Tour operator sees Greek bookings rise by 40%

One of the most famous holiday tour operators has reportedly seen an increase of 40% in Greek holiday bookings made by UK holiday makers.

This could be excellent news for the soon to be developed Hera Bay Luxury Resort.

Demand this year is also particularly strong for smaller European destinations including Cyprus, Bulgaria, Croatia and Portugal, Cook said.

For the summer, in the UK, amid “a more competitive market to the Spanish Islands”, Cook said its focus remained on selling “higher margin, quality holidays rather than pursuing volume growth”.

As a result, charter risk pricing was up 9%, while bookings were slightly behind last year.

For the UK as a whole, including seat-only and non-risk package holidays, bookings were flat overall and average selling prices up 3%.

How the Mediterranean Diet Could Be the Secret to Living a Healthy Life

A new book might just be the answer to your dietary issues if you are looking to eat health and still enjoy your food.

The book, Live to Eat: Cooking the Mediterranean Way by Chef Michael Psilakis, is a newly published book that is based on the Mediterranean diet and showcases meals that are delicious and nutritious. "Good food doesn’t have to be unhealthy," Psilakis said, according to the nypost.com.

Why is the Mediterranean diet something that you might want to try? Let’s take a look at why the Mediterranean diet is the new favorite choice for living a healthy lifestyle.

According to a recent study by Harvard University that complied diets and medical histories of 200,000 health professionals in the U.S. over a period of 20 years, the Mediterranean diet has been proven by scientists to significantly protect us against type 2 diabetes.

Tourists from China visiting Greece soon set to exceed 250,000

Only 50,000 Chinese tourists out of the 10 million that traveled in Europe came to Greece last year, according to the Greek statistics service and data of the Athens International Airport (AIA).

“This is a very small number compared to the popularity of our country in China,” Giorgos Drakopoulos, advisor of the secretary-general of the Greek National Tourism Organzsation (GNTO), said to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency. Drakopoulos estimated that after three years Chinese tourists visiting Greece could exceed 250,000.

As he stated, the main reason for the small number of Chinese tourists in our country is the lack of direct flights from China to Greece. In order for an airline company to launch a direct flight, there must be high demand, he added and called out for coordinated actions. “A comprehensive marketing plan of at least three years is needed,” he stressed.

Drakopoulos explained the importance of Greece opening to new markets as it cannot always depend on the traditional markets. Moreover, outgoing tourism in China is rapidly developing and according to estimates a total of 23 million Chinese are expected to Europe in 2025. Another quality characteristic of the Chinese tourists, he said, is that they tend to spend a lot of money on their holidays.

Samos is top destination for cruise passengers

The beautiful island of Samos is set to become even more popular, with Celestyal Cruises

announcing Samos as a destination in its 3 and 4-day Iconic Aegean itineraries after evaluating more than 85,000 questionnaires.

Celestyal Cruises said that its passengers found Samos, in the northeastern Aegean, as one of the top destinations.

Therefore, as of March 2017, the company will offer passengers the opportunity to visit either Samos or Kusadasi, whilst being on the same cruise. The 3 and 4-day Iconic Aegean itineraries include other destinations such as Piraeus, Mykonos, Patmos, Rhodes, Herakleion and Santorini.

“We continue to bring unique products to the cruise industry,” Celestyal Cruises CEO Kyriakos Anastassiadis said.

See more at: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2017/01/19/celestyal-cruises-samos-is-top-destination-among-cruise-passengers/

Traditional Samos superstitions

Traditional Superstitions in Samos:

Priest
Greek Orthodox priests ( popes ) are very revered and the custom is to kiss a priest’s hand in
respect when meeting one, today this custom is only followed in small villages.
But it is believed that seeing a black cat and a priest during the same day is
bad luck.

Bat Bone
For some Island folk, bat bones are considered to be very lucky. These people carry a small bit of the bone in their pockets or purses with them where ever they go. The only problem is getting the bone as it is supposed to be very bad luck to kill a bat.

Cactus
No Greek home would be complete without at least 1 cactus positioned somewhere close the
front entrance. Cactus with its thorny spikes, takes it place proudly warding off the evil eye from the property.

Crow
Crows are considered omens of bad news, misfortune, disease and death. When you see or hear a crow cawing, you say go well into the day and bring me good news ( in greek language “Sto Kalo, Sto Kalo, Kala Nea na me Feris” )

Tuesday the 13th
Different from Western cultures, it is Tuesday the 13th of the month that is considered unlucky in Greece and not Friday the 13th .

Halcyon Hills - Luxury resort and Spa

Halcyon Hills Luxury Resort offers a wonderful opportunity for holiday home purchasers, in a wonderful beachfront setting. With our guaranteed 25% developer finance option, owning your dream holiday home is easier than ever.

Buyers can choose from a huge variety of holiday homes within the resort, all benefitting from the plethora of facilities including a luxury spa, beaches and an exclusive marina. Nestling in a sheltered bay on the spectacular Greek island of Samos, the location of the resort is truly spectacular.

There's a wide variety of holiday homes for sale, including studios, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom apartments and villas. There's something for everyone no matter your budget. We also offer a 200% developer buyback, where the developer will offer to buy back the property from you 10 years from completion for 200% of your original deposit.

Pythagorio - Cultural jewel of the Aegean

A quick drive down the coast from Halcyon Hills is Pythagorio.

Pythagorio and its picturesque harbor are home to many yachts and sailing boats. The beautiful, topaz blue waters of the Aegean sparkle in the midday sun. From here it is possible to travel by boat to several other Aegean islands.

The town is named after the famous ancient Greek Mathematician and Philosopher Pythagoras and is a very popular destination, as it has many architectural sites of interest, as well as a stunning beach that boasts pristine white sands that stretch down to the clear blue waters of the Aegean. Soak up the history and ancient culture of Samos in this beautiful town.

Pythagorio contains many great architectural works of the period, such as the great aqueduct (part of it is the Tunnel of Eupalinos), temple of Heraion, and Samos harbor. The city was originally called Tigani, based on the Italian word "Dogana" which means "customs", but it'the name was changed in 1955 to Pythagorio after the famous Greek Mathematician and Philosopher.

The Samos Temple of Hera

A short distance away from Halcyon Hills Samos is the ancient Temple of Hera.

The Temple of Hera, or Heraion, is an ancient Archaic Greek temple at Olympia, Greece, that was dedicated to Hera, queen of the Greek Gods. The temple was built in approximately 590 BC, but was destroyed by an earthquake in the early 4th century AD.

In the Archaic Greek time period, the temple stored items important to Greek culture, and other offerings of the people. In modern times, the torch of the Olympic flame is lit in its ruins.

The Heraion at Olympia, located in the north of the sacred precinct, the Altis, is one of the earliest Doric temples in Greece, and the oldest peripteral temple at that site, having a single row of columns on all sides. The location may have previously been the place of worship of an older cult.

HALCYON HILLS - FAST TRACK

With Fast Track imminent and therefore a confirmed window in which we know that construction of Halcyon Hills can commence, we will be liaising with  the site construction companies to ensure that they are fully committed to the project.

We will also be providing regular updates and photographs of the Halcyon Hills Resort and we look forward to sharing these with all owners.

All of the paperwork has been sent to Invest in Greece for their appraisal. The Head of Invest in Greece has given us very  positive feedback regarding our project but asked for further explanation on a few areas, such as a more dynamic business plan in Excel format, as opposed to a Word document and created in a Greek format.