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Despite economic woes, Iceland
on top
Iceland is the world's best
place to live, according to an annual U.N. report that ranked sub-Saharan
Africa as the worst place for someone to call home.
The island nation edged out Norway, which
had held the top spot for the last six years. The United States slipped to 12th place from an eighth place ranking last year.
The U.N. Human Development Index used 2005
figures for life expectancy, educational levels and real per capita income to rank 175 nations of the world — plus Hong
Kong and the Palestinian territories — for habitability. Rich, free-market economies dominated the top spots with Australia,
Canada and Ireland rounding out the top five.
Click here to view the report.
African countries landed at the bottom of
the list, where in 10 countries, two in five children will not reach the age of 40. All 22 of the lowest ranked countries
are in sub-Saharan Africa, with Sierra Leone placing last. Last year's report cited HIV/AIDS' "catastrophic effect" on the
region's life expectancy.
The disconnect between the top-ranked nation
and the lowest for per capita GDP is staggering. Iceland boasts a GDP 45 times higher than in Sierra Leone.
The index, published annually since 1990,
does not include 17 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, due to insufficient data.
Norway slipped to No. 2 this year because
of new life expectancy estimates and updated figures for gross domestic product, or GDP, the report said.
U.N. officials downplayed shifts in rankings
among the top contenders, including the U.S., saying that if data had been available, the United States would have been in
10th, not eighth place.
The United States gets good marks for real
per capita GDP, which at $41,890 is second only to that of Luxembourg ($60,228), but fares less well on life expectancy —
tied last in the top 26 countries, along with Denmark and South Korea, at 77.9 years.
Japan has the longest life expectancy at
82.3 years, and Zambians, the lowest, at 40.5.
The human development index has risen over
the last 30 years for most nations, but in 16 it was lower than in 1990, and in three — the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Zambia and Zimbabwe — lower than in 1975.
Europe's Top 10 Best Places to Live
1. Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich's tiny population -- 376,815
at the end of 2007 -- is spoiled with over 2,000 bars and restaurants and a breathtaking view of the Alps and Lake Zurich.
Taxes are among the lowest in Switzerland, and residents pay no inheritance tax though its gloomy weather and traffic bring
it down.
2. Vienna, Austria (Tie)
The entire city centre of Austria's political, cultural and economic capital has been designated
a U.N. World Heritage site. It has excellent education and infrastructure.
2. Geneva, Switzerland (Tie)
Over 50 percent of Geneva's population has a foreign passport, according to the region's
statistics office -- not surprising given the heavy presence of U.N. agencies and
organizations such as the Red Cross. As a result, the city is geared to be global, with private banking facilities,
private hospitals and international schools.
4. Dusseldorf, Germany
Dusseldorf has built up its infrastructure
and international transport connections. The city, on the banks of the Rhine, has a plethora of consumer goods and is considered
the fashion and shopping capital of Germany. Dusseldorf has a thriving economy, with some of Germany's largest companies.
5. Munich, Germany (Tie)
With a population of 1.3 million, Munich is the largest city in
Europe's top 10. Best known for its annual beer festival, the city also enjoys a thriving economy, driven by the information
technology, biotechnology and publishing sectors. However, the city has a dearth of international schools and its air is polluted.
5. Frankfurt, Germany (Tie)
The financial capital of Germany has some spectacular architecture, including the opera house and
cathedral, and a vibrant cultural scene. The city has excellent hospitals, shops and a thriving economy. The poor availability
of housing in the city center and heavy traffic, however, drag Frankfurt down.
7. Bern, Switzerland
Bern, in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, is the world's second-safest city,according to Mercer, with 6 kms (4 miles) of shopping arcades. The city may not have a buzzing
nightlife, but it does have excellent medical facilities.
8. Copenhagen, Denmark
Living in Copenhagen is pricey but the city boasts 11Michelin-star restaurants and, according to Mercer,
is among the best-served cities in terms of international schools and private medical facilities. However the city's love
of bikes means that congestion drags it down the overall rankings.
9. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amsterdam's red light district and liberal policy on drug use don't do much for its
family-friendly reputation. What does? The city's canals, parks and museums, and the best selection of international schools
in Europe. Its ranking is dragged down by a lack of city centre housing and air pollution.
