The 15th World Travel Awards, which are voted upon by travel agents and agencies around the world, gave top European rankings to a number of Greek destinations as well as numerous other honorable mentions.
Greece won the top prize in the following categories:
Europe's Leading Boutique Hotel - Lato Boutiue Hotel, Herakleion, Crete
Europe's Leading Beach Resort - Minos Imperial Luxury Beach Resort & Spa, Greece
Europe's Leading Conference Resort - Grand Resort Lagonissi, Greece
Europe's Leading Spa Resort - Aldemar Olympian Village, Greece
After the top prizes were announced, there were further country breakdowns of other awards, Greece had 9 more awards and Cyprus had 4. Click here to see the full list.
Today's Other Top Picks:
Italy and Greece tie in Soccer Friendly
Wine Tasting tonight!
posted on Thursday, November 20
How's the Greek economy holding up in the face of unprecedented worldwide financial upheaval? Surprisingly, pretty well.
For the most part, Greek banks managed to steer clear from investing in the complex financial instruments that have taken down other banks (and countries ahem.. Iceland). Thanks to their status as the gateway to south-east Europe (SEE, or new Europe), they are now in a better position to capitalize on and drive economic growth for not only Greece, but the entire the region.
Fast Facts:
- 3600 Greek firms and 3000 branches of Greek banks have established operations in SEE countries in the past few years
- The Greek economy has been expanding at an yearly rate of 4%. The European Commission estimates that Greece’s growth rate will reach 3.4% in 2008 – double the 1.7% growth rate expected for the eurozone.
The Banker
photo credit via ktizon
Around the web:
Do your homework first... Then read Where Greek Mythology Meets Modern Investing ...via fool.com
Slow pokes: Greece and Italy slowest to adopt EU legislation.
posted on Wednesday, November 19
You can't find a taxi. Pharmacies are closed. There's no one at the bank to help you withdraw cash, and forget about shipping stuff out of Pireaus. Strikes, protests and public demonstrations are almost a daily occurrence in Greece, and other than being disruptive to the daily lives of many people (and quite annoying at times), there is an impact that many do not report on or people forget about. And its the toll on local businesses.
While blockades and people blocking access to businesses is always a problem, sometimes violent protesters turn their anger to local shops; often inflicting material damage. Here are some other staggering numbers that might shock you:
- Every day there is a strike or protest down in the central business area of Athens, you can expect local businesses to lose up to 6 million euros in lost revenue. (OUCH!)
- In a two month period when protests were most frequent, businesses in the central business district reported a turnaround loss of nearly 26 million euros.
- Importing and exporting suffers greatly from delays at the country's ports.
While many Greeks support citizen's rights to protest; enough is enough!
DF: Quick note - The next large public protest/strike that wll take place in Greece will be December 10th; when a large private and public union work sector have declared a 24 hour general strike. Cheers!
Athens Plus
In other news:
Taking it to the streets: About ten thousand people march in Athens to commemorate the student uprising which occurred 35 years ago,.
FYROM sues Greece: International Court of Justice in the Hague will hear the case filed against Greece for blocking NATO entry, ...via xinhuanet
posted on Tuesday, November 18
Greece sent a complaint to Turkey this past weekend after it claimed that Turkey was conducting oil exploration activities just off the Greek isle of Kastellorizo. A Norwegian oil explorer, accompanied by a Turkish frigate, crossed into Greece's territorial waters Saturday. The Norwegian explorer ceased research activities after getting the complaints from the Greek government. Turkey, as expected, denies any wrong doing.
The issue of territorial claims off of Greece's islands has been a hotly contested issue between the two countries and almost led to a war between Greece and Turkey in 1996 during the Imia Crisis.
Today's Other Top Picks:
Turkey talk... a survey being conducted on MSNBC.com shows that only 21% of those who were polled on a survey favor recognizing the Armenian Genocide conducted by the Ottoman Empire.
Mommy Vardalos... Big Fat Greek Wedding star and hubby adopt. Congratulations!
Help, please. Alpha bank becomes first major bank in Greece to accept the governments help from a 28-billion-euro support package.
posted on Monday, November 17
We were catching up on some reading over at the This Is Not My Country blog and thought we'd share Devious Deva's excellent post about a recent story in Kathimerini which highlighted essays by young Greek students describing the prejudices in Greece against foreigners. Deva states:
- Perhaps the most poignant observation was by 12-year-old Yiannis Petkanis. “I saw migratory birds flying south for the winter and thought that refugees are like this but unfortunately they don’t have the same freedom to return to their native country however homesick they may feel.” -
Good read. Check it out here.
Elsewhere around the web...
Kobe Bryant going Greek? 30 million ain't nothing.
Iphone gossip Gods: Greek website breaking news on upcoming releases.
Greek unemployment rises 7.1 percent (August): Economists say it will further rise.
Have a great weekend all!
posted on Friday, November 14
The Greek community of where?! Recently the Patriarch of Alexandria paid a visit to the Greek communites that reside in Benghazi and Tripoli in Libya. (Yes Libya.) Greece has had a long and posiive relationship with Libya, acutally dating back as early as 700 BC when settlers from Crete settled on the northern coast of the country, and Greeks have had a presence mostly in Benghazi and Tripoli for generations.
