Tourists – The News Desk

Finland Is Expanding Its Luxury Appeal to Tourists

4Apr

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Travel

Finland Is Expanding Its Luxury Appeal to Tourists

When construction at the Hotel Maria is completed in June, 159 chandeliers will hang from the ceilings of its 79 rooms, 38 suites and public areas. Its bar will serve 31 types of Champagne. And the renovations on its four buildings — two of which opened in December — will have included the restoration of 42 kilometers (26 miles) of original moldings.Those are just some of the things that will distinguish the Maria as a “true five-star city hotel,” according to Heli Mende, its commercial director.The Finnish capital is no stranger to luxury. It already has several high-end hotels, including Hotel Kamp and the St. George. There are upscale boutiques and department stores; the Palace restaurant, which has two Michelin stars; and a handful of other single-star spots. (In May, the city is sche...

Thailand extends visa-free entry to Indian tourists for six months

6Nov

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Travel

Thailand extends visa-free entry to Indian tourists for six months

Thailand has decided to grant visa-free entry to tourists from India and Taiwan from November 10, 2023 to May 10, 2024, in a bid to attract more visitors as the tourism season approaches. This move, as stated by a Thai government official to Reuters, allows travellers from India and Taiwan to stay in Thailand for 30 days. The authorities anticipate that this initiative will entice an additional 1.4 million tourists, generating approximately 55 billion baht or $1.5 billion in revenue. Previously, Indian and Taiwanese tourists were required to apply for a 15-day visa-on-arrival at immigration checkpoints, along with providing bank statements and proof of accommodation. In September of this year, Thailand had already waived tourist visa requirements for Chinese nationals, as China was the l...

Tourists Adapt to a Brutal Summer in Europe

14Aug

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Travel

Tourists Adapt to a Brutal Summer in Europe

As our hot, stuffy plane approached Bodrum, the seaside resort city on Turkey’s southwest coast, I closed my eyes and imagined a cool plunge into the crystalline turquoise waters of the Aegean. It was late July, and I was going home for vacation, despite warnings about the record heat. Southern Turkey is always hot in the summer, but the thought of sea breezes and swimming made it seem a desirable destination — especially after spending the last month in a heat wave in Geneva where air-conditioning is all but banned.But when the plane door opened at Milas Bodrum Airport and I was hit by the instant scorch of a 113-degree Fahrenheit wind, I knew this summer would be different. My 1-year-old immediately started crying and other passengers gasped as they rushed to the bus that would take us ...

Tourists in Maui Are Urged to Leave Hawaii During Wildfires

10Aug

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Travel

Tourists in Maui Are Urged to Leave Hawaii During Wildfires

The wildfires on Maui, which have been linked to dozens of deaths and burned much of the historic district of the town of Lahaina, may also have long-term impacts on the tourism industry that plays an outsize role in the island’s economy.Local officials have asked visitors making nonessential trips to Maui to leave, and have strongly discouraged others from making such trips while the island is in crisis mode.Tourism was the largest single source of private capital for Hawaii’s economy in 2019, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority. That year the 10.4 million visitors who traveled to the state spent nearly $18 billion, the agency said.Maui accounted for almost a third of the nearly $49 million that visitors spent on average per day in the state that year, the Tourism Authority said. B...

New report shows scrapping of UK tax-free shopping deterring two million tourists a year – Business Traveller

5Aug

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Travel

New report shows scrapping of UK tax-free shopping deterring two million tourists a year – Business Traveller

A new report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) shows what it says are the “clear economic benefits associated with a VAT refund scheme”. The report concludes that the scrapping of the UK tax-free shopping scheme in 2021 following Brexit is having the effect of deterring two million tourists a year, resulting in £10.7 billion in annual lost GDP. In September last year, then UK Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed plans to reintroduce tax-free shopping for overseas visitors, as part of his doomed “mini budget”. But this was quickly scrapped by his replacement Jeremy Hunt, who said “not proceeding with this scheme is worth around £2 billion a year”. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee subsequently published its own report calling the move “short-sigh...

‘Attenzione, Pickpocket!’ A TikTok Star Watches Out for Tourists in Italy

25Jul

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Travel

‘Attenzione, Pickpocket!’ A TikTok Star Watches Out for Tourists in Italy

You probably don’t know Monica Poli’s face, but you might recognize her voice. Deep, booming and coming from your phone during a late-night TikTok scroll.“Attenzione, borseggiatrici! Attenzione, pickpocket!”Ms. Poli, 57, who lives in Venice, has become prominent on social media for patrolling the streets of her hometown, calling out would-be pickpockets to tourists.She is part of a group known as the Cittadini Non Distratti — the undistracted citizens — who wander the city shouting at people whom they believe to be thieves plucking wallets, passports and other items from the pockets of passers-by.Sometimes Ms. Poli and her fellow amateur watchdogs will report these suspected pickpockets to the police. In 2019, The Economist reported that the group was responsible for a third of all pickpo...

As Heat Waves Descend on Europe, So Do Tourists

18Jul

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Travel

As Heat Waves Descend on Europe, So Do Tourists

Travelers to Europe may have anticipated the crowded sites, full hotels and workers’ strikes as industry experts pointed to a returning tourism demand that is outpacing even prepandemic levels. But the latest extreme weather has flagged another danger for visitors: summer heat waves, which climate researchers say will become longer, more frequent and more intense in Europe.The soaring temperatures in recent days have coincided with a popular time to visit Europe, the most popular overseas destination for American travelers this year, industry watchers say. And while extreme weather has caused travel disruptions in the past, particularly in countries not set up to withstand it, the heat can also be deadly: More than 61,000 people died in last summer’s heat waves in Europe, according to a r...