10. Brussels, Belgium
The administrative center of the European Union is among the best connected cities in Europe and
has a large number of schools serving the expatriate community. It does, however, have a large amount of traffic congestion
in the city and air pollution.
Martin Wolf in the Financial Times:
If a country has relatively weak international competitiveness, an inflexible labour
market and an irrevocably fixed exchange rate, the end of the property boom will reduce domestic demand, without generating
a significant offsetting expansion in net exports. The fiscal deterioration is then likely to be large and sustained.
For more, click on the image above.
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Tripology offers unique services and potential
Jonathan Haraty, a home-based independent travel specialist has tripled his profits since
joining Tripology in March 2007. Melody Hagerman, owner of Travel the Horizon is using Tripology.com to recession-proof her
25 year old business.
Tripology is an online travel referral service that connects travelers with travel specialists.
Since Tripology.com launched in June 2007 the site has received over 25,000 requests from travelers seeking a connection with
travel specialists.
Jonathan Haraty, owner of Jon's Dive and Travel Services and an outside consultant for the Cruise
Store said: “The depth and scope of the questions Tripology asks travelers before sending a lead has really saved me
time and increased my conversion rates.
Tripology sends me travelers I do not have the resources to market to. I recently
booked a honeymoon to St Thomas for two soldiers deployed in Iraq. Had it not been for Tripology I never would have found
these clients. “
Melody Hagerman explains what Tripology means to her business; “Unlike other lead generation
services out there Tripology has consistently delivered quality leads. I especially like that I decide which leads I want
to purchase. Tripology has increased my current volume and is one of tools that I am using to recession-proof my business.”
Tripology
enables all travel specialists, regardless of size or location, a cost effective way to increase their profits and stabilize
their business with customized travel leads. Travel specialists maintain control of the leads they choose to purchase and
the ability to alter their profile and lead filters at anytime.
How Tripology works
Visitors to Tripology.com answer
a series of questions to create their detailed trip request; which is matched to a selection of 6,500 agents who best meet
the traveler’s requirements. The agents receive an email with all the details of trip request, including destinations,
services needed, desired activities, travel dates, number of passengers, ages and lifestyles as well as occasion for travel.
The first three (3) agents to purchase the lead are then emailed the traveler’s contact information.
The Albaycin & Sacromonte: Special Places in Granada
Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that also ecompasses the Alhambra Palace, the
Albaycin counts as one of the most unique and comfortable historical neighborhoods in the world, a place where people still
live their lives following traditional patterns hundreds of years old.
Granada and the Albaycin fit into the comfortable
part of Spain. No one worries too much in Granada. Things are good. Granada, more than Seville or Cordoba, has a self-assured
but humble presence about it, a bit like Italian self-confidence: we are not concerned, too much, about contemporary trends,
so just live your life as best you can.
It's as though la dolce vita has
floated over across the Mediterranean from Italy to nestle in southern Spain, or maybe it’s always been here.
The Albaycin quarter of Granada, once its own entire Moorish metropolis,
spreads across a hill as impressive as the prominence on which the Alhambra Palace seems to float. Each directly across from
the other, both hills emerge above the Vega, the plain, of greater Granada, and constitute a valley to the rear of which hides
Sacromonte, the gypsy quarter, the land of flamenco and cave dwellings. This whitewashed array of houses and ruins constitutes
a stunning example of aesthetic balance and humane social space.
Completely paved in stone, meandering streets and alleys spell out a venture
in time not just to Mudejar Andalusia, but back to Moorish times and Europe’s last Islamic caliphate. Much of the Albaycin
still cannot be reached by even the tiniest car, yet the neighborhood lacks the claustrophobic, shut-in feel of many Medieval
European hill towns in France or central Italy. The Albaycin is not really Medieval at all, except perhaps chronologically,
and no other country but Spain experienced the history of enlightened Moorish culture followed by the 700-year reconquista--the attempt by Christians to retake the Moorish lands.
The Moors, and the Mudejar aesthetic style that remained after their
conquest, made for an urban landscape humane in proportions, deliberately determined, and yet exuding the idiosyncratic character
of century upon century of denizens who cared deeply, tenderly about the space they lived in.
