Category: Buy2Greece

CIT Group Inc., a global leader in transportation finance has placed a firm order for five more A321ceo aircraft, in effect doubling its most recent commitment for five A321ceo’s signed at the 2014 Farnborough International Airshow and firmed up in November 2014.

This latest agreement brings CIT’s total order for the A320 Family to 205 aircraft, comprising 155 CEO and 50 NEO aircraft.

“We continue to see strong demand for the A320 Family CEO and NEO models from operators looking to grow their business,” said Jeff Knittel, President of CIT Transportation & International Finance. “The larger A321 in particular is becoming an increasing sought after model, as steady passenger growth encourages airlines to deploy larger fuel-efficient aircraft.”

“When leading lessor, CIT, continues to place incremental orders for the A321, we take that as a clear confirmation of the trend for larger aircraft and the high value the market places on this largest member of our popular, fuel-efficient A320 Family,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “The A320 Family is a solid investment for lessors as it is recognised worldwide as the number one, best-selling single-aisle aircraft family and the preferred choice with airlines in all segments thanks to its unbeatable economics, high operational reliability and best-in-class passenger comfort.”

While passengers benefit from the A321’s state-of-the-art cabin design, wider seats and superior comfort, airlines profit from the unique operational flexibility of Airbus’ single-aisle aircraft. The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling single aisle product line with over 11,500 orders to date and over 6,400 aircraft delivered to 400 customers and operators worldwide. Thanks to its wider cabin, all members of the A320 Family offer the industry’s best level of comfort in all classes and Airbus’ 18” wide seats in economy as standard.

Source:- Airbus Group

Travelling around the world for business is probably the least dull affair for a corporate traveller. Be it in London, Madrid, Florence, Berlin or Fiji, the hospitality industry around the world is ready with top-notch amenities to woo their guests travelling for business. From private pianos to a secluded trip to an island, a number of luxury properties around the world are offering over-the-top amenities to their guests.

5 Over-the-top Hotel Amenities

• Private Pianist
Where: The Goring, London
Located near Buckingham Palace in London, The Goring is perhaps best known as the luxury hotel where Kate Middleton spent her last night as a commoner before the royal wedding. Guests who would also like a taste of royal life can book the Royal Suite. Here, at no extra charge, the hotel can arrange for a private pianist to serenade guests on the suite’s bespoke grand piano. Guests can also enjoy personalized stationery, bathrobes, and slippers in addition to hand-made chocolates.

• Temporary Closet
Where: Hotel de Rome, Berlin
Forget your little black dress? No problem. The Hotel de Rome offers Schumacher designer dresses at no extra charge, whether guests are looking to wear a cocktail dress or an evening gown. The Schumacher shop is located just a few minutes from the hotel, which can organize a private shopping trip there.

• Private Island Getaway
Where: Laucala Island, Fiji
Booking a vacation to a private island resort in Fiji would feel like getting away from it all for most people, but guests staying at Laucala Island can take privacy even further. The hotel arranges excursions to Tadra Beach (meaning “dream beach” in Fijian), which can only be reached via boat, catamaran, or Jet Ski. Tadra Beach is available to just one couple at a time. The excursion is complimentary for guests celebrating an anniversary or honeymoon, and a spa treatment can be arranged there, for a fee.

• Monogrammed Bathrobes
Where: Hotel Ritz Madrid, Spain
Sometimes the simplest things can seem the most luxurious — especially after a gruelling transatlantic flight. At Madrid’s Hotel Ritz, staff places personalized monogrammed robes in the room before your arrival. Wrapped in red ribbon with single rosebuds, these are no ordinary bathrobes; they’re probably the most opulent and plush ones that you ever used.

• The ultimate bubble bath
Where: Il Salviatino, Florence, Italy
After a surfeit of meetings, few things are more relaxing than a bubble bath. One of Il Salviatino’s discreet service ambassadors can pour a prosecco, spumante or Champagne bubble bath. Not only do the hotel guests bathe in bubbles, they can sip on them as well as a reward for closing an important business deal.

These days, hotel amenities—especially at resorts—are often way over the top, as properties come up with increasingly amazing ways to pamper and spoil guests. The above list outlines the five plushest amenities offered in some elite properties of Europe!

Top 10 Countries for Chinese Buyers & 2014 Price Performance (SOURCE: Juwai.com activity statistics, Juwai Global Property Report):

UnitedStates, + 3.85%
United Kingdom, + 7.33%
Australia, + 5.25%
Canada, +3.47%
Spain, – 1.96%
New Zealand, + 4.6%
United ArabEmirates, – 1.14%
South Africa, + 1.95%
Italy and France are also in top 10, but the latest price data is not available.

