World

European Vacation as Much as 25 Percent Cheaper Due to Euro

Published

9 years ago

April 15, 2015

U.S. visitors Zach Branch, 19, right, and Madison Franklin, 18, both from California, kiss in front of the Parthenon during their visit at the Acropolis hill in Athens, on Wednesday, April 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)

BARRY HATTON, Associated Press

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Vacations in Europe have a new attraction: the euro’s steep drop in value is making the continent much cheaper for tourists from across the world, especially the United States and China.

For American tourists, the dollar’s strength translates into a discount of around 25 percent compared with this time last year. China’s currency has risen some 20 percent against the euro over the past year.

And eurozone residents feeling the pinch from their sluggish economies are more likely to stay inside the bloc, where they won’t feel the currency changes.

That means the ingredients are in place for “a great year for tourism” in Europe, says Nick Greenfield, head of tour operator relations at the London-based European Tour Operators Association.

The euro has fallen against many currencies in recent times, but its drop has been particularly pronounced against the dollar. The euro was trading at $1.057 on Wednesday, having been as high as $1.40 a year ago. Tim Cooper, a global economist at BMI Research in London, says his company expects the euro and dollar to reach parity later this year.

The European Central Bank’s policies have been weakening the euro, while those of the U.S. Federal Reserve have been bolstering the dollar. The euro has also been dragged down by fears over Greece’s debts and the bloc’s muted economic growth.

U.S. bookings to some European countries have risen by up to 20 percent so far, European tourism officials and American travel companies report.

Lyssandros Tsilidis, president of the Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agents, said Greece has seen a 15-20 percent increase in reservations from the U.S. — Europe’s biggest long-haul market — compared to the same time last year. Spain saw a 12 percent increase in January and almost 19 percent in February. Officials anticipate more growth, which they attribute to the dollar’s strength.

The exchange rate “certainly makes things easier to enjoy,” said Bob Homeyer, a retired businessman from San Diego on vacation in Madrid with his wife. “We have had some fine meals for what worked out to be reasonable prices, and our visit to the Prado Museum worked out at 7 euros ($7.48) each, which is a real bargain,” he said outside the Madrid landmark.

Among individual cities, Paris is a top attraction, pulling some 10 million Americans tourists last year. Officials hope to make it 11 million this year — and “encourage them to spend more” while the exchange rate is favorable, says Francois Navarro, general manager of the city’s tourism committee.

If trends hold, Navarro said, Americans could well return this year to the top spot among foreign tourists in the Paris area — for the first time in about a decade. “It’ll be a big deal,” he said.

But a new generation of Chinese tourists is shaking up Paris’ forecasts, Navarro said. They’re aged 25 to 40, travel alone, and spend on high-end hotels and restaurants, unlike the previous generation that wanted mainly to shop. And a Chinese visitor spends four times as much on average as Americans.

The United States is also the biggest source of tourists for Rome, which recorded a 7 percent increase in American visitors in January, the latest figures available, compared with the same month last year.

U.S. tour company Liberty Travel says its New York City outlets are reporting a year-on-year 17 percent jump in bookings to Europe. That includes marked growth in travel to usually less-visited European cities, including Dublin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid and Athens, the company said.

Vacationers have a broad variety of options to choose from: the eurozone encompasses countries from Portugal to Finland and from Greece to Ireland.

Europe is now competing for American business with popular U.S. destinations, says Joseph A. Moscone, Booking.com’s senior manager for public relations in the Americas.

The company compared room prices this year in Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Berlin with last year’s prices, using the euro-dollar exchange rate last month and in March 2014. It concluded that the average price in U.S. dollars for a night in a 4-star hotel in those cities is 21 percent lower, and down 17 percent for 5-star accommodation.

That means, Booking.com calculates, that for the price of seven days in Palm Springs, an American could spend 14 days in Barcelona.

Vacations in Europe are “not only affordable, but even a relatively inexpensive option in comparison to some pricier U.S. destinations,” Moscone said in emailed comments to the AP.

____

Contributors to this report were Elena Becatoros and Raphael Kominis in Athens, Harold Heckle and Ciaran Giles in Madrid, Jamey Keaten in Paris, and Gianfranco Stara in Rome.

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Oakland Ambassadors Strengthen Ties and Aid Efforts in Ghana

Oakland natives and esteemed members of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG), Jonathan P. Jones and Dr. Maritony Efua Jones, recently embarked on a significant journey to Ghana as guests of the World Martial Authority Ghana. This trip signifies a crucial opportunity to bolster partnerships, explore new avenues of collaboration, and contribute to impactful initiatives in Ghana.

Published

7 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Elder Jorg Klebingat, Flint Mensah, Richard Burton, H.E. Dr. Maritony Jones, Amb. Jonathan Jones, Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, Elder Alfred Kyungu. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

This trip signifies a crucial opportunity to bolster partnerships, explore new avenues of collaboration, and contribute to impactful initiatives in Ghana.

