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Seattle Shines Bright as Americans Favor the Emerald City for This Year’s Holiday Travel

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Allianz Partners Reveals 2024’s Top 10 Holiday Destinations: Seattle, NYC and Cancun Continue to Dominate the Charts as Costa Rica Debuts for Top International Destinations

RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Sun, sand and cityscapes continue to charm Americans as they set their sights on beaches and urban getaways for their 2024 holiday vacations, specifically booking flights to Seattle, New York City and Cancun, as revealed by Allianz Partners USA’s Top 10 Holiday Destinations 2024 survey.

After reviewing more than 2 million itineraries* for roundtrip flights departing from U.S. airports beginning Tuesday, December 17, and returning by Monday, December 30, the travel insurance and assistance company found that 83% of the itineraries reviewed are for domestic travel and 17% are for international trips.

There’s only one New York City (#1) and for the fourth year straight, Americans are choosing the Big Apple for their holiday travels as the East Coast city transforms into a winter wonderland, drawing millions of visitors with its dazzling lights, world-famous decorations, nutcracker ballets, ice skating rings and timeless sweet traditions. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, jumping up five points from last year, Seattle (#2) shines brightly as a holiday destination that rivals its East Coast counterpart. The Emerald City offers its own unique charm with stunning snow-capped mountains, European-style holiday markets and a vibrant art scene that comes to life during the festive season, providing a holiday spirit that is very much similar to that of the city that never sleeps.

For those flying south to warmer climates, Florida continues to be a popular choice as Orlando (#3) and Miami’s (#10) sunny coastlines attract visitors looking for a winter retreat. Known for its dazzling Strip, hotels, restaurants and wide variety of attractions, Las Vegas claimed the fourth spot, further establishing itself as one of the most popular and iconic tourist destinations in the world. Meanwhile, Phoenix moved up three spots, likely due to its year-round warm temperature, festive lights, luminarias and the world-famous Grand Canyon.

With a variety of resorts, watersports and cultural experiences, it’s no surprise that Mexico continues to top travelers’ holiday wish list. From family-friendly activities to romantic getaways, Cancun continues to lead the way, taking first place on the international roster for the seventh year in a row. On the west side of the country, San Jose Del Cabo also will see an influx of visitors as it ranks second while Puerto Vallarta scoops up fourth. However, travelers aren’t limiting themselves to Mexico, as Americans also are taking flights across the pond to London, England (#3).

Beach paradises Punta Cana (#5), Nassau (#6), Montego Bay (#7), Oranjestad, Aruba (#8) and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (#10) also made the cut. Joining this year’s beach line up, Liberia, Costa Rica, made its debut on the list, taking ninth place on the international roster. Similar to Montego Bay’s surfing season, Liberia is known for its good surfing waves, especially for beginners during the holiday recess.

“The most wonderful time of the year is approaching, and Americans across the country are starting to plan and pack for their winter getaways,” says Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA. “Celebrating the festive season with family and friends can quickly turn stressful due to unexpected travel mishaps like significant travel delays, trip cancellations or even serious medical issues while traveling. Purchasing a travel insurance protection plan to protect pre-paid non-refundable travel investments from financial losses due to covered events can help keep holiday memories sweet.”

Allianz Partners offers travel insurance through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies, hotel companies, cruise lines and directly to consumers. For more information on Allianz Partners and available travel protection plans, including annual travel insurance policies, please visit http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/.

*Methodology: The data of U.S. travelers’ 2024 holiday plans was gathered by analyzing the number of customers that went through the online booking process of airfare and package paths for partners offering Allianz Global Assistance travel protection plans, to generate itineraries for roundtrip flights departing from U.S. airports from 12/17/2024 –12/29/2024, returning 12/18/2024 – 12/30/2024. In total, over 2.8M itineraries were analyzed using this methodology.

Link to download domestic chart image can be found HERE.

Link to download international chart image can be found HERE.

About Allianz Partners  
In the United States, Allianz Partners USA (AGA Service Company) offers Allianz Travel-branded travel protection plans and serves millions of customers each year. In addition to travel protection, the company offers event ticket protection, registration protection for endurance events and unique travel assistance services such as international medical assistance and concierge services. AGA Service Company is doing business as Allianz Global Assistance Insurance Agency in California (License # 0B01400) and Massachusetts. Allianz Partners USA is part of the Allianz Partners group. Allianz Partners is a world leader in B2B2C insurance and assistance, offering global solutions that span international health and life, travel insurance, mobility and assistance. Customer driven, our innovative experts are redefining insurance services by delivering future-ready, high-tech, high-touch products and solutions that go beyond traditional insurance. Present in over 75 countries, our 19,400 employees speak 70 languages, handle over 58 million cases each year, and are motivated to go the extra mile to offer peace of mind to our customers around the world.   

