Lucerne: Switzerland in a Nutshell – Discover the Country’s Cultural Heart

Lying directly on the shores of Lake Lucerne, the city is the social and cultural center in the heart of Switzerland. Lucerne’s roots date back to the 12th century, and its connection to history can still be felt today. Thanks to its beautiful location on the lake and its immediate proximity to the surrounding Alps, this lively city has welcomed visitors and developed its tourism offering over the last 200 years.

Today, Lucerne and the Lake Lucerne Region are among the most popular international tourist destinations in Switzerland. The combination of a city with a wide range of cultural and musical attractions and sights, all embedded in the impressive mountain terrain and surrounded by wild nature, is unique in Switzerland, making the destination extremely popular, especially with visitors from North America.

With its historic old town, embraced by the Musegg Wall and the iconic Chapel Bridge with its octagonal water tower, the heart-wrenching Lion Monument, or the KKL Luzern with its unmistakable architecture, there is plenty to discover. Lucerne also hosts a wealth of music festivals throughout the year, such as the Lucerne Festival and Lucerne Live, which cover a wide spectrum from classical music to jazz and pop. For art lovers, the Rosengart Collection Lucerne and the Lucerne Art Museum are highly recommended. Lucerne is also home to the country’s most popular museum, the Swiss Museum of Transport, where the history of mobility can be traced in an interactive way using a wide variety of exhibits. Various shopping opportunities, especially in the watch and jewelry segments, a large selection of restaurants with specialties from Switzerland and around the world, as well as hotels with a rich history, round off the city’s offering perfectly.

The world’s largest fleet of nostalgic steamboats operates on Lake Lucerne. The five paddle steamers are around 100 years old, and a high-quality public transportation network connects the city with the surrounding mountains of Mt. Pilatus, Mt. Rigi and Mt. Titis. Various mountain railways, including some record-breaking ones, allow travelers to reach alpine heights in comfort while enjoying the ever-changing views. This charming landscape offers outstanding hiking trails for all fitness levels, and many opportunities for active recreation. Travelers from North America are impressed in particular by the historic old town and enjoy the easy accessibility of the mountains by historic paddle steamers and spectacular mountain railways. The Lucerne-Lake Lucerne Region is ideal for anyone who wants to explore what makes Switzerland so special. Lucerne is Switzerland in a nutshell.

Lucerne-Lake Lucerne Region online: luzern.com

Egypt’s education system is by far the largest in the region

Private non-profit education institutions are increasingly taking the lead and spearheading quality education in Egypt. Since 2014, Egypt’s focus on improving the private and public education sector has increased significantly. Vision 2030 has called for an overhaul of the current educational system and looks ambitious and promising. Serious efforts to modernize the education sector from…
Egypt is considered one of the fastest-growing offshore destinations in the world and its BPO and IT industries are gaining global market share

Egypt’s ICT sector is one of the fastest economic contributors to GDP. The overall revenues for the sector in 2018 surpassed EUR 4 000 million and are expected to reach EUR 5 100 million by 2020. The growth rate reached 14.1% in 2017/2018, against 12.5% in 2016/2017 The government has invested heavily in telecom infrastructure.…
Eight percent of global shipping transits Egypt’s Suez Canal

The Egyptian government is implementing an ambitious strategy to improve and develop the transport sector to enhance the state resources and benefit on Egypt’s strategic location. Egypt has 108 000 kilometers of roads and 9 750 kilometers of railways, along with 20 airports, 15 harbors and a series of land ports. Transport and logistics represented…
New sector specific mega industrial zones in Egypt seek to improve valued added export capabilities

Egypt streamlined its industrial licensing processes to boost investment. They slash bureaucracy and decrease the waiting time for new projects. The industry sector is the second biggest economic sectors in the country representing more than a third of the GDP and more than 13% of the total labor force. In 2014, Egypt started a series…
New Administrative Capital in Cairo

Since the day the Pharaohs commissioned the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt has been home to vast mega-projects. Today is no exception, with the Suez Canal to the ongoing New Administrative Capital, presented as the biggest planned city of all time, Egypt has been living up to its Ancient ancestors. In March 2015, Egyptian Minister…
A growing population in Egypt demands quality housing

One of the best solutions for Egypt’s constant overpopulation of cities has been urban expansion. It is part of an ambitious government plan to build new cities on the outskirts of every major governorate in Egypt. The Egyptian real estate sector has historically proven resilient to economic and political tensions over the past decade and…
Becoming an Energy Hub: From blackouts to exports, the Egyptian energy sector has made a complete 360 in the past five years

Egypt’s oil and gas sector was on a downward spiral for years due to the impact of the Arab Spring, the unfolding of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the military coup. The country could not even keep its lights on five years ago. In 2013, due to a series of blackouts, factories were forced to shut…
Zohr: Massive new natural gas discoveries in the Mediterranean will meet and exceed Egypt’s national demand for years.

