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  • www.Buy2Greece.com – Travel & Tourism in 2015 will grow faster than the global economy

    Every year, WTTC forecasts the economic impact of the Travel & Tourism sector in 184 countries and 24 regions. For 2015, these forecasts show a sector that is again growing strongly, creating jobs and driving growth.

    In 2014, the industry contributed US$7,580 billion in GDP and 277 million jobs to the global economy.

    During 2015, the industry’s contribution to global GDP is forecast to grow by 3.7% and employment by 2.6%. This demonstrates the sector’s enduring ability to generate economic growth and create jobs at a faster rate than the global economy, which is due to grow by 2.9% in 2015.

    By the end of 2015, the Travel & Tourism sector will contribute US$7,860 billion, 10% of global GDP, once all direct, indirect and induced impacts are taken into account. The sector will account for 284 million jobs, 9.5% of total employment, or one in eleven of all jobs on the planet,

    WTTC forecasts that the United States and China will retain their rankings as the two biggest Travel & Tourism economies in the world, but Germany has overtaken Japan to rank as the third largest Travel & Tourism economy. Russia is the only G20 country expected to register a decline in Travel & Tourism growth in 2015, due to the continuing sanctions being imposed and the devaluation of the rouble. South Asia is expected to experience the highest growth in 2015 at 6.9%, whilst Europe and Latin America are the regions with the lowest forecast growth of 2.4%.

    David Scowsill, President & CEO WTTC, said: “At a time of global economic challenges, Travel & Tourism continues to grow faster than the global economy, and is an enduring source of job creation and a driver of growth for every region in the world.”

    “Our annual research demonstrates that the sector has recorded strong economic growth in 19 out of the last 20 years, providing much-needed economic stability at a time of global economic volatility.

    “Governments looking for a sector which can create jobs and drive economic growth should focus on Travel & Tourism. This industry requires the right regulatory environment in which to flourish, along with progressive policies on visa access, taxation, human resources planning, and sustainability.”
    Long-term forecasts for Travel & Tourism show continued annual growth at 3.8% over the next ten years to $11.4 trillion. By 2025, the global Travel & Tourism sector is expected to contribute 357 million jobs, some 73 million more jobs than this year.

    Scowsill concluded: “The long-term prospects for our sector are very encouraging. Travel & Tourism will continue to grow faster than the global economy and most other major industries.”

  • Buy2Greece-Online Booking

    According to a HomeAway Survey of 1,441 travelers in August 2013, 92% of travelers expect online bookability.

    HomeAway CEO Brian Sharples recently announced at Phocuswright that all listings on their network of sites will be online bookable by 2016. In case you are one of the professionals that has listings with empty calendar slots and opaque pricing information, you still have time to update your practices before your listings are penalized.

    If you do not distribute on HomeAway, you still need to adapt to guest expectations given that over 90% of guests expect online booking features. There are many competitor retail listing sites as well, of course, and all managers should highly prioritize retail distribution of their listings. Alternative distribution methods are emerging as well, and loose distribution partnerships amongst vacation rental managers led by management companies such as Discovery Holiday Homes, whose principal has laid out the perils of competing with the distribution giants in search engine marketing (SEM) with its open letter to Google, “A Cry From the Search Wilderness!” and come up with various solutions to succeed in spite of the size and budget disparities between managers and OTAs/vacation rental marketplaces.

    It all comes back to consumer expectations, however, and if you are not enabling easy, online booking, you are not meeting expectations of the modern consumer.

  • Buy2Greece.com – Global Promotion Group

    – Real Estate Expo
    Date: 2,3 April 2015
    Venue: Yekaterinburg –Expo international exhibition center (IEC)
    (Please find the detailed proposal in the presentation attached)

    – Domexpo
    Date: 3-5 April 2015
    Venue: Gostiny Dvor
    (Please find the detailed proposal in the presentation attached)

    – Vacaton Property Sales & Rent X
    Date: 8,9 May 2015
    Venue: Moscow City Golf Club
    (Please find the detailed proposal in the presentation attached)

    – Expo IRE ROMA
    Date: 14-16 May 2015
    Venue: Moscow City Golf Club
    (Please find the detailed proposal in the presentation attached)

    – Property Worldwide
    Date: 15-16 May 2015
    Venue: Moscow World Trade Center
    (Please find the detailed proposal in the presentation attached)

    Best regards,
    Office: + 7 495 99147 17
    Mobile: +7 916 182 69 34
    http://www.globalpg.ru

  • Buy2Greece.com – ICT Spring Europe

    An exciting array of fantastic opportunities :

    – 4000 key decision makers in IT, finance, banking, web and marketing, investors, entrepreneurs, start ups etc. in one room

    – Attendees from over 70 countries – the e-world gathers, come and join the conversation!