ABTA – The Travel Association estimates 1.8 million British holidaymakers are set to head overseas over the Easter Bank holiday weekend of 3 April – 6 April making it a particularly busy Easter for overseas departures. Spain is the UK’s favourite foreign holiday destination over the weekend, with the Canary and Balearic Islands the most popular areas. Due to Easter falling quite early this year skiers are also heading off to catch the last of the season’s snow with Switzerland doing particularly well.

Daytime temperatures this weekend are set to reach 23C in Malaga, 30C in the Red Sea resorts in Egypt, and 25C in Turkey. Temperatures in Florida, the most popular long haul destination with its wealth of great beaches and amusement parks are set to hit 26C. The Mexico resorts of the Caribbean coast have also sold well.

Foreign city breaks are popular at this time of the year with the weather being comfortable and the streets less crowded. Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Rome, Barcelona and New York are among the top choices. Due to the time in the season, holidaymakers are heading high up to resorts such as Zermatt in Switzerland, Val d’Isere and Tignes in France, Obergurgl in Austria and Cervinia in Italy.

Bookings for UK breaks are also healthy with many customers travelling to traditional sea side resorts, national parks and holiday camps.

Airports are reporting strong numbers: 393,000 will leave from Heathrow, 250,000 from Gatwick, 153,000 from Stansted, 70,000 from Luton.

From the North and the Midlands, 125,000 will leave from Manchester, 51,000 from Birmingham and South West and 23,000 from East Midlands with 37,000 from Bristol airport. Well over 100,000 will be leaving via the Scottish airports with 64,000 departing from Edinburgh alone.

Other regional airports, ferry terminals and the channel tunnel will also be extremely busy over the weekend and Eurostar is reporting that 85,000 will be departing the UK.

Mark Tanzer ABTA Chief Executive said: “Easter is the travel industry’s traditional curtain raiser to the summer and hundreds of thousands of UK holidaymakers will be heading overseas to enjoy some early sun or late snow. Holidaymakers are flocking to the Eurozone to take advantage of the cheaper Euro. While UK breaks have also proved popular with low fuel prices boosting travel around the country.”

Katy Ellis, Sales & Operations Manager, Ski Club of Great Britain said: “The Easter weekend continues to be a popular choice for many Ski Club members looking to make the most of the Bank Holiday and get four days on snow with no time off work. Easter falls at a good time this year in early April when all the resorts are still open, snow conditions are generally still good and temperatures are warm enough to dine alfresco and top up the tan!”

Source:- ABTA

On Sunday British Airways informed that thousands of its frequent flyer accounts had been hacked and that it had frozen those affected to sort out the problem.

It also informed that no personal information had been viewed or stolen, however warned customers that some fliers might not be able to use their air miles temporarily. It expected the system to be back to normal in the next day or so.

According to spokeswoman Michele Kropf, British Airways is not aware of any access to any personal information within Executive Club accounts, including travel histories or credit card details. Customers were emailed details on how to reactive their accounts.

The breach apparently was the result of a third party using information obtained elsewhere on the Internet, via an automated process, to try to gain access to accounts. It follows problems for hotel companies Hilton and Starwood as well as United and American airlines.

Marriott has announced plans to create 20,000 career opportunities for young people by the year 2020.

The hotel group said the positions would be a range of placements, apprenticeships, training and development courses.

Working with charities such as the Prince’s Trust and SOS Children’s Villages it has provided almost 4,000 job opportunities to young people since 2012. It now plans to increase that number five fold by 2020.

The target will run alongside its stated aim of reaching 150,000 signed or opened bedrooms across Europe by 2020.

Amy McPherson, president and managing director of Marriott International Europe, said: “Hotels are a people business, and although technology and mobile connectivity have enhanced the industry, it will, at its heart, always remain a people business. It has been extraordinary to watch the progress and commitment of these young people rise up through the ranks of our company, and seeing them enjoy a huge sense of pride and ambition. It also makes a significant difference to the success of the company.”

SWISS has resolved to modify its already-extensive cockpit safety procedures as a precautionary measure. In the event of the absence of either of the two pilots at any time during the flight, a further crew member must be present in the cockpit with the remaining pilot. The new provision, which enters into effect immediately, has been adopted in the light of recent events and an advised safety recommendation from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is Switzerland’s national airline, serving 106 destinations in 49 countries from Zurich, Geneva and Basel and carrying over 16 million passengers a year with its 95-aircraft fleet. The company’s Swiss WorldCargo division provides a comprehensive range of airport-to-airport airfreight services for high-value and care-intensive consignments to some 120 destinations in over 80 countries.