For Allianz Partners USA products offered and sold in the U.S.: Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply to all plans. Plans are available only to U.S. residents. Not all plans are available in all jurisdictions. Availability of coverage, including the epidemic-related benefits and covered reasons described here, varies by product and by state. Products may not include all benefits or covered reasons described here. All benefits are subject to maximum limits of liability, which may in some cases be subject to sublimits and daily maximums. Benefits and limits vary by plan. For a complete description of the coverage and benefit limits offered under your specific plan, carefully review your plan’s Letter of Confirmation/Declarations and Certificate of Insurance/Policy. Insurance coverage is underwritten by BCS Insurance Company (OH, Administrative Office: Oakbrook Terrace, IL), rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best Co., under BCS Form No. 52.201 series or 52.401 series, or Jefferson Insurance Company (NY, Administrative Office: Richmond, VA), rated “A+” (Superior) by A.M. Best Co., under Jefferson Form No. 101‐C series or 101‐P series, depending on state of residence. A+ (Superior) and A (Excellent) are the 2nd and 3rd highest, respectively, of A.M. Best’s 13 Financial Strength Ratings. Except as otherwise specified, AGA Service Company d/b/a Allianz Global Assistance is the licensed producer and administrator of Allianz Travel-branded travel protection plans in the U.S. and an affiliate of Jefferson Insurance Company. Allianz Global Assistance is a mark of AGA Service Company or its affiliates. The insured shall not receive any special benefit or advantage due to the affiliation between Allianz Global Assistance and Jefferson Insurance Company. Plans include insurance and assistance services. Noninsurance benefits/products are provided and serviced by Allianz Global Assistance.

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SOURCE Allianz Partners

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MESCIUS Launches Spread .NET v18

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PITTSBURGH, Jan. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — MESCIUS inc., a global provider of award-winning enterprise software development tools, is pleased to announce the Spread .NET v18 release. The highlights of Spread .NET v18 include exciting features, such as enhanced PDF output quality, a new WPF spreadsheet, copying skip invisible ranges, and more. These features expand developers’ capabilities within their .NET applications when building high-performance enterprise spreadsheets. Spread .NET v18 is now available as an upgrade for existing customers and a download for new customers on the MESCIUS website.

Spread.NET v18 launches with a new WPF version, improved PDF saving (with higher resolution), and much more.

With Spread .NET v18, saving .NET spreadsheets to PDF delivers higher resolution and improved image quality, in line with Excel-compatible printing features. Rich text, flat style modes, transparent shapes, and header/footer images are better rendered, providing professional-grade PDF outputs. Read the release announcement to learn more about the enhanced PDF output quality in Spread .NET v18.

This latest release introduces an all-new WPF spreadsheet component version with significant enhancements, including iterative calculations, dynamic arrays, advanced charting, and external data integration. This update sets the stage for continued WPF innovations in future releases. Visit the website to get started with Spread .NET’s new WPF spreadsheet version.

In Spread .NET v18, users can copy cell ranges while excluding hidden rows and columns. To streamline operations in spreadsheets with filtered or hidden data, enable the RichClipboard and CopySkipInvisibleRange properties. Learn how to get started with this Spread .NET v18 release feature.

“We just released Spread .NET v18, which included some big features like enhanced PDF export and a brand new WPF Spreadsheet version, providing a few calculation enhancements, a new chart engine, and a formula text box,” said Product Manager Kevin Ashley. “These features can help enhance your applications with more Excel-like capabilities in both WinForms and WPF.”

About MESCIUS inc.: MESCIUS inc. is one of the world’s largest providers of developer components. The company retains 400 employees and hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide. MESCIUS inc. is committed to providing enterprises around the world with state-of-the-art developer tools and components, software services, and solutions. For more information, visit https://developer.mescius.com.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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SOURCE MESCIUS inc.

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Puneet Shivam Appointed CEO of Right Skale Inc, a global Data and Cloud Services Company

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Right Skale Inc, a native AI-powered data services company, announces the appointment of Puneet as Chief Executive Officer marking the next phase in the company’s development.

PLEASANTON, Calif., Jan. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Right Skale announces that Puneet Shivam will join as a Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, marking a strategic move to accelerate Right Skale’s transformation into a global AI-enablement leader.

“Right Skale is uniquely positioned, and our vision is clear – become the premier AI enablement partner of choice by 2030”, says Puneet Shivam on joining as a co-founder of Right Skale.

