Security guards exchanged gunfire with two suspects carrying AK-47 rifles and both attackers detonated suicide bombs as they reached the first security checkpoint at the Ataturk airport. The third assailant detonated his explosives in the airport’s parking lot.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that early signs suggested the so-called Islamic State was behind the attack. And the recent bombings looked like a major co-ordinated assault which, could either be linked to IS or to Kurdish separatists.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded by urging Western countries to take a firm stance against terrorism.

The bombings created deadly carnage and the crowds were panic stricken.

Ataturk airport has been a vulnerable target for long. The X-ray scanners at the entrance to the terminal are there but the security checks for cars are limited.

Images from the terminal showed bodies covered in sheets, with glass and abandoned luggage littering the building.

Relatives of those missing gathered outside a local hospital where many victims were taken. Lack of information created anger and panic amongst many.

Flights were suspended after the attack, and with the US Federal Aviation Administration grounding all services between the US and Istanbul. The airport was closed overnight for several hours, and flights into the airport had been diverted to the capital of Ankara and other cities. Limited flights have now resumed at the airport.

Taxis and ambulances were used to rush casualties to hospital.

While no terrorist groups have claimed responsibility for the massacre, Turkish security forces believe Isis was behind the attacks.

David Cameron has announced his resignation as Prime Minister following the UK’s vote to leave the EU. Britain voted for Brexit by 52% to 48%. Following the result, value of pound reached the lowest level since 1985.

With the advent of the peak travel season where thousands of tourists have planned to enjoy a vacation in Europe, is facing the dilemma about the probable effects of the ‘leave vote’. They are yet to discover the immediate changed prices in the commodities and tickets which in future will lead to further hikes.

The immediate query that is hitting the blocks is whether the holidays will cost more. The answer lies in what the value will be settled at before the referendum. According to the Treasury, the predicted sterling would lose 12-15 per cent of its value on a Leave vote. But in longer terms, the two major key rates are against the euro and the dollar.

The €:£ rate is fulcrum to all international companies including the tour operators, businesses etc. Generally, travellers prefer to visit the foreign holidays which has single-currency area. Be it Spanish Costas, Italian cities, French countryside or islands of Greece – they all have to maintain a decent €:£ rate.

According to the industry experts, the destinations in Asia and America like the US, Dubai and China will also see a proportional rise. In many cases, the currencies are locked to the US$.

How the pound price and $:£ rate is essential as it affects the oil price, aircraft costs etc. So, following a 12% fall in the sterling will push up the price of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel, as well as the cost of aircraft for airlines such as British Airways and easyJet.