As “The Airline of Switzerland”, SWISS embodies the country’s traditional values, and is committed to delivering the highest product and service quality. With its workforce of 8,245 personnel, SWISS generated total operating income of CHF 5.2 billion in 2014. SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group, and is also a member of Star Alliance, the world’s biggest airline network.

Source:- SWISS

5 tips to live in Athens
1) Greeks are not stressed…so live worries at home and enjoy
2) Renting a small apartment can be very cheep, but if you find an unfurnished apartment be sure that at least there will be a kitchen …eating souvlaki every night can make you became really fat!
3) Don’ t be afraid to use the underground; it is very new, clean and safe (even if taxi are quite cheep)
4) Athens is very big so try to find a house close to the center, or at least close to one metro station
5) Learn modern greek as soon as you can! In general greeks speak a quite good english but however if you know the language you can easily understand also the culture of a Country

On Wednesday 18 March, Corinthia Prague Hotel hosted another international educational seminar organized by Prague Convention Bureau entitled “Keeping Pace in MICE: From Knowledge to Skills”. The seminar was attended by more than 120 MICE professionals who heard presentations of seven renowned foreign and Czech speakers. The seminar, which is becoming an annual tradition, was held in Prague for the fourth time. This time it focused on Prague as a host city of the 56th ICCA Congress and the latest trends in the field of congress tourism.

The seminar was opened by prof. MUDr. Jana Hercogová, CSc., former president of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV), who had been awarded for her activities in the organization of international congresses and conferences, and is also one of the patrons of Prague Convention Bureau’s Ambassador Programme. In her presentation she focused primarily on the key factors that determine the selection of the host destination. Based on her long experience in organizing congresses she also defined the main conditions for successful events – most importantly an interesting topic and coordinated organizational team.

Miloš Milovanović from the company Gaining Edge spoke about growing importance of strategic partnerships in the congress industry in response to the changing needs and requirements of clients. Creating strategic alliances is one of the current trends in MICE which is crucial to a destination’s success in today’s highly competitive environment. He stressed, however, that the trend cannot be just blindly followed without knowing in advance what we want and how to achieve it. Successful cooperation that brings the desired results and helps to meet the specified objectives to all interested parties depends especially on the selection of suitable partners.

The former managing director of Prague Convention Bureau Lenka Žlebková presented the case study on Prague’s candidacy for the ICCA Congress in 2017. Prague submitted its candidacy for this congress twice, the second time successfully. She explained the reasons that resulted in Prague Convention Bureau’s decision to prepare a bid for this “Congress of Congresses” in cooperation with local entities and partners from among its members and public institutions, as well as the three pillars on which the presentation of Prague’s successful candidacy depended. She said Prague Convention Bureau’s main motivation was to raise the awareness about the importance of congress tourism and to increase visibility of Prague on the congress market. Prague’s bid was based on three pillars: inspiring topic, lots of networking and fun, and perfect infrastructure.

André Kaldenhoff, Executive Director of the Congress Center Leipzig, shared his experience with organizing the ICCA Congress in 2011. As in case of Prague, the increased visibility and stronger position of Leipzig on the congress map was the main motivation and benefit of the ICCA Congress candidacy and congress organizing. In addition to the benefits for the destination, he also mentioned challenges related to such commitment. The congress was attended by over 1000 delegates from around the world of different nationalities and religions. That resulted among other in the need to comply with many cultural and dietary requirements during the congress. Thorough preparation for an event of such size and significance is crucial for success of the congress.

Rob Davidson from MICE Knowledge, who also moderated the entire event, introduced the second part of the seminar focused on the latest trends in congress industry. He analysed the current economic situation with the growing importance of emerging destinations, especially the developing and Asian countries. In particular, he mentioned trends related to demographic changes and new technologies. He stressed out the growing influence of the generation Y. By 2025 the generation Y will represent 75 % of the world’s workforce, therefore it is necessary to adjust the destination strategies to fit the requirements, expectations, values and interests of this generation in the future.

Pierre Fernandez, Senior Director of European Operations at Meeting Professionals International, introduced results of the latest MPI research on the congress industry and its further development. The results indicated that the industry can expect recovery and increase in inquiries. Analysing the trends in event type revealed a significant growth of educational events presumably due to the companies’ greater investments into the human resources development. By his research he also supported the trends presented by Rob Davidson, especially the trend of using new technologies in event industry. In relation to the technological development he declared that despite the increase of number of hybrid meetings, the live meetings are not at risk of losing the attendees that are willing to travel to the congresses and conferences in person.

