Madrid has beaten off competition from Barcelona to be selected as the location for EuroVegas, a multibillion-dollar mega casino resort, which is the brainchild of gambling billionaire Sheldon Adelson.

The Las Vegas-style casino strip will be Europe’s biggest gambling centre and brings with it the promise of tens of thousands of jobs to the Spanish capital, at a time when unemployment in the country is at 25 percent.

The project is expected to be half the size of the Las Vegas strip and will be built in phases over the next 10 years. When completed EuroVegas will contain six casinos, 12 hotels with 36,000 rooms, a convention centre, three golf courses, bars, restaurants and shopping centres.

Adelson is hoping to attract visitors from around Europe and countries of the former Soviet Union and it is hoped that the project will be a boost to property investment in the region. Potential obstacles to the project, however, include Adelson’s decision to fund only 35 percent of the resort and a demand in changes to local laws.

Meanwhile Barcelona, which lost out to Madrid in the bid to host EuroVegas, has promised that it will build its own casino development. ‘Barcelona World’ will be located next to Port Aventura, cost €4.74 billion and create 20,000 jobs. The plan will include a casino, six large tourist complexes with 20,000 hotel rooms, shopping centres, a theatre and offices.

Both parks are expected to attract 10 million visitors a year.

For more information on construction projects in Spain and around Europe don’t miss out on MIPIM 2013, at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, 12-15 March. . For the city’s best hotels, rented apartments and villas look no further than EAS, the local travel agent you can rely on. We have rooms in the most centrally located hotels, beach apartments with sea views, penthouses and even luxury loft apartments. We also offer yacht charters for those looking for something a little different and can organise all your transportation, dining and entertainment needs. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

Construction in Hong Kong continues to soar with contractors carrying out 33.6 percent more work in the second quarter of 2012 than in the same period last year.

According to figures from the Census and Statistics Department, $5 billion of construction was carried out in the second quarter in the Chinese city. The private sector saw the biggest rise in construction with works in this area increasing by a staggering 53.7 percent to total $1.7 billion. The value of public sector works also increased over the year, up 17.1 percent to total $1.8 billion during the quarter.

Looked at as a whole it appears that residential building projects are fueling the current construction boom in Hong Kong. The city has seen house prices double over the last four years as Chinese investors, driven by a desire to seek higher returns and to move their assets abroad, continue to snap up apartments. In order to meet increasing demand for new build properties residential construction was up 55.2 percent on figures in the same period last year.

The rapidly rising cost of homes is out-pricing Hong Kong locals, with many now unable to afford new homes in the city. In order to combat the overinflated prices the Hong Kong government in September announced the first step in a policy aimed at restricted foreigners from buying property in the city.

Under the policy known as “Hong Kong land for Hong Kong people” the executive of the city has said that only Hong Kong permanent residents will be able to buy flats built on two sites that will provide around 1,100 homes next year. In addition the resale of residential units will be restricted to locals for 30 years and incorporated companies will also not be allowed to purchase them.

Other measures include increasing land supply by converting 36 sites meant for government and public use to residential property to provide space for nearly 12,000 units.

MIPIM 2013 has all the latest information on construction projects from across the globe, so make sure you head down to the Palais des Festivals, Cannes from 12-15 March, 2013. For rooms in the most centrally located hotels, or luxury rented apartments look to EAS, your trustworthy local travel agent. Not only can we organise all you accommodation needs, but we can also arrange transport, nightly entertainment, restaurant reservations and even luxury yacht charters. Click on link for more information.

Retail stores and sectors of the construction industry that serve them should continue to do well into the internet age according to a report by leading real estate services firm CBRE.

The study, called The Role of Real Estate in the Multi-Channel World surveyed 50 leading international retailers with a combined network of more than 32,000 stores. Contrary to popular perceptions the immediate outlook is positive with physical stores continuing to play a significant role in multi-channel sales and strategies of distribution.

According to the CBRE, 72 percent of retailers around the world believe they will be operating the same or a greater number of stores in their domestic markets in the next two years, while 60 percent said they will be expanding across their whole international network.