Even today, the many patterns of life, repeated time and again, continues--the
market, the cafe, the bakery, butcher, cheese shop, and wine merchant. We buy our daily produce just beside the Gate of the
Weights, on Plaza Larga, as the Arabs, and then the Moriscos and the Spaniards have done for 800 years.
Here's how the National Geographic Soceity described it in their rating of world heritage
destinations (Granada was at the top):
"Old Granada is a wonderful tangle of spice-scented alleys where ancient and modern
cultures coexist. It's one of those rare places where the day-to-day existence of the modern residents doesn't interfere with
the underlying sense of history. As a gateway to the Alhambra, it succeeds in connecting the preserved relic with a living,
breathing extension of that era."
World Heritage Destinations Rated
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Check out the new Guide to small, eco-friendly accommodations: www.boutique-lodges.com
American investors litigation with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA): Free trade in question
The freedom to be luxe:
independent luxury hotel groups
courtesy of www.foodvacation.com
The difference between, say, a Four Seasons or Orient
Express hotel and one belonging to a hotel group like Relais & Chateaux or Conde Nast Johansens is simple enough: the
former are chain hotels—luxurious or not—while the latter are independently owned and managed, providing for a
distinction in the hospitality and guest experience.
Unlike
chains -- which often impose uniformity in terms of service, food, and ambiance as a branding exercise -- the marketing groups
seek out individuality, not conformity, and promote it as a virtue. For the traveler, that can mean a much richer and more
diverse lodging experience—the spice of life!
The rising star
in North America—though long a more established marker of quality in the United Kingdom—is Conde Nast Johansens, which publishes a glossy, large-format guide each year and of course features a searchable web site. Each Johansens property
is inspected not only upon admission, but also each and every year by a team of specialized inspectors. Johansens specializes
in eliminating the cookie-cutter type hotels from its roster, and seeks to promote unique properties for the independent traveler.
It is also the only group to carry the prestigious Conde Nast name, as the Johansens program was taken over by the London
travel publisher's home office several years ago.
Other independent
luxury groups includeSmall Luxury Hotels of the World and Relais and Chateaux, which both have properties around the globe. Relais emphasizes Continental-style comfort and excellence in fine dining. Rusticae is a grouping for Spain and Portugal, while Chateaux & Hotels(whose president is super chef Alain Ducasse) focuses mainly on France but also has members in Italy and Spain. An up-and-coming
group that emphasizes eco-friendliness is Canticum Hotels: Eco-luxury.
Many groups, like Relais
& Chateaux do not allow their members to joing other groups. Conde Nast Johansens features worldwide properties and
includes members of other groups like Relais & Chateaux (by special arrnagement) or Preferred Boutique. Finally, a North
American specialist for upscale Bed & Breakfasts and well as inns and small luxury hotels is Select Registry, which focuses on Canada as well as the United States.
To summarize:
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Relais & Chateaux: French aesthetics and fine dining
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Conde Nast Johansens: unique properties attractive to independent
travelers
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Canticum Hotels: eco-friendly and luxe
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Select Registry: North American inns & B&Bs of character
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Rusticae: charming hotels of Spain & Portugal
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Chateaux & Hotels: character properties in Franch, Italy,
and Spain
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Preferred Boutique: upscale independant properties around
the world
Next time you're
planning a super pampering getaway, be sure to include the independant luxury hotel groups in your designs.
Top 5 Romantic Hotels & Resorts
Living Abroad has its romance and now our editors have chosen the top 5 hotels &
resorts for that honeymoon or anniversary getaway. Criterion for selection include the ability to truly escape from the world—a
veritable hideaway—combined with attention to guest service, epicurean dining, spacious lodgings, and a sense of belonging
to place.
The 2008 Top 5 Most Romantic list:
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Villa Montaņa, Morelia, Mexico web
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Trout Point Lodge of Nova Scotia, Canada web
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Mirror Lake Inn, Lake Placid, New York, USA web
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Four Seasons at Jimbaran Bay, Bali, Indonesia web
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Hotel Marques de Riscal, Spain web
Property Market In Morocco Booms As Marrakech Land Prices Jump 1,500%
As other European second-home markets, such as Spain and Portugal, continue to slow,
there is more demand for a Moroccan home. The Marrakech property market has seen a growing influx of French, Spanish and British
property investors, eager to cash in on this emerging market.
