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Category: Buy2Greece

  • Is Your Hotel Website Responsive to Meet Google Requirements and Boost SEO?

    Buy2Greece.com

    When Google talks, hotel marketers need to listen, especially when it comes to responsive website design. With mobile traffic gaining market share month after month, hotels need to ensure their desktop versions of their websites are optimized for smaller screens and deliver fast loading times. Lodging Interactive, the interactive and social media marketing agency exclusively servicing the hospitality industry and winner of numerous prestigious awards for its website design services, says the more responsive a hotel website, the higher its SEO rankings on Google, and the easier it will be to maintain.
    “SEO is a core component of any business’ digital marketing strategy, and as such Google has gone so far as to call responsive web design an industry best practice,” said DJ Vallauri, Lodging Interactive Founder and President. “For hotels, this means keeping content on one website and one URL, making it much easier for travelers to share, interact with, and link to than content that lives on a separate mobile site. Some hotels have learned quickly that trying to build separate sites for mobile and tablet environments  is exhaustive for staff, and it presents potential duplicate content issues with Google which negatively effects organic search engine results.”

     Responsive websites turn visitors into customers. According to a study conducted by Sterling Research and SmithGeiger for Google:

    · 96% of consumers say they’ve encountered sites that were clearly not designed for mobile devices

    · 75% of users prefer a mobile-friendly site

    · 67% of users are more likely to buy from a mobile-friendly site

    · 61% of consumers say that they’d quickly move onto another site if they didn’t find what they were looking for right away on a mobile site.

    · 52% of users said that a bad mobile experience made them less likely to engage with a company

    · 50% of people said that even if they like a business, they will use them less often if the website isn’t mobile-friendly

    · 48% of users say they feel frustrated and annoyed when they get to a site that’s not mobile-friendly
    and if the site didn’t work well on their smartphones, it made them feel like the company didn’t care about their business
    “This research confirms that mobile users actively seek out and prefer to engage with mobile-friendly, responsive sites,” Vallauri said. “Travelers attitudes about your hotel can quickly and easily be shaped by mobile site experiences. Having a great mobile site is no longer just about making a few reservations; it’s become a critical component of building a strong brand image, nurturing customer loyalty, and making the hotel’s mobile strategy work for the property and the brand.”

    Source:-Lodging Interactive

  • The Third Industrial Revolution

    Buy2Greece.com

    The Third Industrial Revolution
    The convergence of the internet and energy is slowly taking place: connected buildings and self-sufficient in energy, with new models where consumers become the energy producer. Real-estate technology buildings are flourishing, with a bright future ahead. Whether they be specialised in data collection or wind-system power management, our needs are multiplying in terms of progress made by the sector .

    About 1,000 decision-makers from 60 countries will meet up in Luxembourg in May to discover what Luxembourg has to offer in terms of IT, financial, real estate and lifestyle solutions. It will enable professionals to learn more about the latest trends in these fields. When talking about IT and real estate, there are two guest speakers not to be missed: Jeremy Rifkin, economist and thinker, author of the book ‘The Third Industrial Revolution’ and Zhang Yue, a Chinese billionaire at the origins of the Sky City Project – the future highest tower in the world. He is also known for building high-end and hyper-technological buildings including one which has 30 storeys and which was built in only 15 days.

    For the first time in 65 years, the FIABCI World Congress will be held in Luxembourg and we are proud to welcome these renowned speakers.
    FIABCI is one of the oldest real estate federations and the choice of where to hold its international summit is often competitive. Each year it chooses another capital, in another continent and in 2014, it will return to Europe. Luxembourg won against…Rome.

    The main part of the event will be held in the New Conference Center Kirchberg, but also at the Rockhal, Cercle Cité, Cercle Münster and the closing evening is being held at Goodbye Monopol. This is truly an event which you cannot afford to miss.

    Luxembourg has chosen the topic ‘Building humanity’.  If you want to find out what you can expect to experience at the event, but also why hotels are about to be fully booked from 19 to 22  May in your  capital this year, visit this website !

  • “Ανοιξε” η σεζόν με πτήσεις EasyJet & Ryanair στη Ζάκυνθο

    Buy2Greece.com

    Από την Μεγάλη Εβδομάδα ξεκίνησαν οι πρώτες πτήσεις τσάρτερ για τη Ζάκυνθο με τουρίστες από χώρες της βόρειας και κεντρικής Ευρώπης.

    Με αυτές τις πτήσεις εγκαινιάζεται ουσιαστικά και η φετινή τουριστική περίοδος με μαζικό τουρισμό, που σύμφωνα με τις εκτιμήσεις των πρακτόρων του νησιού, αναμένεται να έχει πολύ θετικούς ρυθμούς σε σχέση με την περυσινή χρονιά η οποία ωστόσο ήταν εξίσου καλή χρονιά για το νησί.

    Οι πρώτες πτήσεις έρχονται από την Ολλανδία και θα συνεχιστούν με αφίξεις από τη Μεγάλη Βρετανία και την Πολωνία.

    Παράλληλα σε εξέλιξη βρίσκονται τακτικές πτήσεις από διάφορες πόλεις της βόρειας Ευρώπης από τις αποκαλούμενες εταιρείες χαμηλού κόστους οι οποίες μεταφέρουν μεμονωμένους τουρίστες που επιλεγούν να κάνουν διακοπές έξω από τα προγράμματα των μεγάλων tour operators.

    Η Easy Jet ξεκίνησε τις πτήσεις κάθε Κυριακή και Πέμπτη από τις 30 Μαρτίου και από τις 31 Μαρτίου έχουν ξεκινήσει και οι πτήσεις της Ryanair από το Βέλγιο.

    RE+D Magazine
    22-04-2014

  • 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