The world’s most valuable brands 2019 ! Amazon beats Apple and Google; luxury brands are the biggest movers with Louis Vuitton and Chanel

Amazon has overtaken Google and Apple to become the world’s most valuable brand at $315.5 billion, according to a ranking of global companies, up 52% on last year.

Apple comes second, valued at $309.5 billion, with Google in third place, at $309 billion, according to the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brand ranking 2019, compiled by WPP research agency.

Google and Apple had spent a combined 12 years at the top of the list, with Google taking the top spot in 2018.

Luxury brands are the list’s biggest movers, with the likes of Louis Vuitton and Chanel growing their brand value on the back of consumers’ increasing desire for experiential purchases.

The world’s most valuable brands 2019

  1. Amazon $315.5 billion
  2. Apple $309.5 billion
  3. Google $309 billion
  4. Microsoft $251.2 billion
  5. Visa $177.9 billion
  6. Facebook $159 billion
  7. Alibaba $131.2 billion
  8. Tencent $130.9 billion
  9. McDonald’s $130.4 billion
  10. AT&T $108.4 billion
The World’s Most Valuable Brands 2019
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Turkey’s most valuable brand: Turkish Airlines

National flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) was named Turkey’s most valuable brand for 2019 by leading London-based independent brand business valuation and strategy consultancy firm Brand Finance.

According to the 12th edition of “Turkey’s Most Valuable Brands – Turkey 100” report by Brand Finance, Turkish Airlines has been listed as Turkey’s most valuable brand with a value exceeding $1.7 billion. The national flag carrier was named the country’s most valuable brand in 2018 as well. Besides the carrier, financial institutions mainly grabbed the top positions on the list. THY has been followed by the state lender Ziraat Bank with $1.6 billion, while the private lender Garanti Bank ranked third with a brand value of $1.3 billion.

The lenders were followed by the country’s leading telecommunication operators Türk Telekom and Turkcell, respectively, with a brand value of around $1.2 billion each.

Private lender, İşbank, on the other hand, ranked sixth with a brand value of some $1.1 billion, followed by Akbank with $934 million, Arçelik with $837 million, Yapı Kredi with $647 million and Ford Otosan with $458 million.

TURKEY’S TOP 100 BRANDS VALUED AT $19.8 BILLION

According to the survey, the total value of Turkey’s top 100 most valuable brands was calculated as $19.8 billion.

Seven new brands from various business lines were included in the list this year with Enerjisa in 31st place, Şok Market 34th, Nef İnşaat 35th, MLP Sağlık 51st, Yataş 61st, Avivasa 95th, and Desa Deri in 98th place. Koçtaş saw the highest increase in value among the top 100 brands with 19 percent, rising from 49th to 39th place, while İntema İnşaat Malzemeleri experienced the highest decrease in brand value in the said period with 73 percent, falling from 64th to 88th place.

BEŞİKTAŞ TOPS FOOTBALL CLUBS

When we look at the Turkish football clubs that could not make it to the list of the 50 most valuable football clubs in the world, Istanbul powerhouse Beşiktaş, which is also coated to Istanbul Stock Exchange, ranked first with $107 million in brand value. Beşiktaş, which came 38th among the most valuable brands of the country, was followed by Fenerbahçe with a brand value of $89 million, Galatasaray with $60 million, and Trabzonspor with $26 million.

Turkish Airlines – Official Sponsor of Barcelona Football Club
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Celebrate in Style with Illusthrone’s Special Events Yacht Charter Service in Turkey and worldwide

A wedding ? Golden anniversary ? Graduation ? Party ? Or a corporate event ?

Whether you’re celebrating a major life milestone or launching a new product line, when it comes to event venues, nothing can compare to a luxury yacht.

Imagine, the sun is low on the horizon painting the clouds shades of purple, orange, and gold. As your guests gather on the yacht’s sundeck, a gentle sea breeze ruffles their clothing. Caterers circulate drinks as the band begins to play. And you make your grand entrance carried in from shore aboard the yacht’s tender.

Hosting your party on a yacht adds a layer of glamor that will blow your guests away. And you might be surprised to learn that you can charter a private yacht for as little as a day or even half a day for your special occasion.

Illusthrone tailor-made hospitality’s travel team dedicated to making yacht charters more accessible and affordable, will work with you to find the perfect ship and location to ensure your big day makes an impression your guests won’t soon forget.

