eNews Issue 3

 

How to Cope with Jetlag and What to Do if You Lose Your Passport

Target GGD Below 3% by 2015 Achievable, Says IEA

COMPETITION: Win ex-London Flights for Two on the Virgin Atlantic Network!

Business Travel Readers Survey and Sennheiser Bluetooth Travel Headphones – Music to Your Ears!

Avant-garde Wineries in Spain

Skobbler GPS Navigation 2

How to Cope with Jetlag and What to Do if You Lose Your Passport

These are two of the topics affecting business travellers that are addressed in the Autumn 2011 issue of Business Travel Magazine, out soon. Others include Doing Business in Volatile Markets, How Semi-States Can Help SMEs, Destination New Delhi, and an interview with John Whelan, Chief Executive of the Irish Exporters Association.

We haven't forgotten the leisure side of your travel: Dan White reports on a short break in Malaga, we look at how best to spend time in Lisbon – and review the Altis Avenida Hotel and Gambrinus Fish Restaurant, while Paddy Comyn takes to the road with the new Audi A6 and Jaguar XF 2.2 D.

There's much more! We publish the Carlson Wagonlit Travel Global Travel Price Forecast for 2012, Flight Check reports on Thai Airways to Bangkok, Hotel Check reviews The Fairmont in San Francisco, Tony Condon of UCD answers BT's Frequent Flyer questionnaire, and Travel Gadgets reveals how you can beat airline baggage charges – by wearing your luggage!

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Target GGD Below 3% by 2015 Achievable, Says IEA

"The target of a General Government Deficit below 3% by 2015 can be achieved," says the Irish Exporters Association in its Pre-Budget Submission 2012.

"The brightest spot on our economic horizon is the strong performance of Irish exports," says the IEA. "Exports of goods and services grew by 6.3% in volume terms last year. Ireland's export sector will play a crucial role in economic recovery. Exports of goods and services are projected to grow by 7% in volume this year and on average by 5% annually over the period 2012 – 2015.

"A growth rate in exports in excess of this would be of enormous benefit in helping to achieve a reduction in the General Government Deficit to below 3% by 2015. The detailed recommendations in this Pre-Budget Submission will help enable export growth in excess of 5% and hence they should be implemented despite the constraints on the Exchequer."

The main points made by the Submission include:

1. Key Economic Management Focus

  • The Comprehensive Review of Expenditure is crucial. This must clearly identify sizable savings in voted current expenditure for Budget 2012 and over the full adjustment period to 2015.
  • Savings on interest payments arising from the interest rate reduction on EU loans should only be used to reinforce the fiscal consolidation programme.
  • Given very weak domestic demand, cuts in voted current expenditure are preferred to increases in taxation.
  • State assets should not be sold at a discount to net asset value.
  • Given the scale of fiscal adjustment required to 2015 and beyond, cuts in public sector pay may be required, especially beyond 2014.

2. Real Export Focus, Indigenous and FDI

  • More rapid growth of indigenous exporter businesses – assisting growth from SME to large company.
  • R&D – export market research and entry costs for indigenous businesses.
  • Export Finance Guarantee Scheme – emerging markets and novel products and services.
  • New Enterprise Investment Incentive Scheme – accelerate private sector investment in business and assist more rapid growth of exporting SMEs, and ease pressure on bank funding.
  • Entrepreneur Scheme – stimulate more export orientated start-ups.

3. Reform of Government — budget allocations to ensure key export development services are supported

  • Provide a detailed plan of Public Sector Reform, inclusive of transfer of resources to trade promotion agencies to replace key staff retirements.
  • Embassy network expansion, with new added trade development services.
  • IDA overseas network expansion, essential in Asia, Russia and South America.

4. Bolster the Basic Export Infrastructure

  • Cost competitiveness
  • Access to and from markets
  • Transport efficiency supports
  • Communications infrastructure
  • Energy costs
  • Waste management and costs

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Business Travel Readers Survey and Sennheiser Bluetooth Travel Headphones – Music to Your Ears!

We at Business Travel would really like your feedback and value your opinions on our product and on Business Travel in general. To that end we have posted a short survey on Survey Monkey that will not take you long to fill out and you could win the ultimate travel headphones!!!

Sophisticated frequent fliers want to be enveloped in their music rather than the drone of outside noise – and the noise cancelling Sennheiser PXC360BT Bluetooth travel headphones are just what you need!

Experience the best entertainment wherever your travels take you. Just lean back and enjoy a fascinating sound experience in perfect peace – with breathtaking clarity and depth.

These closed, circumaural travel headphones are embedded with NoiseGard 2.0 technology, which electronically identifies and reduces unwanted ambient noise. They are so comfortable you'll never want to take them off – and you don't need to, either. Thanks to their TalkThrough feature, you can speak freely and easily while still wearing them.

The Sennheiser PXC360BT retails at €369.99, but complete the following Readers Survey and you will be in the draw for a free set – so you can discover a whole new travel experience!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BTreaderssurvey

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Avant-garde Wineries in Spain

Visit Spain's most avant-garde wineries and you will discover architecture, wine, design and art combined in buildings designed by the world's most prestigious architects.

In Elciego (Álava), in northern Spain, you will find the Marqués de Riscal winery's City of Wine. Canadian Frank Gehry, architect of the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, designed this revolutionary building, which has titanium exterior panels and rises from the ground like a vine and is fully integrated into the surrounding vineyeards and countryside. Inside there is a luxury hotel and restaurant, a wine therapy spa, a business centre and a museum.

Less than 10 kilometres away, in the village of Laguardia, in the heart of the La Rioja Álavesa Wine Route, you will find the Ysios Winery, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, and the Viña Real Winery by Frenchman Philippe Mazières. They are two very different buildings, but both are spectacular.

Rafael Moneo, another prestigious Spanish architect, is responsible for designing the Julián Chivite Winery in Estella, in the Navarre region, which is completely integrated into the surrounding forests, vineyards and landscapes.

So if you appreciate great architecture and fine wine – head for Spain!

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Skobbler GPS Navigation 2

Within two days of its launch, the Skobbler's next generation sat nav suite, GPS Navigation 2, was the top grossing app in the German Apple App Store.

The first of its kind to offer both online and offline navigation of the entire world, GPS Navigation 2 is a new sat nav concept. It is available from the Apple App Store for only £1.49 and with free map updates for life.

It is now possible to opt to install select maps directly to a device for a minimal fee, to avoid problems caused by data connection loss in locations with poor reception, and potentially offer significant savings on data charges to a mobile – particularly useful when negotiating expensive roaming charges abroad. Maps can also be installed and removed as necessary to allow users to tailor the package to their specific travel needs, and manage what can often be limited storage capacity on mobiles.

GPS Navigation 2 is compatible with both the full retina display of the iPhone 4 and all 3G iPads with built-in GPS. It is also streamlined to offer faster performance on the road – client side re-routing on installed maps means that alternative directions are calculated up to 10 times faster than traditional software.

Features include:

  • Global maps – download individual countries, continents or the whole world
  • Users can choose online or offline navigation
  • Powered by OpenStreetMap
  • No costly subscriptions
  • Online navigation for only £1.49 – with free map and software updates for life

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