Diversification key to tourism sector October 31, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Tourism.Tags: Destinations, Greece, Tourism, Tourism Growth, Tourism Industry, Tourism Product, Tourism Services
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The Greek government called on the tourism industry yesterday to diversify services in a bid to obtain a larger piece of the growing world tourism market as rising sector revenues trail growth in visitor numbers.
Tourism Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos pointed out that despite a 6 percent increase in tourist arrivals in Greece this year, money spent by visitors grew by only 3 percent. “Tourism is changing drastically. We need to specialize and diversify on a geographical, economic and social level,” the Minister told a conference.
Greece’s tourism sector, which accounts for about a fifth of the economy, has been growing steadily after the hosting of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. According to government estimates, annual growth rates between 2004 to 2006 reached an average of 6 percent. However, tourism receipts in 2007 rose by only 3 percent from 11.4 billion euros in 2006.
“This highlights the fact that despite three years of growth, Greek tourism has not yet stabilized at high levels of performance,” said SETE, the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises, in a statement.
Citing a report prepared by tourism consulting group IPK, SETE said low-quality hotels overcharging for services are among the reasons that have contributed to reduced revenues in the sector. “We do not need more hotels in these categories but the existing ones must substantially improve the level of the equipment and services offered,” SETE added.
A lack of online tourism services and a delay in low-cost airlines flying to Greece are also considered as key reasons weighing on growth in tourism receipts. According to industry estimates, tourist arrivals to Greece, a country of 10 million people, are expected to reach 17 million people in 2008, up 6 percent on an annual basis. On a global level, long-term growth prospects are strong with the number of people expected to visit another country in 2020 to double from current rates to 1.5 billion.
Cyprus industrial output up October 31, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Business & Economy.Tags: business, economy, Cyprus, Cyprus Statistics Department, Industrial Production
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Industrial production in Cyprus rose 3.4 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of the year, compared with a 0.4 percent decrease in the corresponding period of 2006, the Cyprus Statistics Department said yesterday.
Industrial production in August alone rose 3.1 percent year-on-year, versus an originally reported figure of 7.4 percent for July.
Greece’s Cosmote has 3 million subscribers in Romania October 31, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Telecoms.Tags: Cosmote, Greece, Hellenic Telecommunications Organization, Mobile phones, OTE, Romania
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Cosmote said it surpassed 3 million subscribers in Romania, beating a full-year target announced just a week ago.
Cosmote has added more new customers than local competitors including Vodafone Group Plc and France Telecom SA for the past three quarters, according to an e-mailed statement from the company. The Romanian unit is expected to be profitable on a net level in 2009, according to the statement.
Athens-based Cosmote is expanding its network in the country of 22 million inhabitants and adding more stores to win new customers. Together, Vodafone and France Telecom have almost 17 million clients in Romania. Cosmote, Greece’s biggest mobile-phone company by users, owns a 70 percent stake in its Romanian unit, and Romtelecom SA, the country’s former phone monopoly, owns the rest. Both companies are majority-owned by Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA, [OTE], Greece’s biggest phone company.
Acheloos protest gathering support October 31, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Environment, Nature.Tags: Acheloos, Acheloos Diversion, Axios, Environment, Evros, Greece, Greek Rivers, Nature, Nestos
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The campaign against the government’s plans to divert the Acheloos River appear to be gathering pace as a protest in central Athens has been planned for this Friday, the same day that the Council of State will consider another appeal against the project.
Representatives of the Panhellenic Movement Against the Acheloos Diversion met in Thessaloniki yesterday to coordinate action. Its members believe that support for their campaign is growing. «We are still at the beginning in terms of becoming sensitized in comparison to other European countries but more and more people are becoming concerned about water-management issues,» said campaigner Nikos Ioannou.
The government wants to divert Greece’s second-longest river from western Greece to Thessaly in central Greece to provide water for farmers. Authorities and residents in western Greece fear that the diversion will have devastating consequences for them.
Meanwhile, residents from Drama in northern Greece also expressed concern yesterday about the levels of pollution in the River Nestos. They believe that large amounts of rubbish are being dumped in the section of the river that runs through Bulgaria as there is a landfill next to the Nestos near the border with Greece. Campaigners asked for the Greek government to speak to authorities in Bulgaria to resolve the problem.