“Our message to the retail and real estate industry is don’t panic,” explained Peter Gold, head of cross border EMEA retail for CBRE. “In reality, multichannel is encouraging shoppers to visit stores and is driving additional business to retailers – the overall pie is getting bigger and it is critical for retailers and landlords alike to embrace multi-channel, understand that it does not have to be expensive, and secure a greater slice of the market.”

All this is good news for retail constructors who can expect more work to come their way as the physical look and role of stores adapt to the internet and multi-channel age. The report expects more stores to act as pick-up points for online orders in preference to home deliveries. In addition 80 percent of retailers revealed that they want retrofit their stores with kiosks where customers can take advantage of multi-channel capacity.

For more information on the retail construction industry head down to MIPIM 2013, where the movers and shakers of the property world meet in Cannes. Here at EAS we can promise you the best hotel rooms, the most sought-after rented apartments and even the odd luxury yacht or two. With our expert knowledge we’ll make sure your stay will be one you don’t forget. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

More good news for the US economy as construction spending in September climbed to an almost three-year high to reach an annual rate of $852 billion.

Despite the downturn in public construction this past year has seen an increase in spending on houses, apartments and private non-residential projects. According to the Associated General Contractors of America, this spending outstripped the reduction in public construction. And the firm predicts that this trend will continue despite the disruption caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Total construction spending in September rose by 0.6 percent and 7.8 percent for the year from September 2011, resulting in the highest rate since October 2009. The overall figures are comforting with private residential spending accelerating at 21 percent over the last year and private non-residential construction up 8.8 percent. Public construction contracted by 4.2 percent year-over-year.

Within the private sector new multi-family construction saw the biggest increases in spending followed closely by new single-family construction and then improvements to existing residential structures. This latter group is expected to get a huge boost from the storm reconstructions, which are already underway in New Jersey and New York.

Meanwhile construction employers in the US added 17,000 jobs in October pushing the industry’s unemployment rate down to 11.4 percent. Despite the good news overall construction employment is still down by 2.2 million compared to its peak six years ago at 7.7 million workers.

MIPIM 2013 has all the latest information on construction projects from across the globe, so make sure you head down to the Palais des Festivals, Cannes from 12-15 March, 2013. For rooms in the most centrally located hotels, or luxury rented apartments look to EAS, your trustworthy local travel agent. Not only can we organise all your accommodation needs, but we can arrange transport, nightly entertainment, restaurant reservations and even luxury yacht charters.  Click here for more information.

For the first time since 2010 investor confidence is on the rise in Europe’s three largest economies Germany, France and the UK and 2013 should see an increase in investment according to a survey by Union Investment.

The study, which involved a representative survey of 165 investment decision-makers in Germany, France and the UK, also anticipates that real estate markets in Turkey, Poland and Ireland will emerge stronger in 2013.

Investors still raised caution regarding shrinking credit markets with 70 percent expecting loan rates to rise, while others highlighted higher taxes in France as an added burden.

Some 85 percent of those surveyed said the euro crisis would lead to a stronger focus on core products, such as those with long leases, central locations and high-quality assets.

In addition only 30 percent of investors now expect a Europe-wide recession. This compares with 42 percent when the survey was last conducted. While a mere 3 percent still believe that there is real possibility of the euro-zone collapsing, compared with 12 percent previously.

The news comes on the back of positive results from Europe’s commercial real estate sector. Investment volumes in European commercial real estate hit nearly €44 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012, the highest quarterly level since 2007.

Cross border investment rose by a healthy 19 percent last year and according to property consultants Cushman and Wakefield, it could rise by 6 percent to €141 billion in 2013 despite the still-fragile economic recovery in Europe.

“Cross border investment was the biggest area of growth last year, it outpaced the domestic buyers,” explained David Hutchings, head of European research at Cushman & Wakefield. “In any country in the world you will find people shopping for property in Europe.”

Property investors are still focusing on the larger markets of France, the UK and Germany, which make up 61 percent of the market share. However, the Nordics have seen their slice of the pie increase from 15.3 percent in 2011 to 17.9 percent last year.

