Travel firms adopt wait-and-see approach as government seeks to entice visitors with safaris, Nile rafting and climbing trips
When Carsten Lillelund Pedersen visited South Sudan in November he was almost turned back at the airport.
The immigration official had never seen a tourist visa before.
Continue reading...Some vacationers ‘too depressed by UK politics’ are heading to Iowa, the state with an outsized importance in the nominee process, to witness the primary elections
For many people, a vacation to the US means heading up New York’s Empire State Building, descending into the Grand Canyon in Arizona or splashing about in the Pacific Ocean in California.
Some, however, are choosing to whet their appetites differently, by instead traveling to Iowa, in the middle of the US, to witness the presidential primary elections in person.
Continue reading...Indignant residents of the Mallorcan town of Sóller have said their railway is not for sale after a group of investors launched a hostile takeover bid.
The town has been linked to the capital, Palma, with a picturesque narrow-gauge railway since 1912. The train, with its wooden carriages, has been in continuous use ever since, climbing 200 metres and passing through 13 tunnels on its 27km journey.
Continue reading...Italian minister proposes plan for diverting a third of big ships to other ports by next year
Italy’s transport minister has proposed a plan for diverting massive cruise ships from Venice’s historic centre, with a view to rerouting a third of the vessels by next year.
Danilo Toninelli told a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday that the ships could gradually be shifted away from the Marittima terminal and instead dock at Fusina, a small port on mainland Venice, or Lombardia, a privately owned terminal. The minister suggested that the rerouting process could begin in September.
Continue reading...India claims it killed five militants trying to attack its forces in disputed region
Tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and workers have begun leaving the disputed region of Kashmir after local officials issued a security alert and India said it had killed at least five militants who were trying to attack its forces.
The Foreign Office on Saturday issued new advice to avoid all travel to Jammu and Kashmir, adding: “There is a risk of unpredictable violence, including bombings, grenade attacks, shootings and kidnapping.”
Continue reading...After the lifting of the ban on women driving last year, the Saudi feminist movement can now celebrate its second victory: the authorities have announced that women can be granted passports and travel abroad without the consent of their male guardians. They can also register a birth, marriage or divorce. But they still cannot marry, or leave prison or a domestic violence shelter without the consent of their male guardians – often a father, brother, or other male relative.
The bizarre guardianship system is pervasive in Saudi Arabia. It stipulates that women are not legal persons, and consequently, they have to be represented by male relatives to work, marry, study, travel, and seek medical care.
Continue reading...Chloe Haines, 25, allegedly tried to open aircraft doors on Jet2 flight from Stansted to Turkey
A passenger who allegedly caused two RAF jets to be scrambled to escort a plane back to Stansted airport has been sent a bill for £85,000 by the airline.
Chloe Haines has been accused by Jet2 of a “catalogue of aggressive, abusive and dangerous behaviour” on a flight bound for Dalaman in Turkey in June, including trying to open the aircraft doors during the flight.
Continue reading...Services began again at 7.10pm but airport warns that there may be further delays
Gatwick airport suspended all inbound and outbound flights for around two hours on Wednesday due to an “air traffic control system issue”.
Eight flights into Gatwick, in West Sussex, were cancelled and 26 diverted before operations resumed at 7.10pm and passengers were warned there would be further delays into the evening, with the airport advising them to check with their airlines.
Continue reading...Follow the 80km coastal trek that links two of Australia’s favourite beaches and takes in the city’s iconic landmarks
Continue reading...A zipline ride from the Paris landmark is providing an opportunity to speed across the Paris skyline at 90km (56 miles) per hour. The temporary zipline is an initiative by French mineral water brand Perrier to celebrate the French Open. It also coincides with the 130th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower. From 29 May to 2 June, members of the public will be selected through an online draw on social media for a chance to take the 800-metre journey, which ends at the École Militaire
Continue reading...Photographer Fred Sigman’s latest book, Motel Vegas, documents the vernacular roadside architecture that at once dominated the Nevada city’s skyline
Continue reading...Mountaineering is a physical pursuit demanding an affinity for suffering. Where it is cerebral is in its requirement of good judgment, most importantly in extreme situations when the mind is most clouded and consequences of bad decision-making tend to multiply.
Considering risks requires being honest with yourself. At what climbers call the objective level, that involves assessing dangers you may encounter – weather, avalanches, poor rock, even whether there will be overcrowding on your route.
Continue reading...Latest deaths, including an Irish climber, come as others report ‘insane’ delays at the peak
Four more deaths have been reported on Everest as concerns grow about the risks posed by the severe overcrowding on the world’s highest mountain this year.