6 reasons a yacht makes the best event venue

  • The Scenery – Yacht charters are available the world over, so the backdrop for your event could be the emerald seas and amazing nature of Turkey, whitewashed villages of Greece, the sugar-white beaches and coconut palms of Key West, the beautiful Bosphorus of Istanbul, or the towering cliffs and grand hotels of Monte Carlo. Close to home or in a far off locale, Illusthrone will help you find the perfect destination.
  • Ultra-luxury accommodations – No need for a separate hotel. You and your family can relax and enjoy the luxury cabins onboard your yacht. Picture yourself waking the morning of your event in the yacht’s grand stateroom. The crew serves you breakfast on the sundeck and you can enjoy a refreshing swim or run on the beach before you set about the day’s tasks. Then, when the festivities are all said and done, you can once again retreat to the quiet sanctum of your private quarters.
  • VIP service – Yacht crews are chosen for being highly personable, discreet and well-trained. They adapt to your desired style of service, whether that is more formal and refined or a more relaxed family atmosphere. They will work with you on logistics, safety, decorations, and catering.
  • Privacy – Unlike with a hotel, on a yacht you have complete privacy from the outside world, and with it, an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends without distractions.
  • The activities – Giant inflatable water slides, climbing walls, scuba gear, jet skis, paddle boards… when it comes to sheer fun, nothing can compete with the toys available aboard a superyacht. How about a day of playing on the water before a more formal evening gathering ?
  • It floats – While elaborate yacht parties are held in port (for logistical and safety reasons), you don’t have to remain tethered to the shore ! Consider treating yourself and your honored guests to a luxury cruise either before or after the main event.

Yacht day charters can be anything you want them to be, from an intimate gathering of friends, to a huge destination theme party. Perfect for weddings, anniversaries, product launches, employee rewards, bar mitzvahs, quinceaneras, or any other moment in time worth celebrating. Illusthrone tailor-made hospitality is here to help you have the time of your life and create memories beyond compare.

Illusthrone’s Luxury Yacht Service

Illusthrone’s Luxury Yacht Service
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Istanbul welcomed its first cruise ship in four years

Regent Seven Seas Voyager, carrying 750 passengers, docked at the city’s Sarayburnu Port, Istanbul last week. The Regent Seven Seas Voyager, mostly carrying tourists from Italy and Greece, arrived at Sarayburnu at 8:30 a.m.

Cruise tourism in Istanbul which had come to a standstill in the last four years has started to rebound this year. Some 24 cruise ships were expected to arrive in the city by October and the number is expected to reach 80 in 2020.

A new cruise port is in the plans at Istanbul’s Yenikapı district and the tender bidding is likely to take place by the end of this year.

In addition, Istanbul’s mega-port project Galataport, which is currently under construction, is expected to revive the city’s cruise tourism sector.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry forecast that the port will host around 500 cruise ships with an average of 4,000 passengers each. With these ongoing and planned projects, Istanbul is expected to become one of the major cruise centers in the Mediterranean region.

Regent Seven Seas Voyager in Istanbul

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Uber Halts UberXL Services in Istanbul, Turkey Ahead of Rerun Vote

Uber Technologies Inc., subject of physical and legal battles with Turkish cab drivers and authorities, has stopped providing its luxury UberXL service to clients in Istanbul.

“We had to make a very tough decision and halt UberXL operations in Istanbul as of May 31” Uber said in a statement. The company will continue traditional yellow and turquoise cab services, it said. Uber is “committed to Turkey” and would like to work with the government to maintain long-term business operations in the country, it said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has frequently spoken against Uber, saying the company’s services are illegal. On May 24, he told cab drivers and owners in Istanbul that Uber vehicles are akin to pirate cabs. “The Uber issue for the Turkish Republic government is over,” Anadolu Agency cited him as saying.

The company’s decision comes ahead of the June 23 repeat elections for Istanbul Greater Municipality after the opposition’s narrow victory in the March 31 local elections was voided.

Turkish taxi drivers and medallion owners have been protesting Uber, asking the government to ban the company. Uber drivers have frequently faced attacks by yellow cab drivers since the company started operations in Turkey’s commercial capital in 2014.

But, for the ones who use Uber XL or need more luxury service for Istanbul Airport transfers and daily / hourly chauffeured car (limo) and unsatisfied with taxi service in Istanbul because of the trust issue, security matter, get cheated, unprofessional driver and bad conditioned vehicle problems; Illusthrone provides all clear and professional limo service with its luxury vans and takes you away from bad surprises.

Limo Service in Istanbul by Illusthrone
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British holidaymakers’ favorite is Turkey in 2019

Holiday agency Thomas Cook says Turkey ranks second top destination for Brits as Greece falls to third spot.

