The 15 best food cities in Europe

Foodies rejoice.Pixabay

Planning to holiday throughout Europe and not sure how to decide which cities to visit? Some people might base their itinerary on famous or historical sights, but we foodies look to research which cities will be the best food and wine destinations to enhance our overall travel experience.

You might ask yourself which are the most foodie cities in Europe? When thinking about food in Europe, the first places that come to mind are probably Italy and France, because the traditions grab at those heart strings.

Strangely enough, though, some of the best European restaurants are located in northern countries; and often, as is the case in France and Italy, you must leave the biggest towns to have the most genuine foodie experience.

So which could be a suitable metric to decide where to go?

Surely, the Michelin star ranking is a good starting point, as this guarantees a perfect dining experience. In my opinion, however, a star (or even 3 stars!) is not enough. You have to adjust your ranking, because a city can be a real "foodie city" even without boasting any stars… let me explain in the following list, in reverse order from 15th through to number 1!

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Source: The 15 best food cities in Europe

St Petersburg revealed as host for World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony 2017

Saint Petersburg Committee for Tourism Development will welcome World Travel Awards to Russia for the first time in 2017, with the Europe Gala Ceremony 2017 set to take place in the capital of culture.

Having itself been recognised as Europe's Leading Destination in 2016 by voters from the World Travel Awards, the city will take hosting responsibilities next year.

World Travel Awards President Graham Cooke said: "It will be an honour for World Travel Awards to visit for Russia for the first time in 2017.

"Saint Petersburg is one of the most famous cities in the world and this is a fantastic opportunity for the city to take its rightful place as a top rank tourism destination."

A global cultural centre, Saint Petersburg is more than just home to the Hermitage Museum and the Kirov Ballet.

With an exceptionally rich history, centuries-old traditions and a bright future, this fascinating destination is built on more than 45 islands and has been modelled in the French style by some of the world's great architects.

Saint Petersburg Committee for Tourism Development Chairman, Andrey Mushkarev, said: "We will be honoured to host the leading European tourism industry professionals in Saint Petersburg in 2017.

"We are confident this event will be one of the best in the history of the World Travel Awards and we are pleased to invite everyone to the Europe Gala Ceremony in St. Petersburg; a city that is the pride not only of Russia and Europe, but of the whole world."

World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Each year World Travel Awards covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective successes within each key geographical region.

World Travel Awards Gala Ceremonies are widely regarded as the best networking opportunities in the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries, and international print and broadcast media.

Source: St Petersburg revealed as host for World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony 2017

The tallest skyscraper in Western Europe is coming to London Docklands - and this is what it will look like

Londoners will soon get the chance to live in Western Europe's tallest residential skyscraper.

The £800m tower, set for London Docklands, is being built by Chinese firm Greenland Group and will be 67 storeys tall, housing 861 apartments.

But don't worry - getting to the top won't take long. There will be nine lifts travelling between floors at a speed of six metres per second.

Who would say no to a garden on top of a skyscraper? You could see your work from home (Source: Greenland Group)

And, as is the trend in modern luxury living in the capital, plenty of amenities will be provided, including a concierge, gardens, a spa and plenty of "sculptural benches" to recline on after a busy day in the City.

The spa includes a swimming pool with an "infinity edge" and a jacuzzi.

Read more: Decision on City's tallest skyscraper pushed back until Autumn

The interiors of Spire London have been designed by Nicola Fontanella of Argent Design. The tower itself, designed by Larry Malcic and Christopher Colosimo of architects HoK, has been inspired by orchids - the building is made of three "petals".

Enjoy views across London from your open-plan living room (Source: Greenland Group)

Yuliang Zhang, chairman and president of Greenland Group, said: "This tower will be Western Europe's tallest residential building and underlines London's enduring status as a world-class city and destination.

"This is Greenland Group's most important project in Europe, and will deliver exceptional new homes for Londoners."

The rooms come with a winter garden, of course (Source: Greenland Group)

Residents will be able to see the Thames, Canary Wharf and the City all from the comfort of their beds.

Source: The tallest skyscraper in Western Europe is coming to London Docklands - and this is what it will look like

UK tops survey for foreign trade after Brexit

GETTY

The UK has become the top European destination for investment from emerging markets

Figures released by the Department for International Trade show foreign direct investment is up 11 per cent since 2015, creating a recordbreaking 1,600 jobs a week.

It comes after Britain retained the number one spot in Ernst and Young's UK Attractiveness Survey, which ranks countries on their appeal to foreign investors.

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What is clear going forward is that the UK is going to remain open for inward investment and indeed may have to work a bit harder to attract it at the same levels post-Brexit

Nigel Driffield

It also follows a flurry of positive post-Brexit economic news after manufacturers last week clocked up one of their best months for 25 years as the weak pound boasts exports.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said: "Across the country, 2,213 inward investment projects were secured in 2015 to 2016, an 11 per cent increase on the previous year.

This led to around 116,000 jobs being created or safeguarded – the second highest number on record. These impressive results show the UK continues to be the place to do business. 