Egypt is the third-largest dry natural gas producer on the continent and the largest non-OPEC oil producer in Africa. In addition, the Suez Canal and Suez-Mediterranean Pipeline (SUMED) are strategic high-security global transit routes for oil shipped from the GCC to Europe and the United States. Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa,…
Egypt’s growing population is reinforcing economic growth while severely straining national resources

Egypt’s demographic boom has been a blessing to the economy. As the largest consumer market in the Middle East every sector of the economy can confidently expect sales to increase backed by national demographic trends. The needs of the growing population provide massive investment potential, and the private sector continues to find new opportunities to…
New Investment Law in Egypt

The landmark new investment law, ratified in 2017, changed the landscape of business in Egypt. The law has modernized and reduced barriers to how international companies invest and operate in Egypt, offering incentives, simplifying the processes, guaranteeing protection from decisions that are arbitrary or capricious, and providing new tools to ease establishing, starting and operating…
Egypt’s economic fundamentals are improving, and at 5.4% GDP growth it is the fastest growing country in the region

Egypt is the regions fifth-largest economy and increasingly on the global investment map. According to the International Monetary Fund Egypt was the third largest economy in Africa with a GDP of EUR 208 682 million in 2017 after Nigeria’s EUR 331 061 million and South Africa at EUR 304 642 million. Egypt’s economic fundamentals in…
Egypt’s evolving socio-economic dynamics evolve amongst social and religious frictions

Historically, the Arab Republic of Egypt has been fundamental to the development of the Middle East and North Africa. To this day, Egyptian political thought and cultural influence echoes throughout MENA. Egypt remains an influential actor in the region, pushing towards the path of further economic and political stability. History: It is impossible to…
Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030

“The new Egypt will possess a competitive, balanced and diversified economy, dependent on innovation and knowledge, based on justice, social integrity and participation, characterized by a balanced and diversified ecological collaboration system, investing the ingenuity of place and humans to achieve sustainable development and to improve Egyptians’ life quality,” Egypt Vision 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy.…
Egypt EU Trade relations improving

The European Union remains Egypt’s largest investors Three-quarters of foreign direct investment come from EU states, and trade represents a third of the country’s GDP. The has been constant EU assistance and partnership programs since 1998, which established stable relations between Egypt and the EU. The Association Agreement was the most effective agreement when it…
Interview: Mervat Sultan, Chairperson, Export Development Bank of Egypt (EBE)

Export Development Bank of Egypt (EBE) was established for the purpose of boosting Egyptian exports. The Bank offers banking and financial services to encourage the export activities of the agricultural, industrial, commercial and services sectors. One of the main business lines and activities of the Bank is the Corporate Banking and Loan Syndication Activities. How…
Interview: Ahmed Heikal, Managing Director, Qalaa Holdings

Qalaa Holdings is a leading private equity investment company in Egypt focusing in energy and infrastructure. Qalaa manages an investment portfolio consisting of 19 Opportunity-Specific Funds (OSFs). Its investments are distributed through 12 countries in the Middle Eastern and North African markets and span 14 industrial sectors. Qalaa Holdings is an African leader in energy and infrastructure.…
Interview: Mohammed Berro, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates NBD Egypt

Emirates NBD Egypt is one of the largest banks operating in Egypt excels in premier banking and pioneers in digital banking. It is an essential stakeholder in financing mega infrastructure projects and development initiatives in Egypt. Emirates NBD Egypt is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emirates NBD Group, a leading banking group in the region. …
United Nations Global Compact Profile

Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) is a global initiative that serves as a call to companies to align strategies and operations under the framework of the 10 UNGC Principles on Human Rights, Labor, Environment and Anti-corruption. Today with more than 9,500 business and 3,000 non-business organizations based in 160 countries and…
Interview: Lazar Petrović, CEO, Delta DMD

As a leading logistics distribution company, what key challenges need to be overcome in the region? Serbia is definitely a growing market and it is going to continue to be. I strongly believe that we are going to be a part of the European Union eventually. Especially for IT companies, Serbia is the best place…
Interview: Miroljub Jevtić, Director General, Infrastructure of Serbian Railway (IZS)

How is Serbia’s railway transport segment evolving? Serbia’s railway infrastructure system in 2018 offers safe and reliable services. It is efficient and successfully caters to a growing segment. Overall, Serbia is investing nearly EUR 5 billion to improve the transport network. This can be seen very clearly within the railway sector. Serbia continues a series…
Interview: Violeta Šestic, Head of Local Economic Development Department, City of Šabac

What makes Šabac a smart choice for investors? An interesting fact about the city of Šabac is that it was the first city in Serbia to meet the international standards ISO 9001:2000 which is a testament to our efficiency as an organization and our dedication to customer satisfaction.Besides, the City is a carrier of a…
Interview: Nemanja Aleksic, CEO and Managing Partner of the Aleksic and Associates Joint Law Office

How do you assess Serbia’s legal framework in 2018? The legal framework of Serbia in 2018 will be adapted to the process of accessing the European Union, with full commitment to the priority reforms necessary in this process. On April 29, 2008, Serbia signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement in Luxembourg, which, entered into force…
Interview: Zoran Blagojević, CEO, Wiener Insurance Serbia

How do you assess Serbia’s insurance sector? Western European markets average premiums around EUR 2 500 per capita, but in Serbia we are at EUR 100 per capita. These two figures show us a clear picture of the huge growth potential the insurance sector has within the Serbian market. There is a huge misunderstanding of…
Interview: Marija Labović, Acting Director, National Tourism Organisation of Serbia

How do you assess Serbia’s tourism industry? Demand is growing, and this is the trend for the last three years. In the last ten years we can see market change in favour of foreign visitors which are now making around 50% of total tourists. Three years ago domestic travellers started to travel again due to…