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Greece voted the 'Top Place To Go in 2009' by Flight Centre.
Greece has been ranked in poll position in Flight Centre's 'Top 10 Where To Go in 2009' list. Based on the data revealing the destinations that have grown in popularity over the last year, Greece has been voted top thanks to its offering of "an affordable holiday, delicious food at reasonable prices, cheap sailing, local wine, beautiful beaches, sunshine, quaint villages... and little islands full of scenic surprises".
This recent accolade adds to the commendations that the country has received in recent months, with it also having done remarkably well in the World Travel Awards 2008, attaining awards for Europe's Leading Beach Resort; Europe's Leading Boutique Hotel; Europe's Leading Spa Resort; and Europe's Leading Conference Resort.
With these top awards increasing the appeal of the beautiful country, it is clear to see why the latest World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) report has also been mightily favourable for Greece. Figures for Travel & Tourism Economy GDP growth have shown a likely 3.7% for 2008, with an average 3.9% increase predicted annually for the next ten years. These figures show that Greece is a popular market, with an increasing tourist market. Irini Tzortzoglou, Head of Retail Banking for Piraeus Bank UK, who offers mortgages on Greek properties, agrees,
"Greece has always been an extremely popular choice for traditional holidays but more recently residential tourism has been gaining ground fast. The latest list of accolades achieved by the country has further still increased its popularity as one obvious but still fairly unexplored overseas property market. Accolades such as the one bestowed by the readers of Voyage magazine who voted Greece as 'Best Worldwide Destination' at the 2008 International Tourist and Cultural Festival in Bejing-Chaoyang are adding to the interest Greece has been recently attracting."
"In the current economic climate it is encouraging to see such positive news announced from the travel and tourism sector. Greece is a firm favourite, and it looks likely to stay that way. There are many synergies between the travel and property industries and even if current economic conditions cast some doubt as to the absolute number of visitors expected next year, the popularity of the country is growing both as a tourism and second home destination. Piraeus Bank UK is very pleased to be in a financially secure position to assist those buyers with finance to purchase their Greek homes."
For more information on Piraeus Bank UK mortgage products and services call 0845 603 6538 or visit the website www.piraeusbank.co.uk.
Samos Mayor Impressed with Progress at Halcyon Hills
Samos Mayor, Filippos Petrouskas, recently met with Halcyon Hills developers to review updated architectural plans and progress at the site. Impressed with the completed flythrough and the new plans, Mr Petrouskas reiterated the importance of Halcyon Hills and its significant presence on the island of Samos.
Halcyon Hills is a uniquely luxurious spa resort on the south eastern coast of Samos. The resort offers world class facilities, including a 1200sqm spa with its own signature treatments and an exclusive 36 berth marina. Situated within a 30 minute flight from Athens, and within 65 kilometres of the new super marina at Didim, Turkey; Samos occupies an excellent location making it easily accessible from all over Europe.
Tourism has always been popular on the islands but as the demand for luxury property increases this popularity is set to flourish with a 3.9% growth in Greek tourism predicted by 2011 (World Travel and Tourism Council).
Samos was chosen by the developers of Halcyon Hills for its unique mix of verdant vegetation, striking topography and historical sites. The island is a popular stop-off point for yachters, with a state of the art marina at Pythagorio just 12km from the actual location of Halcyon Hills.
Mayor Filippos Petrouskas has always supported the development of Halcyon Hills Marina Spa Resort. During his recent meeting with the Managing Director Robin Barrasford, Mayor Filippos Petrouskas took the opportunity to admire the new computer generated flythrough of the resort in addition to congratulating the developers on the beautiful and sympathetic design of Halcyon Hills.
Mayor Filippos Petrouskas reiterated how important Halcyon Hills is to the future of tourism on Samos. Robin Barrasford commented, “We’re delighted to be working with the Samos authorities and are genuinely pleased by their continued support in Halcyon Hills. It’s important to nurture a good working relationship with the local population and local government. Samos tourism is flourishing and the development of Halcyon Hills will boost this expanding tourism market over the coming years.”Luxury property at Halcyon Hills can be purchased from £176,000. Buying options include 100% assisted finance, fractional ownership from £19,000 and guaranteed rental returns. A refundable reservation fee of £1000 applies.
Our appetite for a place in the sun has not diminished...
Daily Express, Oct. 14th, 2009
Nestling in a sheltered bay on the South-eastern tip of the island, Halcyon Hills will offer buyers frontline properties with sea views as well as the facilities and services of a five-star hotel. A 35-berth marina is to be built to cater for the popular Greek islands flotilla holidaymaker market. The resort will also be part of the worldwide RCI Group.Prices start at £176,000 and fractional purchases are possible.
“The government wants to encourage the building of resorts that cater to the discerning traveller,” said Robin Barrasford, managing director of Barrasford & Bird Worldwide which is developing the resort. He added that high-end development was limited to protect the Greek islands. “We had to go through a lot of hoops on planning and title to ensure it was all clean.” There are also financial incentives to buyers in Greece.
Dimitris Manikis, vice-president of business development for RCI Europe, said: “The desire to attract foreign investment into the property market has seen policy and taxation reform; if you now reinvest profits derived from capital appreciation of your real estate assets, you can avoid capital gains tax, and foreigners can buy property unrestricted in Greece.”
Our appetite for a place in the sun has not diminished... but with lenders reluctant to fork out money to fund our dreams the market has taken a battering For some countries, the downturn is a major setback to economic plans for the future. The magic formula – increase the number of tourists by relying on foreign investors to pay for new developments – has hit a glitch.Off-plan investment is no longer fashionable and the gambling on capital growth which fuelled the property boom has stopped for the time being.
Faced with this unpleasant scenario, foreign governments are belatedly addressing some of the issues which arose as a result of uncontrolled development. Spain’s declared a clean-up; imprisoned many corrupt officials and tightened up the law which allowed them to grab land. The government has even demolished (unfairly in many cases) homes that were built without proper permits. For Spain it is all a bit too little and too late. There remains a massive oversupply of property which might not be cleared until 2016.
But Spain’s mistakes have been a good lesson to others. Croatia is a perfect example. On the verge of a massive boom and with developers greedily eyeing up its coastline, the government decided it would enforce strict planning regulations to check overdevelopment and speculation. The result – a shortage of finished product and more stability in the market.
Shortage of beds, particularly at the higher end of the scale, is also likely in the long-run to favour Greece, where grindingly slow planning issues have delayed the development of its property market. Greece, which has a tourism industry dating back to the 18th century when it was an essential destination for the upper classes taking the Grand Tour, has nevertheless an image problem when it comes to accommodation.
The modern tourist likes his creature comforts, and iron beds and dodgy plumbing are no longer tolerated. In a bid to upgrade existing accommodation and attract higher-end visitors, the government is now offering grants of up to 40 per cent to developers of five-star projects such as Halcyon Hills on the island of Samos.
