Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

The Greatness of Knossos Grows With New Discoveries

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New archaeological evidence suggests that the capital of Minoan Civilization of Knossos was far larger and more impacting than experts believed. The ancient Aegean city, it had been found, actually recovered from the geo-social cataclysm that occurred after the eruption of Thera (Santorini).

Day Four of Five in Athens: Life is A Prayer

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Two days of the Digi.travel EMEA Conference & Expo in Athens delivered their business promise to those who attended, and to those of us presenting. Friends and colleagues, old and new, were ready to embark along their separate paths, but for us exploring the streets of Plaka, and listening to the echoes of eternity, the message was in […]

The Digi.travel Conference: Day Two On Athens Business

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Yesterday I reported on day one of our business excursion to Athens for the Digi.travel EMEA Conference & Expo. Day two was, as was expected, all about contributing to an all-star lineup at the event organized by Travel Media Applications. Today I will attempt to recap some of the most informative sessions and speakers at […]

A Photogenic Look at Russia’s “Red City” – Yoshkar-Ola

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Argophilia has always been about discovery, and for imparting news about the people and places of Eastern Europe westerners probably only imagined. Nothing gives us more pleasure than sharing wonderful discoveries, and in keeping with this I’d like to present one of my own. Yoshkar-Ola is an obscure (in English langauge) Russian city of incomparable beauty. This town of a quarter of a million souls is yet another hidden gem of culture, beauty, and fascinating citizens.

Digi.travel Cyprus Kicks Off in Nicosia

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Today the Digi.travel Cyprus Conference & Expo kicks off from the Filoxenia Conference Centre in Nicosia. Organized for the first time, in co-operation with the Association of Cyprus Travel Agents, this session puts technology providers alongside travel and hospitality professionals for networking, business intelligence, and problem-solving. Argophilia Travel News reports from Cyprus.

Crimea for Vacation: Beyond CNN and the Political Stir

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CNN and other mainstream media need westerners to feel like geo-policy has somehow ruined the Crimea peninsula for tourism. Since voting to return to being Russian, the people of this fascinating part of the world have weathered a political blitz, sanctions, and outsiders doing everything possible to misrepresent the reality there. Here is a candid […]

Russia, the Oh-So Photogenic Subject

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Earlier this year I profiled a wonderful Russian photographer named Slava Stepanov, who is absolutely one of the finest photographers in the federation. Slava, who is from Novosibirsk, is the co-founder of the stunning agency known as Gelio Vostok. Over the years Over the years, Slava’s company has taken on projects from the US to the Far East […]

Airbnb to Sell Experiences Now

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In the news of Airbnb, the mighty vacation property rental platform is gradually rolling out a new homepage design. Set to coincide (supposedly) with the launch of City Hosts, the new simpler design is said to be focused on experiences as a key message. Whether or not Airbnb’s PR department is working overtime to get “juice” out of the paradigm “user experience” trend or not, this remains to be seen. As for most of the changes rolled out by Airbnb, the new homepage has been released as an A/B tests and thus is not yet live for 100% of the traffic.

Crete’s Best Resorts: Volume One

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Argo Travel News has done dozens of reports on the touristic value of Crete, our staff and affiliates love the island just that much. However, we have yet to do a roundup of the best all around resorts set on this majestic paradise. Here’s a the short bucket list of luxury and even economical vacation wonders, in the land where the Minoans once ruled.

Balancing In Between a Rigid and Adaptive Hotel Business Model

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The advent of new technologies has brought about a great deal of change for hospitality businesses. The trend has opened up amazing possibilities, while at the same time causing great apprehension.