    – An exclusive program of seminars and presentations delivered by some of the world’s biggest names in technology

    – An exciting program of entertainment including the unmissable Gala Dinner and unforgettable evening party

    – The globe’s most disruptive and fastest growing start ups in attendance

    – The opportunity to build strong relationships and partnerships with visionary decision makers and investors will arise

    – The chance to view the latest and greatest technological advances and IT innovations in an exclusive exhibition

    Who visit ?
    ICT Spring gathers more than 4000 professionnals from all over the world !
    Marketing Managers, Community Managers, CEOs, CIOs,CFOs, VCs, investors, entrepreneurs, startups, tech decision-makers in IT, finance, banking, economic and technology press, government, cities, etc.

    who-visit

  • Buy2Greece.com – Chinese VIP immigration: Overseas Real Estate Investment and International Education.

    www.vnuexhibitions.com.cn/

  • Buy2Greece.com – Implementing solutions to control mass tourism, a challenge for European cities

    Worldwide tourism exponential growth (+276% international travellers in 30 years) leads European cities to face an increasing number of visitors and crowded spots, thus disturbing the tourism model and its public perception. During last European Cities Marketing meeting in Gijón this month, European cities discussed how to regulate visitors’ flows without destroying what made a city attractive at first: its uniqueness!

    Keynote speaker, Stephen Hodes, co-founder and partner at LAgroup, particularly captured the audience attention regarding development of worldwide tourism and set the context. From 1980 to 2010, the number of international travellers worldwide has grown from 250 to 940 million and by 2030 this figure will double. While managing the growth of crowded touristic cities, several possible solutions were suggested throughout the day: quotas, creation of new attractions to spatial dispersal, temporal dispersal, limitation in hotel growth, pricing and ticketing of former free attractions… In order to face this challenge, Amsterdam came up with its new campaign to give tourists reasons to go out of the city, highlighting 16 characters to improve the product. And to market Amsterdam abroad, a layer of 6 themes was introduced.

    Positive perception of cities is what brings results, Gijón Ambassadors programme showcased by Carolina García, Convention Bureau Coordinator at Gijón Visitors & Convention Bureau, is a good example. The “Inhabitants as ambassadors” programme consists in celebrities born in Gijón singing praises of their hometown. Several surveys show that the credibility and welcoming nature of Gijón citizens is what people appreciated the most during their stay. ECM members experienced this convivial nature during their stay in Gijón thanks to Gijón Visitors & Convention Bureau’s hospitality.

    Five member cities: Aarhus, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bruges and Dubrovnik outlined their different experiences in terms of managing visitors flows in conjunction with their sizes, their environments, etc during the afternoon dedicated to best practices sessions.

    Speaking about the meeting theme, Ignasi de Delàs, European Cities Meeting President, said: “Exchanges between members are at the heart of European Cities Marketing and this meeting was no exception with presentations and case studies on how cities handle visitors’ flows. It’s obvious that cities need tools to regulate tourism impact and avoid coexistence problems”

    The next ECM meeting will take place in Turin, June 3-6, 2015 and the theme will be “Creating the city – how events and infrastructure projects can change the image”.
    Source: European Cities Marketing

  • Buy2Greece.com – 10 Practical Tips To Comfortably Travel The World In Style

    LIFESTYLE BY IVAN DIMITRIJEVIC
    Everyone enjoys a bit of traveling now and then – it’s good for the soul they say. For me personally it is about leaving my “normal life” behind and focusing on exploring and rediscovering myself, as much as it is about learning about different cultures and history, meeting new and interesting people, trying out great food and partying. I am sure that a lot of people out there want a bit more than to just snap a few pictures and prance around in cargo pants, following a tour guide all day long.