Turkey has been one of the top destination for Britons for the summer of 2019 as holidaymakers turned their backs to EU destinations due to Brexit uncertainties, a top holiday agency said on Monday.

The number of Turkish package holidays sold to British people has rocketed 27% compared to last year, leaving Greece behind, a report by Thomas Cook said.

The Thomas Cook Holiday Report says the low value of the pound thanks to Brexit effects has resulted in 48% of all 2019 summer bookings to destinations outside the eurozone.

“Turkey has risen up the ranks to become Thomas Cook’s second most popular destination overall for Brits and a quarter of all Thomas Cook Airlines’ bookings are to this Eastern Med hotspot,” the report said.

It added: “Turkey has been rising back up the ranks of the destination league table for the last few years.

“In 2019 it reaches a new peak, with flight-only bookings to Turkey seeing a 27% uplift compared to last summer.

“At this point in 2018, Turkey was at the number three spot in the list of the most popular summer getaways so it has already leapfrogged Greece this year.

“Aside from its attractiveness for being outside the EU, Turkey is a 2019 tourism hotspot thanks to the great value for money offered by its five-star resorts.”

According to the report, Britons are turning their backs on the classic holiday destinations such as Italy and France but preferring Turkey instead.

Thomas Cook CEO Peter Fankhauser said Turkey breaks offered holidaymakers greater security.

“For those who have booked, it’s non-EU countries such as Turkey and Tunisia which are proving popular, along with all-inclusive deals as customers ‘lock in’ costs for food and drink for peace of mind,” he said.

Holiday firm TUI also said the demand for Turkey holidays increased the number of flight seats this year.

TUI Airways said it will increase capacity to Antalya and Dalaman airports by 45,000 seats in the summer of 2020.

Antalya, a Mediterranean resort city in Turkish Riviera, has become one of the top spots for tourism in Turkey with its luxury hotels, golf courses, shopping centres and hundreds of historical sites, as well as miles-long sand beaches.

A spokesperson for TUI said Antalya and Dalaman of southwestern Mugla province are “set to impress with their coastal scenery and pristine beaches.”

Luxury Holiday in Turkey
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Luxury service (ground transportation (limousine), guidance, yacht charter and helicopter rental services) preparations are completed by Illusthrone for 2019 high season in Antalya, Bodrum and Dalaman

Just before the national holiday in Turkey, Illusthrone tailor-made hospitality completed all preparations through luxury ground transportation (limousine) services including airport transfers and meet & greet, guidance, yacht charter, helicopter & private jet rental services in Turkey’s famous holiday destinations.

Istanbul is always an attraction for travellers, but as summer 2019 at the door, Turkey’s holiday destinations; Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman and Izmir are the shining stars for tourism industry. Not only in Istanbul and Ankara, Istanbul brings luxury services to those summer holiday destinations. Professional staffs of Illusthrone even your close protection officer (shortly “bodyguard”), meet you at the door of your plane, your private chauffeur is ready at the airport with a black luxury vehicle while your super yacht waiting you for an amazing Blue Voyage in Mediterranean & Aegean Sea. For the ones, who prefer to be over the clouds; private jet and helicopter rental is another option for your tours and transfers. All those services are being prepared through your preferences, which are provided before your journey by Illusthrone. We are sending you a questionnaire, and getting all informations for a real tailor-made luxury experience. Just rest, don’t think about anything and leave all to Illusthrone. A perfect planning and a fabulous holiday.

Illusthrone’s Meet & Greet Service
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How to rent a luxury lifestyle: planes, boats and automobiles in Istanbul, Turkey and worldwide.

The world of private jet travel, holidays on the deck of a superyacht and a Lamborghini in the garage is no longer exclusively for the mega-rich.

As paying monthly for goods and services becomes increasingly popular – from Spotify, Netflix and your phone contract, to cars on finance – the luxury end of the market is also starting to play ball.

Blame it on the Instagram generation if you like, but it’s now possible  – and easy – to rent yourself a luxury lifestyle for a fraction of what owning a jet, a yacht, or a Ferrari would normally cost. 

Yes, you still need five figures of spending money per year – more, ideally – and yes, you could argue this is cheating slightly, but who could say no to a private jet on the cheap ?

Here is the guide to renting yourself a luxury lifestyle.

Planes

Does anything say you’ve made it in life more than a private plane? Okay, so technically we are hiring someone else’s plane and pretending it’s ours on a dozen Instagram photos. But in some cases – you need to get somewhere obscure at very short notice, or you just fancy treating yourself to something far more exclusive than first class – private jet chartering makes perfect sense.