Lethal threat from the north > Recent information revealing the extent to which Greece’s neighbors are contributing to the pollution of the rivers running through the northern Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace has cast the spotlight on a crucial issue which, in order to be tackled, must be placed high on the government’s foreign policy agenda. Because as correct as it may be to lock horns with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on the name issue, it is equally imperative to protect the country from the lethal waste being dumped by our neighbors’ industries, which spills into the Axios River and is causing irreparable damage to the Thermaikos Gulf.
The Axios, Nestos and Evros rivers are funnels for waste from all over the Balkans. Environmental diplomacy must therefore become a foreign policy issue and common rules of environmental protection drawn up. There is enough pollution and destruction of the environment taking place inside the country. We certainly don’t need the imported variety from FYROM, Bulgaria, Albania and Turkey.
Public servants admit IT illiteracy October 31, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Technology.Tags: Greece, Technology, Public Sector, IT Literacy, Computers
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Tax offices in Greece are still full of paper. Computers are there for public servants to use but the majority of employees are not skilled enough, a recent survey has found.
Computers are plentiful in the public sector, but there is a shortage of employees with the skills to use them, according to a study by the Observatory for Information Society.
The survey focused on the use of informatics and communication technologies and found that public servants have access to computers but do not use them, particularly in the case of those in executive posts. And while they acknowledge the importance of these technologies in public administration, they themselves report that the public sector does little to encourage staff to use them, while there are many problems in acquiring the necessary operating skills.
Presented at the ICT Forum in Athens, the study showed that virtually all executives in central public administration (92 percent) have access to computers, but that they are underused and civil servants are not happy with their e-skills. They say their training is of poor quality while their satisfaction with the seminars organized by the state is “low.”
At the same time, although most public sector information technology professionals have been trained, their skills have not been updated to a satisfactory degree.
To tackle the problems arising in the most rapid and effective way, the IT professionals suggest that an improvement is required in the knowledge level of computer users, along with equipment upgrading and greater flexibility in procuring hardware and software. Most IT experts say they play a very small part in decision making with regard to informatics issues in their enterprise.
At an executive level, the vast majority own a computer and have a personal e-mail account, but they rarely use them as their own skills lag behind those of their staff. This is attributed to the age factor (71 percent are over 55) as well as a lack of adequate training in, familiarization with and experience of new technologies.
Lastly, the survey reveals that young employees find public administration to be overly bureaucratic and seem more open to changes, compared with executives who have a more positive view of the “citizen-centered” nature of public services.
Melbourne’s only waterfront Greek restaurant October 31, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in GreekTaste World.Tags: Australia, Food, Greece, Greek Taste, Melbourne, Saganaki Greek Restaurant
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Saganaki Greek Cuisine and Grill stands above with superb interior design and quality finishes.
The colour scheme is warm and inviting with wood grain and marble textures complimented by shades of red, copper and brown. Fine checkered cloth dresses the tables while elegant crystal and brass chandeliers hang overhead. Floor to ceiling windows make the most of the venue’s prime waterfront position where every table has a great view of Melbourne’s bustling waterways.
While staying true to its Greek heritage, Saganaki also features dishes infused with a Modern Australian twist, using only the very best local produce.
A full page in the menu dedicated to sharing plates makes it easy to sample a little of everything, we recommend the Saganaki Trio with 3 types of pan fried cheese; Kefalograviera, Cyprus Haloumi and Soft Kasseri brushed with egg and flour dusted. Try the Lamb Cutlets for your main grilled medium rare with baked potato and red wine jus. For dessert go the traditional Creamy Rice Pudding.
If you have a group of 6-8 then the Slow Roast Feast is a must try. This all inclusive banquet begins with a shot of Ouzo, Homemade Dips and the Saganaki Trio. Then onto the talk of the table, a Whole Suckling Pig! This free range pork is slow roasted for 15 to 18 hours and served with an array of sides including; baby roast potatoes, vegetables à la Grecque, Horiatiki salad, Beetroot salad, Roast capsicum and grated feta.
Overall the service is first class, presentation is a feast for the eyes and the servings are generous.
Saganaki Greek Cuisine and Grill, 62 NewQuay Promenade, Docklands Vic 3008, Phone 9606 0008, Australia.
Related Links > http://www.saganaki.com.au/index.html
grhomeboy
