Tagged With "tourism"
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Spanish islands consider tourist car ban
Faced with greatly increasing visitor numbers, Spain's Mediterranean vacation paradise considers new limits.
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China to double investment in tourism by 2020
China hopes big increase in tourism investment over next few years will help overall economy.
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New routes give Denmark big tourism boost
New and expanded air routes, including many from U.S. on discounter Norwegian Air, have given Danish tourism a big boost.
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Britain's #1 attraction: The British Museum
The British Museum ranks as the nation's top attraction, drawing more visitors than the entire country of Belgium. See what else is popular!
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Tourism to Turkey likely to drop dramatically in 2016
Turkey's tourism industry likely to take a sharp hit in 2016.
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Rocket flights to nowhere available for booking on Kayak
The space-age equivalent of the old cruise to nowhere—sail out into international waters and return—is now available for booking on Kayak.com, at prices ranging from £63-80,000 for a 40-minute trip from Curacao to Curacao. The flights are being offered by XCor, one of several companies competing for rich space tourists. Passengers, one per flight, will take off horizontally, go vertical on rocket power to about 40 miles up and then glide down in a 'slow' sightseeing...
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Non-U.S. tourists see big change in Cuba already
For tourists from Europe, England and Canada, who have been traveling to Cuba for years, the big change anticipated when Americans start to arrive has already started to happen. A report by Claire Boobbyer of Skift, the travel industry news and analysis site, says that visitors are already seeing price rises, shortages of rooms and crowding at popular spots, even before the expected changes in the U.S. ban on "normal" tourism ends. During the first 11 months of 2015, Cuba played host to over...
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China Adds 5 more people to their "Uncivilized Behavior" Tourist List
Jiuxian Ancient Village,Guangxi, China/ Photo by PortMoresby China added 5 more to their bad behaving tourist list, now a total 16 people. Among the 5, was a woman who threw hot tea on her tour guide after learning the price of her son's ticket to a western China scenic site was not included in the package she bought. In April, China's Tourism Authority created a list of Chinese tourist's guilty of bad behavior. Their names and alleged offenses are...
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It's Official: Spain's 2015 a record tourism year
A record year for Spain's tourism industry helps power an economic recovery as travelers seek safer places in the sun.
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Montreal's 2015: Great tourist year, more to come
Montreal expects big tourism increases for multiple anniversaries in 2017, especially since 2015 was a year of booming tourism in the city.
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World events reshaping tourism map
Concerns over terrorism, refugees and now the Zika virus are changing where the world's vacation dollars are going. Winners and losers here...
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Havana in Transition...to what?
Havana, off-limits to most Americans for half a century, is a city in the midst of big changes, whose ultimate direction is not yet all that clear.
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Hidden treasure: Italy's modest 'best museum'
A museum that hits all the marks in surveys is one that almost never comes to mind, doesn't promote itself, and hasn't a working phone number!
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'Game of Thrones' sparks Spain tourism
'Television tourism' is drawing greater numbers of visitors to the cities and sites where popular TV shows have been filmed.
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Re: Toronto scales new heights in Tourism
I don't think Rob Ford had anything to do with it. Toronto, like any major city in the world, has enough variety of things to see and do to entertain anyone for a week. Our best wishes to Mr. Ford who is dealing with a malignant soft tissue tumor.
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Re: Amazing! Syria still trying to promote tourism
It would take a very special kind of traveler to want to vacation in Syria. But journalists and photographers who are in the area might want to take advantage of that lovely beach resort.
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Re: China Adds 5 more people to their "Uncivilized Behavior" Tourist List
I don't like the idea of this list While there are a few Chinese bad behaving tourists, like you'd find from any country, the vast majority are well behaved and friendly. Maybe they get more noticed now because there are a lot more Chinese people traveling. I think it goes to further negative untrue stereotypes. I happened to take 4 Air China flights in June after this list was implemented, and on one of flights, a seatmate told me that their was an announcement about not to embarrass China...
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Re: China Adds 5 more people to their "Uncivilized Behavior" Tourist List
Conformity is expected of everyone, including visitors. I agree -- it's a creepy list. Tell people not to come, but "listing" them sounds....well, very creepy.
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Re: Medical Tourism: $439 billion and growing!
My son in the US had a quote for Dental Work he needed. He flew back to the UK. Stayed for a week. Went as a private patient to my Dentist. Bought a bag of sports wear. Presents for the family. And still had change from the US Dentists quote. The UK price for his dental work was £120 / $180.
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Re: Havana in Transition...to what?
Excellent observations and interesting suppositions. Most refreshing is that at the same time you refrained from the refrain of 'Cuba before it changes' and wondered about the positive and negative 'half empty : half full' changes that will result. Here's line of questions I like to ask when I'm on the ground with travelers there... 'Would you like to go have a drink in the bars that Hemmingway drank at? Or would you rather go find a bar he would drink at if he were alive today?' That always...
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Re: Havana in Transition...to what?
Thank you...and I love your question! I'm definitely on the where would he be today side...
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Re: Canada gets birthday present: Named as top destination
There's a lot happening in Canada in 2017, so come and visit, eh?