For more information on the health of Europe’s real estate market and construction and property news from around the world check out MIPIM 2013 held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, March 12-15. For all your accommodation, transportation and entertainment needs look no further than EAS, the local travel agents you can trust. Whether you’re after rooms in some of the most centrally located hotels, your own private apartment or villa, or are looking to charter a luxury yacht for upscale entertaining, we have the answers you are looking for. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

Nokia’s future is looking increasingly fragile as it announced it would be cutting 10,000 jobs on Thursday of last week and revealed its second profits warning in two months.

Since Stephen Elop took over as chief executive in September of last year the Finnish company has slashed 40,000 jobs as part of a cost cutting programme. Last week saw its shares fall by 18%, dropping below the €2 mark for the first time since 1996.

In a mobile world that is now dominated by ever changing smartphones, Nokia has pinned its future hopes on its Lumia range of phones which are operated by Microsoft’s Windows Phone interface. The problem is that between the lavish unveiling last November and March of this year the phone had only sold 3 million units compared with Apple’s iPhone, which had sold 72 million during the same period.

Nokia was the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer until earlier this year when Samsung overtook it. In the last five quarters the company has burned through €2.1 billion, meaning that without a huge cost cutting programme its €4.9 billion reserves could vanish within a few years. In addition to job cuts, the firm announced it would be closing its last factory in Finland, closing research and development facilities in Germany and Canada and retreating from non-key markets so it can concentrate on America, China and the larger European economies.

Chief executive Elop stressed that Nokia’s misfortunes were down to bad marketing and promotions. “We have truly great products, but aren’t getting the traction that we would prefer,” he said.

The firm is hoping that the new operating platform Windows Phone 8 will boost sales. Microsoft is to release a test version next week, while actual Nokia phones running on the system will be available before Christmas.

To see first hand how well the firm is doing make sure you don’t miss out on the GSMA’s Mobile World Congress 2013, February 25-28 in Barcelona. Book now to avoid disappointment and arrange your accommodation through EAS, the friendly local travel agent you can trust. Based in Barcelona, we’ll find you the best hotels and rented apartments right in the heart of the city. Plus we can take care of all your transportation and entertainment requirements. Just click on this link to fill in our request form.

A court in the US has banned the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 as it continues to decide on whether the South Korean firm has infringed one of Apple’s design patents by copying the look of its popular iPad tablet.

The court case is due to begin in California on 30 July and follows a number of lawsuits Apple has filed against Samsung, HTC and Motorola, all of which use Google’s Android operating system. Apple is also trying to ban Samsung’s smartphone, the Galaxy S3.

Judge Lucy Kohn who granted the preliminary injunction in the US explained her decision saying: “Although Samsung has a right to compete, it does not have a right to compete unfairly by flooding the market with infringing products.”

Analysts consider Galaxy’s Tab 10.1 to be the biggest rival to the iPad and Apple have accused Samsung of “blatant copying” of its design and look. In return Samsung have accused Apple of infringing its patents on how phones and tablets connect to the internet. Just last week a Dutch court awarded Samsung damages from Apple for infringing this very patent. While in December 2011 a German court threw out a complaint from Apple about a different Samsung product.

The US ban, however, only applies to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and not Samsung’s newer model known as the Galaxy Tab 10.1.2. This latter tablet was designed quickly to avoid expected bans, so the South Korean company does not think the injunction will have a large impact on business.

In the first quarter of this year Apple sold 13.6 million iPads, while Samsung shifted 1.6 million tablets over the same period.

For the very latest information on the battle between the world’s two largest smartphone makers head down to the Mobile World Congress 2013, at the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona. For the best in accommodation, entertainment and transportation services look no further than EAS, your friendly, local travel agent in the heart of Barcelona. We reserve some of the best hotel rooms in the most central locations, have an array of top quality rental apartments and villas and can even find you a luxury yacht or two. We’ll also sort out all your transportation and nightly entertainment needs. Click on this link for more information.

Netflix is looking to make acquisitions following its move to raise $400 million in new debt, the company said last week.

The online video service will use $225 million to refund $200 million of existing notes at lower interest rates. The rest will be used for corporate spending including capital expenditures, investments, working capital and potential acquisitions.

This money could also be used for more original programming if the company’s own political drama “House of Cards” proves to be successful. The series stars Kevin Spacey who plays a US Congressman bent on revenge after being passed over for the position of Secretary of State and cost a reported $100 million for two seasons. The Netflix difference, however, is that subscribers can watch all 13 episodes of the first series at once without having to suffer the usual week long suspense which comes with other network series.

