16 | TRAVEL, TOURISM & MEDIA
NEWS IN BRIEF Third of Brits go for Spain
NEWS By Geoff Hadwick
NEARLY a third of British tourists will head for Spain for their holidays this year according to an airline report.
Jet2.com’s ‘What’s Hot in 2012’ report has revealed that one in three UK holidaymakers will visit Spain this year. Marc Pritchard, sales and marketing manager at Taylor Wimpey España, said that this represents “great news” for the Spanish tourism and property sector. “While Spain broke its own tourism record last year, the popularity of the nation looks set to grow even further in 2012,” he said. “For example, Alicante airport on the Costa Blanca which saw 10 million passengers in 2011, an increase of 500,000 on the previous year has received 15% more requests for fl ight slots in summer 2012 according to the Spanish airport authority (AENA) which is great news for Spanish tourism and its residential property and tourism markets this year.”
Phuket’s tourism boom MORE and more tourists to the Thai resort region of Phuket are coming from China, according to new fi gures out from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) ... and Russia is now threatening to overtake Australia as the second-biggest source of tourists to Phuket in 2011. TAT Phuket director Bangornrat Shinaprayoon told OPP that 8 million international visitors went through Phuket International Airport in 2011. The following breakdown gives a rough snapshot of the year-on-year increases in Phuket’s top three source markets for the fi rst three-quarters of 2011: China 227,431 (+112%); Australia 172,984 (+24%); Russia 160,050 - (+104%)
Onyx gets Punjab hotel
THE Thai-based hotel management specialists, Onyx Hospitality Group, has been appointed by Apna Punjab Resorts Ltd to operate a new 127-suite Amari hotel in Ludhiana, the business capital of the Punjab. The Amari Ludhiana is expected to open in the second half of 2012, and “will mark the entry of the Amari brand into India: a very signifi cant milestone for us,” said Peter Henley, President and CEO of the ONYX Hospitality Group.
Property developer Oceânico Group has welcomed the news that the Portuguese city of Lagos, in the Algarve, has been voted into fi rst place on TripAdvisor’s list of “15 Great Cities to discover in 2012” by the evaluation website’s users. “Superb beaches, a modern marina
and an eclectic nightlife mean that the region can boast and enjoy a long rental season,” says the company. Nikki Dale, Oceânico Group sales
and marketing director, told OPP that the company’s fl agship Belmar Spa & Beach Resort has been enjoying a high volume of bookings - a boom which has “totally surpassed our expectations, we are truly delighted.” “It would generally take up to three
years to establish a resort, after which you can determine an accurate rental return per annum. However, based on 2011 fi gures, four to fi ve percent would appear achievable even with the owner occupying for several weeks of the year.” Belmar Spa & Beach Resort is a 50-minute drive from Faro airport and offers studio, one, two and three bedroom
Clear winner| Algarve city Lagos was top of TripAdvisor’s ‘Great Cities in 2012’ list
apartments overlooking the Porto de Mós beach. The development features air conditioning, underfl oor heating, fully equipped kitchens, dishwashers, washer / dryers, electric shutters on all patio doors, fully equipped bathrooms and underground parking spaces with lockable storage. Belmar Spa & Beach Resort prices
start at €110,000 for a quarter share in a two bedroom apartment (approx 102sqm) and for outright purchase, apartments start at €125,000 for a studio (approx 40sqm)
The Oceânico Group consists of Oceânico Developments, Oceânico Golf and Oceânico Direct and the company has specialised over the years in creating luxury four-star developments. Completed projects by the group
include the Amendoeira Golf Resort in the district of Silves, Belmar Spa & Beach Resort, overlooking Porto de Mós beach, Lagos, Baía da Luz and Estrela da Luz in Praia da Luz, Jardim da Meia Praia near Lagos, and Quinta do Monte Funchal on the prestigious Funchal Ridge.
Video deal for agency Site is set
Overseas property agency William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty has done a deal with video publishing platform WellcomeMat to launch a new “mobile- compatible video broadcasting” channel on its websites. William Pitt Sotheby’s International
Realty and its sister companies, Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty and Litchfi eld Hills Sotheby’s International Realty, “will be leveraging the advantages of video to tell their local stories” to a global web audience, Christian Sterner, founder of WellcomeMat, told OPP. “Our exclusive new custom video
channels provide an invaluable resource for the consumer,” Vincent Socci, director of marketing for William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, said. The channels will feature “community tours of area towns, luxury property
tours, agent profi les and market trends”, Socci added. Rudy Bachraty, Chief Educator at
WellcomeMat, added: “Prospective home-buyers crave engaging and impactful content that will help them see, feel and decide where they want to live. Video delivers that experience like no other.” The agencies are all based in the
north east of the United States, serving the Connecticut and New York state housing markets
An Indian-facing property listings and services website is hoping its unique take will progress further in 2012 after a disappointing holiday period.
Homesacrosstheworld.com, which
launched late last year as reported in OPP, is currently in its BETA version and Usha Munshi, chief communications offi cer, exclusively told OPP this month that “due to the holiday season, our progress, though steady, has not been very high. We hope to see positive changes in the coming weeks.”. The website is, it says, “the fi rst-ever
Engaging | Homebuyers “crave” video
real estate portal to carry information on homes and all of the allied service providers in the sector such as agents, tax consultants, loan agents, etc ... right across the world.” Munshi also told OPP: “We…are expecting the site to grow in leaps and bounds, considering the potential.”
www.opp.org.uk | FEBRUARY 2012 Developer joy at Lagos win
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