    We want to get as close to the movie star travel experience while staying within our means – we want to travel in style and be as comfortable as possible. If this sounds like something you could get on board with, then keep on reading, as you are in for a treat.

    1. Go online to find the best accommodations in your price range
    Hotel Sign

    Most people have had experience with both bad and good hotels, and are aware of the fact that looking for a bit of luxury can get quite expensive. While the 17-25 year old crowd can make the most of a backpacking holiday, and spend their nights in dirt cheap hostels, more mature travelers will be looking for a nice comfortable place that makes them feel like a stylish globetrotter.

    You can make good use of modern technology and find excellent short-term rentals, which provide you with a good deal of luxury at reasonable rates. Websites like WorldEscape.com should be your go to source when planning an exciting holiday and wanting more than just your basic tourist experience.

    2. Prioritize your needs and pack your bags efficiently
    The most important questions to ask yourself are:

    Why you are traveling: business or pleasure?
    What will you be doing?
    What will you need to make the most out of the experience?
    Once you answer these questions you can start packing the right clothes and various other items that you will need. It is always a good idea to have a small first aid kit handy, clothes options for different weather, casual and fancy dress options. You can focus on mixing and matching a few items to create several unique outfits, so you can have plenty of options with a limited wardrobe. Rolling up your clothes, packing socks into shoes and leaving out non-essential items will help you utilize the available luggage space more efficiently.

    3. Bring along gadgets that will make the journey more fun
    Travel gadgets

    What you need will depend on the nature of your travels and your personality. For example, businessmen need plenty of electronics, while someone who is more of an outdoors type in search of adventure will be better served packing a GPS, a strong flashlight and a capable multitool, than a portable keyboard. There are some items, however, that will benefit everyone. You’ll need something to keep yourself entertained during the flight or ride to your destination, so an e-book reader or an mp3 player and good headphones are a smart choice. You want to make sure that your trip is as smooth and comfortable as possible – traveling in style is all about the little details.

    4. Choose simple clothes that are elegant and comfortable
    First of all, a stylish traveler wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a cliché tourist outfit – cargo pants, shorts, brightly-colored shirts, baseball hats and fanny packs are out of the question. However, a three piece suit or a complex outfit, tons of accessories and high heels, are not going to be very comfortable on a long flight, and will make you spend a lot of time going past the metal detector. What you are looking for is something along the lines of business casual or some simple clothes that you might wear when getting some coffee with friends on a lazy Saturday.

    5. Girl tip – Pack a small hygiene/make up kit in your carry-on
    Travel makeup kit

    How do those classy ladies manage to stay fresh and look stunning after long exhausting trips where you get all sore and don’t get nearly enough sleep? Well, they come prepared. You’ll need a few basic hygiene items like wet wipes, a small antiperspirant stick, breath mints, nail file and a brush. To ensure that you look as gorgeous as ever, be sure to also pack a mini makeup kit that includes a small amount of moisturizing cream, liquid foundation, concealer, mascara, and a small eye shadow kit.

    6. Guy tip – Get shaving soap in a bar
    Since you can’t bring a whole lot of liquid onboard, it pays to find good alternatives. A bar of shaving soap goes a long way, and the whole experience of using a brush and an old school safety razor makes you feel like more of a refined gentleman. You can take advantage of all the extra liquid you will be allowed by packing a nice after shave balm, blackhead cream and moisturizer.

    7. Have a few emergency items and spare clothes in your carry-on
    Packing carry on luggage

    There is always a risk of your luggage getting misplaced, or you may not have the energy to dig through your tightly packed bag upon arriving to your room in order to find something to wear to the restaurant you’ll be going to in a couple of hours. This is why you should have some extra clothes ready to go in your carry on. Accidents can also happen on the plane, and it’s good to have a clean shirt at hand. A few essential items like a flashlight, multitool, lighter and a small first-aid kit are enough to help you handle smaller emergencies.

