Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

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Greece Becomes Favored Russian Tourism Destination

Phil Butler

The head of Russia’s Federal Tourism Agency, Oleg Safonov says Greece may became the leader in bookings from Russians, by the end of 2016. According to Safonov, the flow of tourist from Russia to Greece may exceed 1 million before year’s end.

AccorHotels Appoints First Chief Disruption Officer?

Phil Butler

Thinault Viort (at left) has been named the very first Chief Disruption and Growth Officer of AccorHotels. The move is reportedly to keep pace with a fast-moving consumer market. In one of the most interestingly worded press releases ever, a European mega hotel company touts an exec intent on shaking things up? According to the news […]

Airbnb’s Rocky Road to Vacation Bookings Supremecy

Phil Butler

Airbnb announced recently collaborations with a number of tech companies, in order to boost the company’s business conversions. API tests last year with the likes of Live Rez, BookingPal, Kigo and LeisureLink, as well as other connections, promise Airbnb hosts a billboard to reach even more guests. Tech connectedness is certainly Airbnb’s forte, as is the shared economy, but there’s some trouble brewing too. Here’s a look at what’s up with travel’s most forward thinking company this month.

An Orthodox Easter Prayer

Phil Butler

Many people celebrate this weekend the Orthodox Easter, a holiday with long lasting traditions, and specific customs.

Greek Consulate in Moscow Flooded by May Day Tourists

Phil Butler

According to reports from the Russian Union of Travel, Greece may be dropping the ball where plane loads of Russian tourists headed on May vacations are concerned. News from Interfax-Tourism suggests more than 10,000 visa applications have yet to be approved.

What’s Hot This Summer: Virtuoso’s Best Destinations

Aleksandr Shatskih

Virtuoso, the international luxury travel network, has just announced the hottest destinations for the Summer of 2016. Recognized as a key trend forecaster, the data mining company leverages $35 billion in transaction data to glean what travelers seek. Here’s a look at the logical favorites and a few surprises that surfaced in Virtuoso’s recent findings.

Vladimir Putin Says Egypt & Turkey Travel Problematic

Phil Butler

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed last week the situation with regard to Russian tourists once again visiting Egyptian and Turkish resorts. Mr. Putin spoke in an annual Q&A session before the Russian people, saying no good solution has been found for ensuring security of Russian tourists in Egypt.

SnapShot GmbH Demos to Vienna Hotels

Aleksandr Shatskih

In hotel technology news this week, analytics startup SnapShot is touring European cities demonstrating its new flagship product to hotel execs. Yesterday, company CEO Stefan Tweraser was in Vienna at Hotel Melia showing off the free cloud-based data analytics tool.

Russia-India Move Forward With Tourism Collaboration

Aleksandr Shatskih

Efforts to promote tourism in between Russia and India recently came to the forefront at a Russia Centre of Science and Culture event dubbed “Russia as a Tourist Destination”. Held on March 12th, the event set the table for a programme for development of mutual tourist traffic between Russia and the countries of Eurasian Economic Union and India.

Sochi’s Alpine Festival BoogelWoogel Tops Guinness Record [Video]

Phil Butler

The BoogelWoogel Festival held at Rosa Khotur ski resort outside Sochi, Russian Federation set a new Guinness Book World Record April 9th. More than 1000 skiers clad in bathing suits descended the slopes there, shattering an old record set in Siberia.