Tourism in Southern Europe

  • Albania mulls new policy package to upgrade tourism industry

    ALBANIA, 2015/09/29 Albanian government is preparing a policy package to improve the tourism sector and the price-added tax (VAT) for accommodation facilities will be reduced, said a government official on Sunday. "In the region we have Greece which applies a tax at the level of 6.5 %, Montenegro at 7 %, Macedonia at 5 % and Italy at 8 %. We have proposed a reduction of VAT to about 10 %," said Sonja Popa, director of tourism development in Albanian Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism. The legislation would as well provide businesses that want to invest to improve infrastructure with soft loans, thus addressing the major problem of Albanian tourism, and poor service.

  • Madrid promotes business tourism at EIBTM in Barcelona

    SPAIN, 2014/12/05 Once again the Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB) took part in Barcelona's EIBTM, one of the majority significant expos for the MICE segment (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions), where it promoted business tourism in the capital city. This year's edition drew roughly 3,100 exhibitors from 150 nations, and was attended by over 15,000 visiting professionals from the incentive travel, corporate events and conference sectors. Madrid had its own space, occupying 125 square metres, where it introduced visitors to its potential and to the benefits associated with organising conferences and events in the city. It shared its stand with 21 Madrid-based companies associated with the Madrid Convention Bureau, who were given a incomparable opportunity to showcase their goods and services.

  • Spain reports record visitor numbers.

    SPAIN, 2014/09/29 Data released by FRONTUR, the Inbound Tourism Survey drafted by the General Sub-directorate of Tourism Data and Studies of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, a record 45.5 million tourists have visited Spain so far this year, an increase of 3 million on the same period of last year. In the period between January and August, the United Kingdom, Germany and France have been the majority significant markets. In relative terms, all autonomous regions posted year-on-year increase, withthe highest increases being recorded on the Canary Islands, up by 11.9%, and the Region of Madrid, an increase of 8.8%.

  • The Hon. Minister of Tourism and Arts Jean Kapata arrives tomorrow in Spain,

    SPAIN, 2014/06/02 The Hon. Minister of Tourism and Arts Jean Kapata arrives tomorrow, June 3, 2014, in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, to attend the UNWTO (UN World Tourism Organization) 98TH Executive Council on invitation by UNWTO Secretary General Dr. Taleb Rifai. The Hon. Minister and her delegation will as well attend the UNWTO Seminar on Public-Private Partnerships, “Tangible and Intangible Heritage and Innovative Tourism Products,” in collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Cities of Spain. The Executive Council is UNWTO's governing board, responsible for ensuring that the ‎organization carries out its work and adheres to its budget. It meets at least twice a year and is ‎composed of members elected by the General Assembly in a ratio of one for each ‎five Full Members.

  • Visitors to Venice have long been amazed,

    ITALY, 2014/03/23 Visitors to Venice have long been amazed, if not horrified, by the vast floating palaces, 15 storeys high and twice the length of St Mark’s, that regularly loom over the basilica and the Doge’s Palace, displacing thousands of tons of water to smash against the ancient piles and bricks. Following a policy last year that would have made the liners pass west of the Giudecca to disgorge tourists at Venice docks, shipping operators lobbied so that their customers could continue viewing the city from the comfort of their deck chairs. We dare not ask on what basis the judge accepted these absurd figures, which all to the city’s entire cruise industry. An Italian court on Monday overturned a ban on 100,000-ton cruise liners sailing up Venice’s Giudecca canal to get a close-up view of St Mark’s Square. The decision defies belief. Not in modern times can money have so crushingly defeated art; at no time can commerce have so blatantly sought to strangle the goose that lays its golden egg.

  • Chinese tourism in Portugal is increasing significantly

    CHINA, 2014/03/11 Chinese tourism in Portugal is increasing significantly, leading shopping centers in the country’s capital, Lisbon, to make moves to attract Chinese tourists, whose spending has almost tripled recently. The new event to attract this increasingly significant segment of the international tourist market was held in the Amoreiras Shopping Center in central Lisbon at a time at the same time as Portuguese consumers are spending less. The shopping center inaugurated an exhibition of Macau photographer Manuel Cardoso, entitled “Golden Spring” and during the inauguration the chairman of the centre’s management company, Mundicenter, said that “considering the high number of Chinese tourists in Portugal it is necessary to improve channels of communication and the message itself.”

  • Tourism: Greece; water airports to start operating in summer

    GREECE, 2014/02/21 The initial licences for the operation of water airports in Greece will be issued on Friday, Deputy Transport, Infrastructure and Networks Minister Michalis Papadopoulos said at an Economist conference in Thessaloniki, which is being held under the auspices of the Greek presidency of the EU. According to AMNA, Papadopoulos said that the completion of the legislative framework opens the way for the issuance of permits, while the initial flights are expected to start in early summer, improving coastal areas connectivity and acting as a increase engine for the islands, with knock-on benefits for the Greek economy.

  • 18 million tourists in greece during 2014

    GREECE, 2014/02/17 18 million tourists are expected to visit Greece during 2014; a number twice as large as Greece’s people. However, a few decades before, back in the 1950s, the number of tourists that visited Greece hardly reached 33,000. Of course, the situation in Greece at that time was totally different; the country was trying to heal its wounds caused by the Civil War and the World War while the Greeks were seeking better days. Even if the tourism enterprises in Greece were not familiar with the “management and promotion of tourism” at the time, the tourism industry was a fundamental phenomenon both financially and socially.

  • Malta, Israel's new gateway to Europe

    ISRAEL, 2014/02/14 Seven couples of merry retirees took their seats at the front of the plane, just ahead of us. They exchanged impressions about hotels and exhibited impressive familiarity with the island’s restaurants. Five days later, we met them again at the airport in Valletta, the capital. This time, the conversation centered on their gambling experiences. It appears that relatively inexpensive package deals have placed Valletta high on the list of favorite Israeli gambling destinations, along with Rhodes, Burgas, Varena and other cities a mere two- or three-hour flight away. As is the case every Tuesday, last week, as well, on Feb. 4, the Malta Air charter flight that took off from Ben-Gurion Airport was jam-packed. Some three or four years ago, Israeli tourists discovered that the small island is a gem, offering magical landscapes and four lavish casinos.

  • Worldhotel Cristoforo Colombo Milan

    ITALY, 2014/02/11 Worldhotels is announcing an extra addition to its growing portfolio of branded hotels: Worldhotel Cristoforo Colombo Milan is the initial hotel in the city - and with the Worldhotel Ripa Roma - the second in Italy to carry the Worldhotel name. The hotel relies on Worldhotels' world exposure and the group's commercial strength to maximise its international business. Worldhotel Cristoforo Colombo is located in the heart of the city, right on Corso Buenos Aires - one of Milan's most frequented shopping streets - and offers 119 recently refurbished guest rooms, national-of-the-art conference facilities, its exclusive Hado SPA and the renowned L'Uovo di Colombo restaurant.
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