    8. Buy some accessories and clothing items at local stores when you land
    You’ll be able to travel more comfortably if you pack somewhat light and get some cool new accessories at local stores. More importantly, you want to fit in with the locals as best as you can, so that you don’t seem out of place. Go on a shopping spree on your first day there and try to find out what the local fashion is like, then get some great little items that you can combine with the clothes that you’ve brought with you. You’ll avoid looking like a wide-eyed tourist and pull of a cultured look that everyone you encounter will appreciate.

    9. Research the best cafés, restaurants and clubs before you even set foot on the plane
    Google maps

    There is precious little time to delve deep into the local culture, visit all the historical sites and experience some great winning and dining. As soon as you have made the reservations, go online, open Google maps and get to know the lay of the land. Websites like Yelp.com provide plenty of useful information on the local restaurants, bars and cafes, so you can make a list of places to visit and mark the most efficient routes from your accommodations to different areas in the city.

    You can take screenshots of the maps and save them to your phone, so that you can access the information even if there is no Wi-Fi around, and you definitely want to avoid data roaming. Plus, pulling out your phone to have a quick look is inconspicuous, while leering over a big old map makes you seem like a pesky tourist to the locals, and an easy target to the criminal element.

    10. Learn to speak the local language and behave according to the accepted etiquette
    One of the best ways to ensure that you have a pleasant stay and that you are welcomed with open hands by the locals, is to learn as much of the language as you can. Focus on the most common phrases, slang words, proper pronunciation and the basic grammar rules – no one cares much about finding the post office or using stilted formal phrases. Oh, and find out as much as you can about proper etiquette, starting from how close locals stand to each other without perceiving a breach of personal space and how they greet each other, all the way to table manners, how to behave when coming into someone’s home and social norms related to dating and partying.

    Knowing enough about a particular culture can help save you a lot of trouble – e.g. you don’t ever want to try to outdrink a Russian and people in the south of Italy can get really touchy feely and in your face, and use a lot of hand gestures as they talk to you. Also, be sure to gain some understanding of the basic body language cues and hand gestures, so you avoid accidentally offending someone.

    There are different ways you can travel, but if you don’t want to be seen as just another annoying goofy tourist, you’ll do well to follow these tips. With a little work you will be able to spend your vacation in great comfort, look cultured and elegant, and exude confidence.

    Featured photo credit: Nick Harris via flickr.com

  • Buy2Greece – Super funds eye overseas property Super funds eye overseas property

    
    Super funds eye overseas property
    Wednesday, 18 February 2015 | Stefanie Garber

    As the ‘unpleasant experiences’ of the GFC begin to fade, superannuation funds are once again looking to dip their toes into international property, says LaSalle Investment Management.

    Speaking in Sydney yesterday, LaSalle’s Asia Pacific head of strategic partnerships Ian Mackie said a number of Australian pension funds have been considering entering international property markets in recent years.

    “We see, in our travels around Australia, that there is significantly increasing interest from Australian superannuation funds to get offshore but they are very cautious,” he said.

    He suggested this wariness stemmed from “unpleasant experiences” with international property markets during the GFC but interest was once again rising.

    Speaking at the same event, organised by LaSalle, head of research and strategy Paul Guest said Australian pension funds were facing tight conditions domestically.

    “When you have an environment with growing pension fund allocations and a relatively small domestic market, or at least a closely held domestic market, you have two routes to follow,” he said.

    He suggested super funds could choose to invest in Australian assets, following the example of Taiwan and South Africa, where “where you just keep buying domestically and bid down the yields until they are at two per cent”.

    Alternatively, the funds could consider overseas markets, similar to the British and Dutch models, according to Mr Guest.

    “Australian superannuation funds are going to have to make that choice in the next couple of years because they have this growing flow of allocations,” he said.

    “They have an allocation to property and they have to choose where to place that.”

    Mr Guest indicated that the international route may become more common for Australian super funds within the next 10 years, citing Korea as an example of how quickly the tide can change.

    “It doesn’t take all that long to change. If you go back 10 years ago, Korean funds weren’t on anybody’s radar,” he said.

    “Ten years later, a whole list of Korean pension funds have gone international.”

  • Buy2Greece.com – Social media fuels Chinese overseas real estate purchases

    (Reuters) – For some Chinese investors, the first step to purchasing millions of dollars in property on the other side of the globe is a lot like ordering a new t-shirt online – search and click.