Two years from the fulfilment of the King of Morocco’s
2010 vision, tourism and infrastructure development continue apace across the entire Kingdom, and in particular around the
popular city of Marrakech. Since 2002 Marrakech land prices have soared by 1,500% in areas like the Ourika Valley.
“The
countryside ‘peasants’ are very shrewd negotiators, with their ears to the ground and their hearts set on a fair
price for their homeland. Many pieces of land on which luxury Moroccan homes can be built, are owned by large families or
cooperatives and to sell it would require an agreement from every single one of them. It takes a long time, and often doesn’t
happen,” says Louise Hillcoat from Amazing Morocco, an investment property and holiday home expert company.
But
the long time expert in the holiday home market Louise Hillcoat warns that before eager-eyed speculators rush to snap up some
Moroccan land or property for sale in Morocco – to retain a while as it grows in value – they need to know the
rules of the property market in Morocco.
In Morocco, foreigners cannot buy and then resell land. They can only buy
land to which they are going to add value. They can do this by building a residential building or tourist development. So
property in Marrakech, Ourika Valley and elsewhere in Morocco has to be lived in so the foreign buyers bring their wealth
to the region, or it has to encourage visitors to the area – for example by providing holiday homes.
“To
guarantee that this happens, agricultural land is sold to a foreigner together with a binding contract between the developer
and the local authority.
“This Vocation Non Agricole (VNA) states that the developer must complete their project,
whether luxury Moroccan homes or holiday cottages, as planned, within a set timescale. If the terms are not adhered to, the
local community is entitled to reclaim the land,” Louise Hillcoat explains the difficulties of the Marrakech property
market.
In addition to that, the land registry will normally not issue individual title deeds until the terms of the
VNA have been completed. In 2007, this proved so crippling to developers that Marrakech was in danger of seeing an ocean of
abandoned projects and many people losing their Moroccan home in which they had invested.
Marrakech however had a temporary
reprieve and any house that was completed to shell and core by December 2007, could apply for their title deed and so sell
the properties on. The developers breathed a sigh of relief and construction began again at speed.
Add to this, the
increasingly restrictive countryside planning regulations, such as only being able to build one property of 300 sq metres
per hectare and any changes to the plans requiring a “back to the start” planning application.
“It
could be argued, quite strongly, that investors in Morocco would be advised to find their dream property for sale in Morocco
from someone who has already been through this process. Particularly as house prices have increased by a quoted 15% per year
over the same period,” Louise Hillcoat says.
Diamonds in the Rough to attract tourists to northern Canada
April 3, 2008 Visitors to Canada's north this summer will find that "diamonds in the rough"
means more than fascinating communities and spectacular scenery - it also means a brilliant one carat Polar Bear Diamond (TM)
valued at over eleven thousand dollars.
Each year thousands of visitors drive the Deh Cho Travel Connection, a scenic
touring route linking the Alaska, Mackenzie and Liard Highways in northern Canada. Deh Cho is the Dene word for "big river"
and a fitting name for a region with the colossal Peace, Liard and Mackenzie Rivers. The route traverses some of the most
spectacular terrain in Canada, drawing visitors with its magnificent wildlife, rich culture and history, and outdoor recreation
opportunities.
This year, adventurous travelers have another great incentive to travel the Deh Cho route - the opportunity
to win a Government Certified Canadian Diamond(TM), mined at Canada's first diamond mine in the Northwest Territories and
created at a local cutting and polishing factory in Yellowknife, Diamond Capital of North America(TM). All they have to do
is participate in the 2008 Deh Cho "Diamonds in the Rough" Passport contest.
Tourism partners in the Northwest Territories,
British Columbia and Alberta have worked together for years to promote the Deh Cho touring route. The 2008 Deh Cho Passport
is another cooperative effort to encourage visitors to travel the entire route and to experience more along the way.
Travelers
can pick up their 2008 Deh Cho Passport and get it stamped at any of the twenty five designated visitor information centres
along the Deh Cho route. To win the diamond and other amazing prizes, travelers must collect no less than four stamps from
each jurisdiction - Alberta, Northwest Territories and British Columbia.
The Diamonds in the Rough campaign will run
from May 15 - September 15, 2008. Full contest details are available at www.dehchotravel.com.
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