It’s a growing industry too, as chartering firms describe themselves as the ‘Uber of private jets’, where smartphone apps secure you a jet with just a few screen taps. 

The prices may still seem high, but remember this is for the whole plane – divide it by the number of seats and it can get awfully tempting…

Also worth remembering are extra fees like de-icing before take-off on a cold morning, which can add thousands to your booking.

  • Private Jet Service by Illusthrone

Boats

Charting yourself a superyacht isn’t quite as speedy as booking a private jet (gap in the market, maybe?), but there are still plenty of options for stepping aboard something truly luxurious on your next holiday.For starters, you can bag yourself a Riva Aquarama – the quintessential speedboat – from a range of companies for around £1,200 per day or £750 for a half-day on Italy’s Lake Como or at Turkey’s beautiful Bosphorus. Considering these boats can cost over £200,000, a slice of the lifestyle for under 1% of the sticker price seems like a deal worth making.

Stepping things up a gear, entry-level charting firms offer compact 13 to 15-metre yachts in the Mediterranean, Aegean Caribbean and elsewhere for between £4,000 and £10,000 per week. It is also available to rent a super luxury yachts by Illusthrone in the Mediterranean and Aegean.

Just don’t forget to add food, drink and mooring fees on top, as these are often not included in the base price.

Private Yacht Rental by Illusthrone

Cars

It’s all well and good having a fleet of exotic supercars in the garage, but isn’t taxing, insuring and servicing them just a massive faff ? We think it’s much easier to join a supercar rental club, where you pay an annual membership fee for points which can be redeemed against a range of cars.

The more expensive and exclusive the car, the more points it costs to borrow for a day or a weekend. Most clubs offer a range of vehicles, from Range Rovers through to the likes of the Audi R8 and Ferrari California, right up to supercar royalty like the Lamborghini Aventador.

Or, there is another prestigious way. You may prefer a luxury chauffeured service by Illusthrone and look more professional and eye-cathching with your luxury ground transportation service.

Luxury Ground Transportation by Illusthrone
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Advantages of Limousines, Chauffeured Luxury Car Services

Limo car service has been so much in trend. Be it business travel or wedding, hiring a luxurious ride offers ultimate convenience and peace of mind. It is proved to be the best mode of transportation. Though hiring a limo car service would be costlier than other modes, it is cost effective. By this means, a passenger gets an opportunity to relish the best of both the worlds viz. extravagance yet at affordable prices.

Conduct Business

Limos are great while transporting your associates to and from airports or to important client meetings. Limos also offer great meeting space that other cars cannot. Limo seats are arranged in such a way that they face each other which makes it easy to prepare for meetings.

Moreover, Limos these days are also equipped with DVD players and televisions so you can enjoy video conferencing with your clients.

The Luxury Ride

Limos are great to make an ever-lasting impression on your clients or potential investors. This will not only impress your clients but it will send the message that you are serious about their investment.

More People

Limos are capable enough to transport up to 6-15 people. This means, if you have a group of 7-12 people then it is easier to hire a limo car service than several cars.

More Romance

Limos won’t only impress your client but will also impress your girl if you hire it on valentine or on your anniversary. You can spend some quality time with your loved ones.

Saves Time and Money

Hiring a limo car service is far more affordable than you think because when you add the parking fees, cost of renting a car, cost of your time when you are lost, getting stuck up in the traffic, all adds up the cost. So, hiring a limo is the best idea especially if you have a large group of people.


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Jeff Koons’ contemporary art ‘Rabbit’ Breaks World Record, Selling for $91 Million

A Jeff Koons sculpture sold for $91.1 million at Christie’s in New York on Wednesday, setting the record for most expensive sale of work by a living artist.

“Rabbit” was bought for $91,075,000 by Robert Mnuchin (father of the Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin). It sold for about $20 million more than its estimated price.

Koons’ studio created the 41-inch stainless steel piece in 1986. There are three other castings of “Rabbit,” all currently in museum collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, The Broad Art Foundation in Los Angeles, and the National Museum of Qatar.

The sale cements Jeff Koons as one of the most expensive artists alive today — although opinion of his work differs. According to Christie’s, “Rabbit” has been called “cute, sinister, cartoonish, imposing, vacuous, sexy, chilling, dazzling and iconic.”

It is not the first time that a Koons work has set the record for most expensive piece of art by a living artist. Although the previous record-holder was David Hockney (his “Portrait of an Artist” sold for just over $90 million at Christie’s in November), before that, “Balloon Dog (Orange)” held the record for five years, selling for $58 million in 2013.

Jeff Koons’ Rabbit
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