    Social media is the catalyst, connecting Chinese buyers and overseas agents. At least one prospective buyer entrusted an agent with $100 million to invest in residential housing. Others bought houses in Houston or plots of land in Colorado, sight unseen, according to real estate agents.

    In the last six month of 2013, $1.1 billion worth of potential transactions were referred to international agents by Juwai.com, the largest real estate portal that targets Chinese buyers looking abroad. It was unclear how many deals were actually completed.

    As property prices cool in Hong Kong and Singapore, which have long been magnets for Chinese investment, more money is flowing to real estate markets such as New York, London and Sydney. Chinese have overtaken Russians for the first time as the biggest buyers of apartments in Manhattan, according to real estate brokers.

    Chinese buyers invested $13.5 billion in overseas property last year, compared with $6.3 billion a year earlier, according to real estate consultancy Savills.

    China’s social media platforms such as QQ, WeChat and Weibo are hugely popular among younger property buyers, many of them 20-something scions of China’s wealthy families. They are driving a new phase of Chinese outbound property investment that is expected to grow 20 percent per year in the coming decade.

    “Social media is immediate and familiar to the buyers, it’s a way to connect people without formality and without introduction. And then you have a little connection,” said Joel Goodrich, a San Francisco-based agent who specializes in luxury real estate.

    He and his co-worker in New York were referred a Chinese businessman by Juwai.com at the end of last year. The client gave them a budget of $100 million to invest in real estate in New York. They have been communicating over QQ Chat, a popular instant messenger in China run by Tencent, and the buyer has made plans to visit the U.S. city to check out his options.

    Juwai.com has also referred clients with budgets of $200 million and A$320 million ($298.93 million) to real estate agents overseas, according to Andrew Taylor, the property website’s Hong Kong-based co-chief executive officer.

    China tightly controls foreign currency transactions. Individuals can exchange Chinese yuan for a maximum of $50,000 a year. Chinese companies, however, can buy more U.S. dollars than otherwise allowed by fake invoicing. Many wealthy Chinese have made use of corporate and legal entities to transfer large sums overseas.

    SEARCHING FOR INVESTMENTS

    Juwai.com’s Taylor said his portal has worked with customers as young as a 20-year-old student who was studying in the United States and looking to buy property there for his family back in China.

    Since the website launched 2-1/2 years ago, the types of inquiries have changed. Where once clients were looking only for a place to live in the United States, now it’s often about finding a good investment.

    “They’re asking questions about what’s the capital gain, what’s the yield potential, what’s it like living here and what are the taxes,” Taylor said.

    Goodrich said 99 percent of his clients buy for investment and they look for yields of around 3 to 4 percent. The top 1 percent are looking for a trophy property.

    Soufan.com owned by Nasdaq-listed Sina Corp, Meiaoju.com and Auproperty.com.au are other marketplaces that work on a similar business model, acting as intermediaries for Chinese buyers and overseas agents.

    Other domestic and international online agents are also scrambling to form new partnerships and expand their services. Earlier this month, U.S. real estate information company Zillow Inc said it planned to partner with China’s Beijing Yisheng Leju Information Services Co, an affiliate of E-House (China) Holdings Ltd, to tap growing interest from Chinese mainland clients, the second-largest foreign buyers of U.S. homes last year.

    Chinese buyers spent $425,000 on average on U.S. homes as of the end of March 2013, with 69 percent of deals reported as all-cash purchases, according to Zillow.

    Although most buyers prefer to check out properties in person before buying, some have agreed to long-distance deals.

    Gladys Wang, a Chinese agent based in Houston who has more than 1,400 followers on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, said she had clients closing deals to buy $300,000 to $400,000 properties without even seeing them.

    “Many Chinese are not familiar with Houston, but they learnt more about the city by following my posts on Weibo,” said Wang.

    “Nowadays consumers look at reviews before they make a purchase. Social media is good for this. They have more trust in me than those who found me through ads, because they have been following my Weibo, and that speeds up the buying process.”

    Instead of selling physical properties, some agents opt for land sales which cost less and close faster.

