INDUSTRY NEWS
Athens Digital Nomads’ Wonderland
Athens has recorded the third fastest growth rate in the world between 2017-2021 as one of the most popular destinations for digital nomads. More specifically, according to Nomadlistdata, digital nomads’ arrivals in Athens in 2017-2021 increased by 198%, while by early 2022 the increase is 109%.
Greece has two different programs for digital nomads. The first one offers tax incentive of 50% to attract foreign workers to settle down in Greece. Furthermore, a Digital Nomad Visa has been introduced, which allows non-EU citizens a right to live and work remotely in the country.
PROPERTY MARKET
Logistics Properties In Demand
Logistics properties is the second most attractive category for real estate investors in Greece. €200 million was invested in this category in 2021, according to data from Athens Economic Ltd – JLL.
High quality logistics properties make an annual return of up to 7.5%. Marketers estimate the stock of warehouses in the Attica region in the next 16 months will grow by 180,000 sq.m. and at the end of 2024 another 250,000 sq.m.
Prime office Price Soars
Provisional data shown prime office prices in 2021 for the entire country increased on average by 1.8% relative to 2020, against an increase of 1.2% in 2020. Broken down by region, in 2021 prime office prices increased on average by 4.5% in Athens, 0.4% in Thessaloniki, while they decreased by 1.2% in the rest of Greece.
Source: Bank of Greece
INVESTMENTS
Outsize Hellinikon Park
The world-renowned architectural firm Sasaki, which has designed and implemented some of the largest and most impressive urban parks in the world, in cooperation with the Greek architecture office Doxiadis+, are currently working on the design and the study for The Hellinikon Park.
“The Hellinikon Park is more than just a large, green park. It is a new proposal for a new way of life, not just in our country but across the world, in which nature, humans, and advanced applications of technology coexist,” said Odysseas Athanasiou, Chief Executive Officer of Lambda Development, the enterprise that drives the project.
More Investment From Google
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met Matt Brittin, President of Google EMEA on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum at Davos, discussing the prospect of increasing Google’s investments in Greece, the wider utilization of tools that Google already has at its disposal in the country concerning programs of digital education and entrepreneurship, especially in the field of tourism. In addition, the company’s plans for the Blue Submarine Cable System, that will connect Europe, Asia and Middle East was touched on.
Source: primeminister.gr
Future Ties With Saudi Arabia
A large business delegation from Saudi Arabia, led by the Saudi Minister of Investment, 8 deputy ministers and high-ranking officials, arrived in Greece in the context of strengthening and deepening the economic and business relations between Greece and Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Minister of Investments, Khalid Al Faleh described the prospects for the development of relations between Greece and Saudi Arabia as exceptional. He pointed out that bilateral relations are broad and sent the message that the sky is the limit for what Greece and Saudi Arabia can do together. Particular emphasis was placed on tourism, renewables, management and innovation.
ENERGY
Greece: Europe’s Clean Energy Hub
Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Kostas Skrekas said the government would mobilize over €44 billion for the structural transformation of the country’s energy sector by the end of the decade. The aim is to increase the installed renewable energy capacity to 25 GW from 9 GW.
The production of electricity from RES costs up to five times less than from fossil fuels, Skrekas said.
A record of more than 1.74 GW in renewables is set to become operational this year, compared to 1.12 GW projects in 2021 and 955 MW from the year before. By the end of 2022, the share of renewables in the electricity mix will exceed 50%. It landed at 43% for 2021, the minister noted.
TOURISM & TRAVEL
Greek Tourism Total Recovery
According to the Bank of Greece (BoG), travel receipts in the first four months of 2022 has reached 86.6% of those in the corresponding period of 2019. In the same period, the average cost per trip increased by 20.3%. This is a particularly encouraging development for both the revenue and quality of inbound tourism.
The Greek economy is forecasted at growing by 5.5% this year from tourism and that the prospects for growth in the next two years are favourable.
On the other hand, the cruise industry is staging a significant recovery with almost a third of the world’s cruise liners will be operating in Greece this year, according to Cruise Lines International Association.
INFRASTRUCTURES
Supercomputers Installation Plan
Greece is one of five locations for the next generation of European supercomputers, as announced by the European High-Performance Computing (EuroHPC) Joint Undertaking.
These machines will power further development of novel scientific and industrial applications in personalised medicine, development of new drugs, wind-farm design modelling, and biomolecular research.
The new sites will be connected and available to serve a wide range of European users in the scientific community, as well as industry in particular small and medium businesses across the EU and participating countries, the Commission said.
Source: ANA – MPA
LIFESTYLE
Celebrities Adored Greek Islands
Paul McCartney celebrated his 80th birthday with family on a luxury yacht off Mykonos in the third week of June. According to Daily mail, the camera captured him on a luxury yacht enjoying the Greek hospitality, the sea and the amazing beaches of the island.
Hollywood actor James Franco has made Mykonos his second home as he was spotted enjoying the nightlife of the cosmopolitan Greek island for the fourth consecutive year, whereas celebrity Hollywood couple Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes were caught summer holidaying on the Greek island of Antiparos with their two daughters.