In the fourth quarter of 2012, Netflix added 2.05 million streaming users in the US alone, meaning they now have 33 million streaming users worldwide. These strong results were mostly due to record numbers of consumers activating electronic devices such as tablets and smart TVs during the Christmas season.

This news led Netflix’s shares to surge to new heights two weeks ago as its stock climbed $43.60 to $146.86, the biggest single day gain since the firm went public more than a decade ago.  Despite this, Netflix’s video-licensing bills are piling up. By December 2012 the firm owed $5.6 billion during the next five years and many analysts are questioning whether such high share prices are justified.

For more information on Netflix and other leading companies in the world of entertainment content head down to MIPCOM 2013, Cannes, 7-10 October. If you’re looking for accommodation then book with EAS now. With our expert knowledge of Cannes we’ll find you the best hotels, rented apartments and even luxury yachts right in the heart of the city. We can also organise nightly entertainment, take care of your transportation needs and reserve you tables at the best restaurants. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

Huawei will be attempting to outdo the competition at this year’s Mobile World Congress with the release of two new smartphones. The move follows on from the unveiling of three new smartphones from the company’s Ascend series at last week’s International CES in Las Vegas.

After wowing the public with the Ascend D2 and the Ascend Mate, the latter with its whopping 6.1-inch display, Richard Yu, head of the company’s consumer business group, said the Chinese firm was planning an even more inspired showing at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month.

“Huawei will be launching two new products at the Mobile World Congress that are more innovative than these two phones,” Yu explained, clearly underlining the fact that the company is saving the best for the Barcelona event.

One of the phones, according to Yu, will be the successor to the Ascend P1 S, the phone that once held the title of world’s thinnest. Alcatel’s One Touch Idol Ultra now holds that crown with measurements of 6.45 mm, but it looks likely that Huawei’s new phone will reclaim the top spot.

It’s still not clear what the second release will be, although Yu did say to expect the release of an eight-core processor sometime this year as well.

Whatever the releases its clear that Huawei is out to make an impact. To see for yourself the latest offerings from the Chinese firm head down to the Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona, February 25-28. If you’re after accommodation then look no further than EAS, your friendly local travel agents. We’ll find you the best hotels and rented apartments right in the heart of Barcelona, organise all your entertainment needs and arrange transportation. Just click on this link to fill in our request form.

Mobile owners are increasingly using their smartphones to access the internet in preference of traditional PCs and laptops according to a new survey carried out by Prosper Mobile Insights.

The company, which looked into the internet habits of adults from across the world, found that seven out of ten smartphone users complete at least one web-based activity on their phone in favour of a PC or laptop, regardless of whether they are on the move or at home.

More than half of respondents (51.1%) admitted to checking their emails using only a mobile device, while 45.3% completed mobile-only web searches and 42.3% used only their phone to connect to Facebook.

All this means that today’s leading brands have an increasing need to embrace mobile advertising. But as the survey shows, they need to be aware of which ads their customers will be most receptive to. Around 1 in 10 people said they pay regular attention to sponsored stories or links, ads that play before or during a video, and video ads in general.

Video ads are the most popular with 42.9% of respondents saying they are more likely to grab their attention than other forms of advertising. The most successful video ads are ones you cannot click away from, with 30.4% of people confirming that they pay more attention to this video format.

The survey made clear that marketers should make sure that ads are delivered to the right audience. 33.5% of people said they are more likely to pay attention if the ad is relevant, 24.2% claimed they are looking for informative ads and 23.9% are more likely to be responsive to eye-catching advertising.

The world of mobile advertising is still in its infancy and there are limitless opportunities for marketers to promote their brands to a global audience. For all the latest news on how to benefit from mobile marketing head down to the Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona’s Fira Gran Via, 25-28 February. If you’re after accommodation then look no further than EAS, your friendly local travel agents. We’ll find you the best hotels and rented apartments right in the heart of Barcelona. Or if you prefer, why not try one of our luxury yachts – the choice is yours. We’ll also organise all your transportation needs and book you into the city’s best restaurants. Just click on this link to fill in our request form.