Upon their arrival at Katota Airport in Accra, Ghana, the Joneses were warmly received by His Royal Majesty Okatakyie Asafo Boakye III, the distinguished king of Sanzule Kingdom in the Eastern Nzema, and Etse Nyamedi of World Martial Authority, Ghana.

Nyamedi accompanied the Joneses to the city of Mepe, which had recently experienced flooding, to assess damages and engage with local leaders, elders, and youth regarding the city’s urgent needs after major floods last fall.

Key concerns and priorities identified by the community include comprehensive flood mitigation measures, agricultural support, housing initiatives, educational enhancements, improved healthcare access, and the development of communal recreational spaces.

The Joneses were also graciously invited to meet with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at their headquarters in Accra. This meeting provided insights into ongoing humanitarian efforts in Ghana and explored avenues for collaboration to further assist Ghanaian communities.

The LDS leaders shared their prompt response to the recent flood, demonstrating their commitment to humanitarian aid by dispatching substantial supplies including medical provisions, sanitation items, blankets, and food to assist flood victims just four days after the disaster.

Additionally, Boakye extended a special invitation to the Joneses to his palace, where they were pleasantly surprised with a heartfelt recognition ceremony. Maritony Jones was honored as the Queen Mother of the Sanzule Kingdom in acknowledgment of her dedicated work, while Jonathan Jones was lauded and welcomed as the ambassador of the Sanzule Kingdom, symbolizing a meaningful homecoming to their ancestral land.

The visit not only strengthens ties between Oakland and Ghana but also underscores the collaborative spirit and commitment to meaningful progress and humanitarian endeavors shared by all involved parties.

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.

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Bay Area

Nigerian Bank Chief Killed in Helicopter Crash on Way to Superbowl XVIII

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dept., the crash occurred near Nipton, on the edge of the Mojave Desert Preserve. The poor weather conditions — rain, wind and snow showers—may have contributed to the accident, although the investigation is not complete. All six aboard were killed. Herbert Wigwe, 57, founded Access Bank in 1989, and it became the country’s largest competitor, Diamond Bank in 2018.

Published

3 months ago

February 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Herbert Wigwe with his wife, Chizoba Wigwe, left, and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, right. ENigeria Newspaper image.

By Post Staff

The co-founder of one of Nigeria’s largest banks died with his wife, son and three others when the helicopter transporting them from Palm Springs, Ca., to Boulder City, Nev. to attend the fifty-eighth SuperBowl at the stadium outside Las Vegas crashed on Feb. 9.

Herbert Wigwe, 57, founded Access Bank in 1989, and it became the country’s largest competitor, Diamond Bank in 2018.

More recently, Wigwe was planning to open a banking service in Asia this year after making successful expansions to other parts of Africa, including South Africa, Kenya, and Botswana.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu described Wigwe’s death as an ‘overwhelming tragedy.”

Oakland resident and Nigerian immigrant Kayode Gbadebo agrees with Tinubu. He met Wigwe in Nigeria but crossed paths with him in London in 2006. Wigwe, he said, “took risks.”

He was young and people thought he couldn’t do what he intended, which was not so much about money but community.

“He was more like Jesus in washing the feet of the poor– Wigwe was culturizing community,” Gbadebo said.

“There will never be another like him. This is a deep, deep loss” and he hopes everyone will eventually “be comforted.”

He was also disappointed that a replacement has already been named even before Wigwe is buried. “It is not reasonable. You don’t want a vacuum, but it’s” not fair to the family, Gbadebo observed.

Wigwe had also been working to solve the migration issues from African countries, believing that “investing in higher education was key to controlling mass migration, which “is destabilising countries across the world,” BBC News reported.

“We need to take a holistic approach to address global migration, starting with our traditional framework for international development,” Wigwe wrote.

To that end, according to BBC News, Wigwe was preparing to open Wigwe University in Niger, where he was from.

“The best place to limit migration is not in the middle of the Mediterranean or the English Channel or the Rio Grande. It is in the home countries that so many migrants are so desperate to leave,” he wrote, saying his university was an opportunity for him “to give back to society.”

Besides Wigwe and his wife, Chizoba Nwuba Wigwe, and one son, two crew members and Bimbo Ogunbanjo, former group chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, were also killed in the crash.

According to Wikipedia, three other children survive Wigwe.

In his statement reported in People magazine, Tinubu described Wigwe as “a distinguished banker, humanitarian, and entrepreneur.”

“I pray for the peaceful repose of the departed and ask God Almighty to comfort the multitude of Nigerians who are grieving and the families of the deceased at this deeply agonizing moment,” the president said.

He added, “Their passing is an overwhelming tragedy that is shocking beyond comprehension.”

Besides feeling the tremendous loss, Gbadebo fears the disorder and greed that will follow. “It’s a mess,” he said.

People magazine, BBC News and Wikipedia were the sources for this report.