Puneet joins from Avendus Capital Inc, where he served as CEO and Managing Director, leading the Enterprise Technology & Services practice. In this role he enabled numerous emerging technology services organizations in scaling up and in value realization. Prior to Avendus, Puneet was instrumental in establishing Inductis (now EXL Analytics) into one of the first and highly reputed data analytics company, delivering high impact analytics initiatives across Fortune 500 companies.

A Winning Partnership. Amit Shah, Founder, commented: “Puneet’s leadership accelerates our mission of helping enterprises achieve their business goals through AI-enabled data services. His experience in growing global businesses and his deep industry relationships will be invaluable.”

“We partner with clients to unlock value through AI-powered solutions. By combining deep technology expertise with business understanding, we help enterprises enhance customer experiences, optimize operations, and drive growth. I am excited to join hands with Amit and the team,” says Puneet Shivam. “Right Skale is uniquely positioned, and our vision is clear – become the premier AI enablement partner of choice by 2030”

About Right Skale:

Right Skale is an AI-enabled technology services company helping enterprises navigate digital transformation through data and cloud innovation. Our mission is to empower businesses to thrive in the AI era. The company’s approach focuses on practical AI implementation – experimenting, validating, and scaling solutions that deliver measurable business outcomes. Through strategic partnerships with leading cloud and data technology providers, Right Skale helps clients build future-ready digital capabilities. For more info, please email us at info@rightskale.com www.RightSkale.ai & www.RightSkale.com

Media Contact

HR, Right Skale Inc, 1 (408) 658-0779, info@rightskale.com, www.RightSkale.ai

HR, Right Skale, info@rightskale.com, www.RightSkale.ai

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SOURCE Right Skale Inc

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Pensions & Investments and NAIC Announce Alliance to Support Diverse Asset Managers

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC), the industry association and largest network of diverse-owned alternative investment firms, and Pensions & Investments (P&I) have entered into a multi-year alliance designed to promote objectives related to increasing diversity and inclusion in the institutional investment industry. 

Through this alliance, NAIC and P&I will work together to advance the pool of diverse talent within the private markets by growing the assets allocated to diverse-owned and managed firms through investor-facing education and resources. They will collaborate to develop and publish thought leadership content related to the impact diverse-owned firms have on the industry and the economy. NAIC member firms will benefit from access to the P&I Research Center, which provides insights including current and historical data, key contact information for institutional investors, market intelligence, trend analysis, competitive benchmarking and more.

“Pensions & Investments is pleased to partner with NAIC to shine a spotlight on some of the innovative and great work being done by diverse- and woman-owned firms in the alternatives space. There is increased interest in how to leverage alternative assets across the institutional investment and retirement landscape, and we’re looking forward to sharing data, insights and content that can amplify the voices represented by NAIC member firms,” says Nikki Pirrello, President and Publisher, Pensions & Investments. “Our audience is hungry for information on effective investment strategies and high-performing managers, and we believe this partnership will allow us to continue to expand our universe of those we are covering.”

By joining forces, NAIC and P&I will raise awareness of the diverse- and woman-owned alternative investment firms that drive growth in every major industry sector. “We are excited that Pensions & Investments, a leading voice in investment management, shares NAIC’s goal of increasing diversity and inclusion in the institutional asset management industry,” says Robert L. Greene, NAIC’s President & CEO. “We look forward to the opportunities this alliance will provide our members to identify trends and share insights in order to increase the flow of capital to high-performing diverse investment firms from pensions and other investment managers.”

About the National Association of Investment Companies
With more than 54 years of advocacy and performance, the National Association of Investment Companies (www.naicpe.com) is the trade association and largest network of diverse- and women-owned alternative investment firms. NAIC’s membership comprises more than 190 diverse-owned alternative investment firms that collectively manage over $460 billion in assets under management. NAIC member firms invest with more than 2,200 portfolio companies globally and consistently generate superior returns that help fuel the growth of the retirement and asset management industries. www.naicpe.com

About Pensions & Investments
With unmatched integrity and professionalism, Pensions & Investments consistently delivers news, research and analysis to the executives who manage the flow of funds in the institutional investment market. Since its founding in 1973, this continues to be the mission of Pensions & Investments, the international newspaper of money management. Written for pension, portfolio and investment management executives at the hub of this market, Pensions & Investments provides its audience with timely and incisive coverage of events affecting the money management business. Written by a worldwide network of reporters and correspondents, Pensions & Investments’ coverage includes business and financial news, legislative reports, global investments, product development, technology, investment performance, executive changes, corporate governance and other topics crucial to the people who drive the world of professional money. Pensions & Investments is owned by Crain Communications Inc. www.pionline.com

CONTACT:
Kristen Perlman
Vice President, Marketing and Insights
National Association of Investment Companies
kperlman@naicpe.com

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SOURCE National Association of Investment Companies

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