The seminar was concluded by presentation of Petr Bříza, a longtime ice hockey professional and the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Prague World Cup 2015. The topic of his presentation was Prague as a venue of large sports events and the specifics of their organization. Sports events are very popular and as well as large congress events they attract thousands of participants to the destination. Petr Bříza used the example of upcoming Ice Hockey World Championship in Prague and Ostrava in May to demonstrate the specifics of sports events organization.

Partners of the seminar were Czech Convention Bureau, Prague City Tourism, Prague Airport, Corinthia Hotel Prague and Artlingua, technological partner was Computer System Group. Media partners included following publications: C.O.T. Media, Event & Promotion, The Prague Post and E15 daily. The seminar was held under the auspices of the Prague City Councillor for Culture, Monument Care, Exhibitions and Tourism Mr. Jan Wolf.

Individual Chinese citizens could soon be allowed to invest as much as $1 million to $2 million overseas without regulatory approval, according to a statement by a deputy governor of the country’s central bank over the weekend.

The relaxation on international capital flows for individuals would follow similar moves for companies that have helped spark a surge in overseas investment by Chinese corporations that reached a record $84.4 billion last year, according to the Heritage Foundation.

Should the central bank follow through with concrete measures within the coming months it could provide wealthy Chinese with greater access to alternative investments beyond those available in China’s still underdeveloped financial markets, and fuel a further surge in overseas real estate investment by individuals

Foreign Exchange Watchdog Speaks Out

The potential for loosening controls on outbound capital flows was announced informally in Beijing on Saturday by Yi Gang, a deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China.

Yi Gang SAFE
Is this Yi Gang’s way of signalling that the new limit will be $2 million?
When asked as part of a panel discussion at the China Development Forum whether China could allow individuals to send as much as $1 million to $2 million overseas, Yi replied that “I think that in the near future, we can consider an arrangement like that,” according to an account in Bloomberg.

Although the official’s remarks may appear casual, Chinese bureaucrats of Yi’s caliber seldom make substantive pronouncements of any magnitude without several levels of approval. Also, Yi’s position as Director of China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange, which is in addition to his role with the PBOC, makes him one of the country’s most qualified individuals for commenting on foreign exchange policy.

In November last year Shanghai’s party chief announced that qualified individuals would soon be allowed to invest overseas directly without prior approval through the city’s free trade zone. The expansion of this privilege to the citizenship as a whole would fit a pattern of China using the special economic area to trial new policies that have often been quickly expanded nationwide.

China Allowing More International Capital Flows

Although no concrete plan has been laid out by the government for removing the existing rules that restrict individuals to bringing the equivalent of $50,000 per year into or out of the country, such a plan would fit with recent trends in China’s management of its capital accounts.

While the country has traditionally kept tight controls on capital flows into and out of the country, it has gradually been loosening these measures, starting with corporate accounts.

In late 2012, China began allowing its insurance companies, and later other corporates, to transfer at least part of their funds overseas without approval from the Ministry of Commerce.

The result of the relaxation of restrictions on investment by the country’s insurers has fueled a surge in overseas asset acquisitions that has seen Chinese insurance companies aggressively acquiring hotels and other real estate assets in New York, London, Sydney, and other cities.

Then in 2014, another regulatory body – the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) raised the ceiling on investments that would require its approval to $1 billion. Prior to that move, transactions for resource related investments of more than $300 million, or of more than $100 million in other industries, would have required NDRC approval.

By allowing corporations to more freely invest overseas, overseas investment in real estate by Chinese companies increased by 46 percent to a record $16.5 billion in 2014, according to JLL.

Creating More Investment Options for Wealthy Individuals

China began giving its private citizens greater access to overseas investments in a limited form last year, when it established the Shanghai-Hong Kong stock connect, that allows mainland individuals to purchase shares on the Hong Kong exchange, and vice-versa. There are plans for a similar link from Hong Kong to the Shenzhen exchange for later this year.

While the exact nature of any new rules will have to wade its way through China’s bureaucracy, the apparent decision to allow private individuals still greater access to international markets, seems to signal growing confidence in the stability of the nation’s capital markets.

By giving citizens the right to invest globally, China will also most likely remove some demand from its housing market, which had previously been seen as one of the most promising investment alternatives compared to the country’s casino-esque stock market or its close-to-zero-interest bank deposits.
2015/03/23 BY MICHAEL COLE