    Frank Hu, an agent listed in Soufun.com’s U.S. website, focuses on selling land in Colorado and Hawaii because the entry-level investment is much lower at $10,000 to $20,000.

    “Clients don’t need to visit the land before buying; there’s nothing to see about land. We only need to provide clients information like its location and price,” he said. ($1 = 1.0705 Australian Dollars) (Additional reporting by Beth Gladstone in NEW YORK; Editing by Emily Kaiser and Alex Richardson)

  • Chinese spent $106B on global luxury products in 2014

    Chinese bought 46% of the world’s luxury products in 2014 – 76% of which was purchased overseas, a recent Chinese luxury report reveals.1
    In dollar amounts, that was US$106 billion spent by Chinese luxury consumers.1

    Simply put, the global luxury industry is becoming more Chinese. After all, Chinese luxury consumption is influencing this industry like no other nationality has before.2

    Borderless travel & Chinese luxury boom

    China’s population is becoming increasingly urbanised2, and its large and fast burgeoning middle class means more Chinese are able to splurge and travel.2

    Over 100 million Chinese travelled abroad in 2014.10 By 2020, 200 million Chinese tourists are expected to travel overseas.11”
    Also, as they travel more, Chinese have quickly realised the price benefits of buying luxury goods abroad, which resonate well with the typical Chinese value-for-money culture. This further perpetuates their desire to spend, and spend abroad.

    However, it would be foolish to assume that Chinese buyers are all the same. As diverse as China’s many dialects and provinces are, so too, are the profiles of its consumers.

    As the rising sophistication of Chinese consumers2 become more prominently recognised, it’s important to also note the diversity that exists within this group. These buyers range from middle-aged businessmen to young female shoppers to nouveau riche. For example, it’s been said that China’s nouveau riche tend to be more eager and willing to flaunt their newfound wealth.3

    The end result of all this surging wanderlust, though, is the thriving economic impact that Chinese luxury consumers now have – whether in Asia, Europe or the US.3

    Chinese effect on luxury brands

    Given this boom, luxury retail markets worldwide have been scrambling to attract Chinese money, and we don’t blame them. Chinese travellers remain the undisputed fastest-growing luxury buyers in the world, and more enticingly, they allocate 71% their budget on shopping when travelling overseas.5

    2015, however, will see luxury brands evolve. The role of e-commerce, for example, will play a more dominant role.

    In the past, high-end brands have been averse to hopping onto the e-commerce bandwagon, which they perceived would tarnish their image and eliminate the inimitable in-store experience that comes with luxury shopping.

    Now, however, luxury brands are increasingly embracing digital marketing strategies in lieu of the uprising digital and social media revolution – especially in China, where there are 632 million internet users and 519.7 million smartphone users.6

    91% of Chinese go online everyday7, of which 81% access the internet via mobile.6 Additionally, 65% of China’s HNWIs (high-net-worth individuals) favour online social media as their preferred source of information.8
    Yet navigating China’s social media landscape is complex, and quality social media marketing is key to the success of high-end brands transitioning to their digital storefronts without losing its exclusivity appeal and brand loyalty.

    Luxury real estate online

    Fortuitously, luxury real estate has been one sector that has been successful taken online – much like a duck takes to water.

    Overseas property remains the top investment choice for China’s ultra-rich, and the first place to search for such a purchase is online.

    We’ve seen visits on Juwai.com go from 1.5 million to 2.5 million monthly visits, and news of wealthy Chinese investors buying overseas properties without ever even viewing the property are making agents and developers salivate from all corners of the world.
    In the past year alone, we’ve heard of wealthy Chinese investors buying million-dollar homes sight unseen and Chinese luxury property transactions completed entirely via social media. These stories have become the stuff of legends amongst property agents and brokers.

    Somewhat unique to Chinese buyers is their marked penchant for generational driven investment:

    97% of affluent Chinese are more inclined to buy a lifestyle property12, while 93% of Chinese HNWIs are more likely to purchase legacy homes for their children, usually worth between US$1 million to US$3 million.12
    Truly, the impact of Chinese buyers on global luxury markets is impossible to ignore, and property agents and brokers would do well to tap into the market online if they want to remain relevant and on top of the game.