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Re: Non-U.S. tourists see big change in Cuba already
One reason for the surge in European visitors is they believe that Cuba will not be the same after the US visitors arrive in numbers. Cuba is the most religious country I've ever been to. Just the sight of the Pope on TV brings the Cubans to a standstill. And the use of over-tipping by Americans will create a division like it has in the Dominican Republic. Where only the high tippers get a service at peak times. Remember - one US Dollar is equal to a days pay in Cuba - 24 Cuban Peso. Nice photo!
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Re: Non-U.S. tourists see big change in Cuba already
The whole question of "not the same" is an interesting one. That's certainly the impression of friends of mine who broke the travel ban in the 1960s and saw a vision of what Cuba might have hoped for, had it not become a pawn between the Cold War interests of the U.S. and Soviet Union. I'm sure the transition ahead is as worrying to many Cubans who believe they have built something unique that is threatened with change, as it is to the tourism industry. I'll certainly have my eyes wide open...
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Re: Non-U.S. tourists see big change in Cuba already
One thing that unites the Cuban people is that they are mostly poor. The past few years have seen an elitist group of affluent hotel workers becoming very rich - by local standards. Their income far exceeds the Doctors and University Graduates of Cuba. I've seen the Maids who clean the room getting $1 Dollar from each room they clean. Since then I've also seen the Maids Supervisor come into my room and take the tip off the bed before the maid gets there. I've seen the stores where the Hotel...
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Re: Non-U.S. tourists see big change in Cuba already
Incidentally, Claire Boobbyer, the author of the Skift report, is also the author of the just-published and quite excellent Frommer's EasyGuide to Cuba. I'm reading it, and I'm impressed...
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Re: Non-U.S. tourists see big change in Cuba already
We're off to Cuba in 3 weeks "to see it before it changes"... Please Gurus - what is the best currency to take, especially for tips? Any advice is welcome.
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Re: Non-U.S. tourists see big change in Cuba already
Hi Mac. You need to take clean, unmarked £20 notes. You will exchange them within your Hotel where the currency is at a fixed rate. You will receive Tourist Pesos in return. You wont use the local currency. The Peso you will use is a CUC. Cuban Convertible Peso. Its equal to $1 US. Ask for small denominations'. No one has change of a 20 CUC note. Ask for 20 CUC in 1 CUC coins. For tips. She'll understand why. Tourists call the currency C - U - Cs or KUKS. A tip of 1CUC is about 60p UK or a...
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Re: Non-U.S. tourists see big change in Cuba already
Just to add to GarryRF's note on currency: U.S. dollars are subject to a 10% surcharge in the exchange, so Euros or pounds is definitely the choice for Americans traveling.
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Re: Non-U.S. tourists see big change in Cuba already
Canadian Dollars are welcome too. There was a ban on using US Bank Cards when I was there in June. Maybe someone has the latest on the situation. It was still illegal for Cubans to have US$ currency. They will take US$ as a tip - but they risk jail - a day per dollar !
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Re: Non-U.S. tourists see big change in Cuba already
U.S. government restrictions on U.S. credit and debit cards have been removed, and the MasterCard and Visa people have set up arrangements, but as of 12 Dec. 2015, the U.S. Embassy in Havana is noting that ATM and credit cards do not work yet. One Florida bank has just announced agreement on a MasterCard branded debit card that will work when issued.
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Re: Non-U.S. tourists see big change in Cuba already
Thanks Gurus!! Good useful info for our trip :-)
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China's 'wealthy' tourists love road trips
Retired couple from Shandong Province on roof of their RV on tour. Photo: China Daily China's growing numbers of people with money to spend on travel aren't all headed for Europe and the Americas—growing numbers are taking to...
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Agritourism a growing trend in China
Peak travel season is on, and as many as a third of the vacationers are headed for rural areas. Rural tourism is a hot trend in China now, accounting for a third of all holidays.
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Iran hopes nuclear deal will set off tourist explosion
Iranian officials hope that the nuclear deal will result in a growth of tourism.
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Sichuan tells travelers: 'More than just pandas!'
Sometimes it's hard for a place or a company to shake an image, and sometimes the best strategy is to just embrace it. That's what China's Sichuan province has done in its new logo for international tourism.
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Japan: Hi-tech toilets; China: playing catch-up
This is a tale of two "sitties." Japan is pushing to install thousands more of the high-tech toilets that have become the national standard in advance of the 2020 Olympics, while China is pledging to upgrade its public toilets, mostly squatters.
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New Princess ship to be based in Shanghai
Air travel is not the only place that rapidly growing Chinese tourism is shaking up markets.
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We're more than Tokyo, Japan tells tourists
At the turn of the last century, the Michelin guides were created to promote travel outside Paris (and increase demand for tires!). Now, Japan's ministry responsible for tourism and transport is trying a similar idea by publishing seven regional seven regional sightseeing routes.
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Japan sets its tourism sights higher
Japan is aiming to his "tourism superpower" status with new plans to raise both the number of tourists and their spending that sustains Japanese jobs.
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NY's Japanese Restaurant Week Features Tradition
With the theme "100-Year-Old Flavors of Japan," Japanese Restaurant Week in NY will feature regional dishes at over 30 restaurants in the city as part of a joint promotion between the restaurants, the Japan Tourism Agency and other businesses.