The Chinese premier came on a three-day visit to Greece, during which a total of 19 cooperation agreements with China worth 6.5 billion US dollars were signed in the sectors of tourism, shipping, infrastructure, transportation and agriculture.

Chinese Premier in an unexpected move expressed Chinese interest in Greek sovereign debt.

Greece’s return to international bond markets in April showed that “the Greek people have the wisdom and ability to emerge from the crisis,” Li told a joint press conference with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. When the Greek government next issues bonds, he said, “China will continue to be a long-term, responsible investor.”

Samaras further stressed that what creates the strategic relation between the two countries is that "Greece can become China's entry gateway to Europe, which can also serve as a starting point of an entire investments corridor for China, like the railway networks, linking the ports of Greece with the ports of Europe."

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By Ioanna Papadimitropoulou

This alliance between privately-held family businesses is designed to facilitate the global expansion of COCO-MAT through access to the Libra Group’s extensive global infrastructure.

Established in 1989, COCO-MAT is a leader in natural sleep products (mattresses, beds, pillows and bed linen) as well as furniture and accessories for homes and hotels. The company competes in the high end of the mattress market and is a leader in the fast-growing ‘eco-bedding’ category which leverages both the ‘sleep awareness’ and ‘natural living’ trends that are prevalent, especially in export markets. COCO-MAT beds follow a highly sustainable manufacturing process comprising multiple layers of natural materials, providing optimal support to the human body without the use of non-organic products such as metal springs. The company currently has 70 points of sale including 29 outside Greece.

The Libra Group is a diverse international business group comprising 30 subsidiaries active on five continents. It has a strong presence both in North and Latin America as well as Europe, Middle East and Asia, all of which present substantial growth opportunities for COCO-MAT. Libra Group also has extensive travel and hospitality interests globally which represent a key sector in which COCO-MAT is active – the company’s mattresses are used by numerous luxury hotels and under a recent agreement all First Class seats aboard Etihad Airways aircraft will feature COCO-MAT products. This is Libra’s first investment in retail and manufacturing in Greece although the group has been actively investing in the country during the economic downturn, notably in the renewable energy and hospitality sectors. Representatives of the new investors will join the COCO-MAT board.

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This global lead has been achieved even though the Greeks rank third in ship numbers behind the Japanese and the Chinese: Greek shipowners control 4,984 vessels against 8,537 managed by the Japanese and 6,427 by the Chinese. This shows that the Greek ships are on average much bigger than those of the Japanese and the Chinese, as well as the Germans and the South Koreans which follow.

In its latest global shipping snapshot Clarksons also makes reference to the conservative attitude of Greek shipowners throughout the international shipping rally from 2004 to the start of the credit crisis.

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Radisson Blu is Europe’s largest upper upscale brand and known for its contemporary design, innovative service concepts and the unique philosophy Yes I Can!

“We are delighted to arrive in Crete and look forward to our future cooperation with the Geniatakis family. This signing also increases the number of our stylish resorts: In the Mediterranean, we are now present at ten attractive destinations,” said Wolfgang M. Neumann, president and chief executive officer of Rezidor.  

The Geniatakis family, after 32 years in the tourism industry, originally opened the resort in 2002. Yorgos & Elli Geniatakis have now decided to partner with Carlson Rezidor to combine their local heritage and knowledge with an international expertise. They both have studied Hospitality Management and worked in major hotel chains and independent hotels in the US, Europe and Asia. ‘’We strongly believe that the combination of a family-owned, awarded resort and a global chain will offer added values to our guests. Moreover, we also aim to open more career opportunities to our employees. We are confident that the new Radisson Blu Beach Resort, Crete Milatos will become a competitive destination – due to its authentic design, casual atmosphere and affordable luxury”, commented the owners.  

The Radisson Blu Beach Resort, Crete Milatos is an existing property that will re-open under the Radisson Blu flag after renovation in 2016. Besides 318 spacious rooms and suites (most of them having private balconies or terraces) with Radisson Blu signature services such as free high speed internet access, the hotel will offer a mix of all round facilities such as an all-day dining restaurant, several specialty restaurants and bars, a variety of pools and private pools, a private beach, tennis courts, leisure facilities for families and couples, and a spa with wellness centre including treatment rooms, hammam, saunas and Jacuzzi.

The resort is beautifully located in the east of the island, and enjoys a 180° sea view. It is surrounded by authentic fishing villages, and will delight guests with a truly Cretan experience. The island of Crete welcomes more than 2.5 million visitors per year through two international airports and ports. Tourism is one of Greece’s main economic generators as it contributes more than 16% to the national GDP.

www.carlson.com

A recent McKinsey study sees the Greek holiday property market developing gradually to the point of recording annual sales of 8,000 holiday homes to foreign buyers, with revenues adding up to 2.4 billion euros in the long term.

According to a report issued on Thursday by Alpha Bank, based on Bank of Greece data, the flow of capital from abroad in 2013 for the purchase of properties – mostly consisting of holiday homes – amounted to 168 million euros, rising 48.5 percent from 2012, when 113 million euros had been invested.

The bank’s analysts estimate that there will be a much greater flow of funds into Greece for that purpose this year as a result of the increase in demand from abroad. The drop in prices over the last few years, the continued increase in tourism arrivals this year, and the adoption of measures to bolster property transactions, such as slashing the property transfer tax to 3 percent and issuing visas to buyers from outside the European Union who buy properties adding up to at least 250,000 euros, have created a particularly favorable environment for the increase in holiday home purchases by foreigners.

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By Nikos Roussanoglou

According to the company, through a consortium, it wishes to create over 10,000 new jobs in South East Europe in its first five to sever years of operation.

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According to CLIA Europe’s executive director Kyriakos Anastasiadis, Greece benefits immensely from its cultural heritage and natural beauty and further stressed that the cruise industry can help the Greek economy escape he recession.

Overall, revenue from cruises in European amounted to 39.4 billion euros, up from 37.9 billion euros in 2012. Expenses also climbed to 16.2 billion euro from 15.5 billion in 2012.

As for job creation, in 2013 there were 339,417 jobs related to the cruise industry, which generated 10.5 billion euros in wages, up by 4% from 2012. About 6.4 European residents went on a cruise holiday in 2013 (up by 3.6% in 2012), which amounts to 30% of cruise ship passengers worldwide.

To read more, please visit tovima.gr/en