We've broadened our reach with emerging markets across the world to cement our position as the number one destination in Europe for investment."

Investors came from 79 countries, a record for one year. Projects funded from Latin America were up 240 per cent and East European investment increased 131 per cent.

The US remained the UK's largest source of outside financing, with 570 projects, followed by China which accounted for 156 and India with 140.

The pros and cons of Brexit

GETTY

Adam Marshall said the UK must carry on attracting investors with long term commitment

The statistics up to the end of April show investors weren't deterred by the possibility of Britain leaving the EU although Professor Nigel Driffield of Warwick Business School sounded a note of caution: "What is clear going forward is that the UK is going to remain open for inward investment and indeed may have to work a bit harder to attract it at the same levels post-Brexit," he said.

Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce added: "We must continue to welcome investors willing to make a sustained long-term commitment."

GETTY

Liam Fox said investments led to around 116,000 jobs being 'created or safeguarded'

The news comes amid reports that London's financial technology or "fintech" start-ups are confounding expectations that Brexit would "kill" the capital's thriving services sector.

"There's been a few hundred years of finance history, trading, infrastructure, legal and everything else.

GETTY

Direct investment created a recordbreaking 1,600 jobs a week

"That's not just going to go away overnight," said Jeremy Sosabowski, chief executive of London-based financial-software developer AlgoDynamix, which closed a six-figure deal with a US hedge fund just after the Brexit vote.

"Last week, figures showed the index of activity in UK factories rose five points in August, the joint biggest rise since records began 25 years ago .

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Source: UK tops survey for foreign trade after Brexit

UN: Death toll among refugees crossing Mediterranean is highest ever

The U.N. refugee agency estimates nearly 4,200 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea since Alan Kurdi's lifeless body washed ashore on a Turkish beach one year ago. During the first eight months of this year, the agency reports, more than 280,000 people have made the treacherous sea crossing to Europe.

The number of arrivals in Greece has practically dried up, following the implementation of a European Union-Turkey accord under which migrants are prevented from leaving Turkish shores. But the numbers leaving Libya for Italy remain high.

UNHCR spokesman William Spindler said Friday that the change in the migratory pattern had caused a spike in the number of casualties.

"So far this year, one person has died for every 42 crossings from North Africa to Italy, compared to one in every 52 last year," he said. "This makes 2016 to date the deadliest year on record in the central Mediterranean. The chances of dying on the Libya-to-Italy route are 10 times higher than when crossing from Turkey to Greece."

Legal pathways

Spindler said these dangers reinforce the urgent need to increase legal pathways for refugees to seek asylum in European countries. These, he said, could involve resettlement or private sponsorship, family reunification and student scholarship schemes.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Children's Fund estimated that 500,000 refugee and migrant children had fallen prey to smugglers. The agency said people smuggling and human trafficking were now estimated to be worth up to $6 billion annually.

UNICEF spokeswoman Sarah Crowe told VOA that children, especially unaccompanied youngsters, who use smugglers to reach European countries of destination were very vulnerable to exploitation.

"It may mean that they have to pay off their debts in favors, in exploitative services, such as labor, sexual prostitution, sexual exploitation and so on," she said. "But sometimes, just out of desperation, they will fall into the hands of other criminals, organized crime, et cetera."

To help protect refugee and migrant children, UNICEF is calling for greater efforts in tracking and documenting smuggling and trafficking networks that target children on the move.

Source: VOANews.com

(Archive photo: IOM)

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Source: UN: Death toll among refugees crossing Mediterranean is highest ever

India most secured destination for overseas investment: Anant Geete

Given the current global scenario, India is the most secure destination for overseas investors to pour in funds, Union Minister Anant Geete said today.

He recalled that overseas investors signed agreements worth a whopping Rs 3 lakh crore with the Government and domestic private firms during the Make in India Week in February, in Mumbai.

"A few months ago the Make in India and Make in Maharashtra week were celebrated. During that period foreign investors signed MoUs worth Rs 3 lakh crore with the Government as well as the private sector," the Heavy Industries Minister said at a conference here.

The Minister observed that given the current global scenario, India is the most secure destination for overseas investors to pour in funds.

Addressing the 4th Fraunhofer Innovation and Technology Platform here, the Minister invited the German organisation to establish its 68th institute in India, promising to allot land for the same in whichever state it desires.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is the largest organisation for applied research in Europe. At present, it maintains 67 institutes and research units in Germany.

Source: India most secured destination for overseas investment: Anant Geete

Terror attacks hit Europe's holiday totals

BTN News Thursday, 01 September 2016

The long-term effect of sustained terrorism continues to impact populat tourist destinations.

Outbound travel agents in South Korea have reported group bookings to Europe down by as much as 20 per cent, while overall, travel across Europe is said to have declined by as much as 10 per cent in some regions.

Turkey also has been affected, with countries gaining market share in south east Asian destinations to compensate.

Source: Terror attacks hit Europe's holiday totals