The visit made us want to learn some more about the Greek diaspora in the country and here are some facts that we wanted to share.
- Benghazi (where the majority of the Greek community resides) is only 400 km south of Crete, and to this date has many residents who have Cretan surnames.
- The ancient city of Cyrene was the largest Greek settlement in the area that is modern day Libya and today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- The Greek community is centered in the country's two largest cities: around 500 reside in Tripoli and nearly 1,000 live in Benghazi.
- The Greek community in Benghazi operates its own schools and also has its own small Greek Orthodox church with one priest.
-The Greek community in Tripoli also has one church of its own.
- There are several Greek companies that do business in Libya including Hellenic Petroleum.
DF: Yes the saying is true, we are everywhere!
posted on Thursday, November 13
A new catch phrase is making the rounds in Greek labour circles: "Generation 700 euro." The not so flattering term refers to the workers in Greece who, you guessed it, make 700 euro a month. 25 percent of Greeks are said to be part of the club.
Here's a breakdown of Generation 700 euro:
- 89% are not involved with union labor
- 75% work in the private sector
- 75% don't go on strike
- 70% are dissatisfied with their prospects of moving up in the workplace
- 70% are dissatisfied with the type of work they're doing
- 67% are between the ages of 18 and 34
- 64% are women
VPRC (Greek only)
Around the web:
Forget about running airlines. Greece to design passenger planes with Russia. via Moscow Times
Women Rule. "FOX Life" television coming to Greek TV. via worldscreen.
posted on Wednesday, November 12
A movement that has been catching on around the world has hit Athens' streets recently, and we like it!
A group called the Guerrilla Gardeners, a group of avid and dedicated amateur horticulturalists have taken it upon themselves to 'illegally' plant and spruce up public land where vegetation/trees could grow and/or is not maintained properly. What these planters do is find abandoned parcels of land (public or private) that need some loving, find suitable plants/flowers/trees that would grow in the environment, and in the middle of the night commit their 'crime'.
End result? An aesthetically better looking plot of land. In Athens these guerrilla gardeners have set up two gardens on public land ( and who knows how many in private settings), and they are located at Keramikos Square and at Korai Squre - both in Central Athens.
If the government is going to lack the resources to take care of public plots of land, what a better way to get the community behind a cause that is both beneficial and fun.
So to our future gardeners in Athens, here are some tips as to what can be planted and is good to adapt to the harsh long summers of Greece.
For shrubs try myrtle and laurel, for herbs plant rosemary, lavender and thyme (aromatherapy anyone?) and if you want to get adventurous pine and cypress trees are good trees to plant.
DF: If any readers do decide to do this, please send us pictures...we would love to post.
Athens Plus (Page 14)
Guerilla Gardening - Tips on how to make your very own Seed bomb!
Today's Top Picks:
Kenyan wins Athens Classic Marathon this past Sunday. Record 4,600 competed in race.
Tragedy in southern Albania: Three ethnic Greeks killed in building collapse in Argyrokastro.
Embarrassing: Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox priests fist fight in Jerusalem.
posted on Tuesday, November 11
Greek Parliament passed a bill last Friday that will end smoking in public places public places, including restaurants, bars and offices.
Looking to get in line with other EU coutries (France, Spain, Italy UK etc.), the smoking ban will be go into effect on January 1st, 2010.
The bill also includes provisions to keep minors under the age of 18 from smoking and consuming alcohol by banning their access to bars and clubs.
A fine of 1,000 euros on the owners and managers of bars and nightclubs that fail to respect the restrictions.
Fines can go up to 20,000 euros for repeat offenders.
Of Note:
Happy days in Paphos. Cyprus resort town opens brand spanking new international airport. (pictures) Congrats!
posted on Monday, November 10
Can Greece lure more movies to be filmed on its shores? High profile recent wins include Mama Mia! and My Life in Ruins (the sequel to My Big Fat Greek Wedding) have the Hellenic Film Commission wanting more.
The H.F.C.O. (Hellenic Film Commission Office) was founded in 2007 as the result of an initiative by the Greek Film Centre. Though the commission is still overseen by the GFC, it will soon be operated independently. The goal of the Commission is to provide official information and support for foreign producers desiring to film either a part or their whole film in Greece.
Greece, like most countries in the region, offers VAT refunds for non-European companies, which can help knock 19% off the goods-and-services tab.
Six foreign features have been shot in Greece since the commission's founding,
There's been a plethora of Greek films recently too -- 29 features finished this year, up from an annual average of 20.
Variety reports:
The organization's [Greek Film Center] Stavroula Geronimaki says average annual production backed by the fund is 15 feature films, 10 shorts and six to seven documentaries.
Greek biz makes bid for foreign shoots ... via Variety
Related
Odyssey in space: Brad Pitt is being lined up for an adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey" set in outer space. ...via MTV
posted on Friday, November 7