Kevin Hynes, 56, from Ireland, died in his tent at 7,000 metres early on Friday, having turned back before reaching the summit. The father of two was part of a group from the UK-based 360 Expeditions.
Continue reading...John and Susan Cooper did not die in Red Sea resort from natural causes, court told
A British couple who died on holiday at a hotel in Egypt may have suffered the effects of an infectious biological agent or toxic chemicals, a coroner’s court has heard.
John Cooper, 69, and his wife, Susan, 63, died suddenly on 21 August last year after becoming ill while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic hotel in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.
Continue reading...Rubbish, potholes and metro closures contribute to anger among visitors and citizens alike
As the day draws to a close in Rome, tourists are enjoying a nightcap at a bar on Piazza della Rotonda. In front of them stands the majestic Pantheon, the imposing domed temple built by Emperor Hadrian.
To their right, however, is a scene less befitting the piazza, famed for its elegance and history. A photomural of the temple covers boarding that surrounds a building under renovation and as the night gets later it is used to prop up a pile of rubbish bags and boxes discarded by nearby restaurants.
Continue reading...Think you know Chicago from San Tropez? It’s harder than it looks
Which city is this?
Chicago
San Tropez
Malaga
Gold Coast
Which city is this?
Milan
Barcelona
Coventry
Cologne
Which city is this?
Istanbul
Cairo
Manchester
Marrakech
Which city is this?
Genoa
Athens
Hong Kong
Palermo
Which city is this?
Venice
Atlantic City
Blackpool
Nice
Which city is this?
Turin
Tallinn
Tehran
Toledo
Which city is this?
Brussels
Kolkata
Birmingham
Detroit
Which city is this?
Turin
Trieste
Berlin
St Petersburg
Which city is this?
Copenhagen
Amsterdam
Stockholm
Hamburg
Which city is this?
Antwerp
Liverpool
Lille
Belfast
Which city is this?
Budapest
Dubrovnik
Vienna
Barcelona
Which city is this?
Bratislava
Bonn
Baku
Boston
Which city is this?
Tripoli
Gibraltar
Marseille
Singapore
13 and above.
Well done! You deserve a trip
12 and above.
Well done
11 and above.
Well done
10 and above.
Well done
9 and above.
Pretty good
8 and above.
Pretty good
7 and above.
Pretty good
6 and above.
Not bad
2 and above.
Oh dear, you need a holiday
5 and above.
Not bad
3 and above.
Oh dear, you need a holiday
1 and above.
Oh dear, you need a holiday
4 and above.
Not bad
0 and above.
Oh dear, you need a holiday
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Continue reading...For Dubrovnik, doubling as King’s Landing in Game of Thrones is a mixed blessing. Stardom has been a boon for business – but has also sparked an inundation of visitors to a city already struggling with overcrowding
Continue reading...Artist Jake Berman plots old public transport systems in period style. From LA to Toronto, San Francisco to Buffalo, he has created maps of cities’ modern transit too, so you can click and compare
Continue reading...The LSE Cities Urban Age Programme has created density diagrams showing the number of people living in each square kilometre of a 100km by 100km area for cities around the world. Can you identify them?
Which city is this?
Dhaka
Chicago
Shanghai
Lagos
Which city is this?
London
Paris
Rome
Madrid
Which city is this?
Buffalo
Accra
Marseilles
Brisbane
Which city is this?
Islamabad
Kabul
Karachi
New Delhi
Which city is this?
Mumbai
Cairo
Jakarta
Hong Kong
Which city is this?
Los Angeles
Vancouver
Cape Town
Taipei
Which city is this?
Recife
Newcastle
Havana
Dar es Salaam
Which city is this?
New Orleans
Malaga
Melbourne
Rio de Janeiro
Which city is this?
Toronto
New York
Sao Paulo
Barcelona
Which city is this?
Buenos Aires
Mexico City
Nairobi
Beijing
10 and above.
Well done!
3 and above.
Oh dear
4 and above.
Not bad
2 and above.
Oh dear
0 and above.
Oh dear
1 and above.
Oh dear
LSE Cities says: “Residential density measures how closely people live together. More compact cities have higher densities, while cities that sprawl and have wide open spaces between buildings have lower densities. The pattern of streets, squares and urban blocks – as well as how many people live in residential units – determines the density of a city alongside the height of individual buildings.
Continue reading...I’ve travelled there 20 times and I know I am part of the problem
This cafe does the best flat whites in town. They’re so good, the cafe doesn’t need to sell any food. It just sells a lot of flat whites and something called bulletproof coffee – which is a disgusting combo of butter and caffeine; the keto equivalent of the speedball that killed John Belushi.
We’re in a developing country though – it’s a cafe for white people.
Continue reading...