tourism

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Homeless Tour Guides Offer New Peek at London

Volunteer group teams up with them to spread awareness

(Newser) - Visitors to London can get an earthier view of the city courtesy of homeless tour guides. Der Spiegel tags along as one woman ticks off facts on familiar sites such as the London Bridge, along with tidbits not to be found on more official tours: "This is where I...

Tourism Spikes Worldwide
 Tourism Spikes Worldwide 
Jan 16, 2012 6:59 PM CST

Tourism Spikes Worldwide

Europe sees boost as Middle East, North Africa lose travelers

(Newser) - The economic crisis, Japanese disasters, and the Arab Spring couldn't stop tourists from globetrotting last year, AFP reports. European tourism surged the most—6% higher than in 2010—helping to fuel an international rise of 4.4% that clocked 980 million travelers, according to a UN report. But tourists...

Unlikely Tourist Hotspots for 2012

Panama, Finland, and Myanmar top the list

(Newser) - If you like cool design, upscale safaris, or a forbidden communist island, the New York Times can recommend 45 locales to visit in 2012. Among them:
  • Panama. See the world-famous canal before its expansion, then stay for Panama City's economic boom and Frank Gehry's first design in Latin
...

New Destination for Rich Chinese Tourists: Wales?

Planned resort to feature signs in Mandarin, staff familiar with Chinese culture

(Newser) - With Chinese tourism to the UK booming, a developer is planning a resort village aimed at their specific needs. But it's not exactly a stone's throw from London's attractions: Instead, it's calling itself "just three hours away" in Wales. Pantglas Estate would house a 92-bedroom...

North Korea Now Open for Tourism!
North Korea Now Open for Tourism!
Nov 16, 2011 1:16 PM CST

North Korea Now Open for Tourism!

...as long as you don't try to talk to anyone or walk down the street

(Newser) - Looking for an exciting new vacation destination? Well, scenic North Korea would love to have you—provided you don’t try anything foolish like talking to a local, walking down the street, or (gasp) using a cellphone. The repressive country is looking to tourism to raise money, but doing its...

Glasgow All the Rage After Brad Pitt Stay

Zombie flick helps Glasgow edge out Edinburgh for top Scottish destination

(Newser) - What happens in Glasgow stays in Glasgow—except when Brad Pitt comes to town to film a potential zombie blockbuster, and the city transforms into Scotland's top destination spot so far this year. Calling it the "Brad Pitt effect," the Daily Mail notes that Scotland's No....

Siberian Officials Find 'Proof' of Yeti Artifacts in Mountains

 Siberia Turns Up 'Proof' of Yeti 
in case you missed it
Oct 15, 2011 7:00 AM CDT

Siberia Turns Up 'Proof' of Yeti

Officials find 'footprints' and 'supposed bed'

(Newser) - Siberian officials say they've uncovered concrete proof of an Abominable Snowman living nearby. Have they actually spotted him? Well, not Yeti—but during an expedition to the Shoria mountains, participants found the creature's "footprints, his supposed bed, and various markers with which the yeti marks his territory,...

Want to Go to Japan? It's Doling Out 10K Flights

Officials reassure foreign travelers that country is safe to visit

(Newser) - How to cope with the unpleasant reality of a major drop in tourism following March's earthquake and tsunami? Free stuff for tourists! Japan will attempt to woo back wary travelers by doling out 10,000 free airline tickets next year, the Japan Tourism Agency announced this week. Officials are...

Pablo Escobar's Life: Now a $40 Tourist Draw

Medellin travel agency offers controversial tours on late drug lord

(Newser) - Pablo Escobar has made the transition in death from feared drug lord to Disney-esque tourist attraction. Visitors to Medellin, Colombia, can now shell out $40 for a three-hour tour of Escobar's favorite haunts when he ruled the city in the 1980s, reports the Guardian . The tour includes a stop...

Gladiator Thugs Busted at Colosseum

Cop centurions sent in as Rome cracks down on racketeers

(Newser) - Gladiators and centurions clashed in front of Rome's Colosseum this week as police attempted to crack down on thugs targeting tourists. Undercover officers dressed as centurions were sent in to investigate the dozens of fake gladiators, centurions, and Roman legionnaires who make their living outside the ancient stadium, posing...

Japan Tries to Lure Back Scared Tourists

Numbers are way down, and hotel discounts are way up

(Newser) - Looking for an inexpensive vacation? Go to Japan. This is the country's unofficial message to a dwindling population of visitors scared away by the recent natural disasters and the threat of radiation exposure, the Global Post reports. To draw tourists back in, hotels are offering bargain-bin specials. Japan needs...

Venice Tourists to Pay Tax to Save City

Minimal tax on overnight visitors could raise millions

(Newser) - Vacationing in Venice is about to get a wee bit pricier. In a bid to save the slowly sinking city, Venice will next month start levying a tourist tax. Those lucky enough to stay in a five-star hotel will see a nightly per-person charge of nearly $6.50 added to...

Tourist Sucked Into Deadly Maui Blowhole

Californian David Potts bobs up once, vanishes

(Newser) - Horrified onlookers watched helplessly as a Northern California man was sucked into a tourist-touted "blowhole" on the shores of Maui. David Potts was clowning around close to the geyser-like phenomenon when a sneaker wave knocked him off his feet and he disappeared down the spouting hole. He bobbed to...

12 Dead as Tourist Boat Sinks in Vietnam

People from 9 countries among the dead

(Newser) - An anchored tourist boat sank early this morning in Vietnam, killing 12 travelers—most asleep—onboard, the LA Times reports. The dead hailed from nine countries, and included two Americans. Another 15 people made it off the boat alive. They report seeing a wooden plank rip away from the vessel...

Vietnam Discovers Own 'Great Wall'

79-mile wall was built to keep tribes separated

(Newser) - In 2005, a professor found a reference to "Long Wall of Quang Ngai" in a 19th-century Vietnamese document. Five years later, Dr Andrew Hardy and his team have uncovered that nearly 200-year-old—and 79-mile long—wall, reports CNN . Up to 13 feet high in places, the scale is much...

Chernobyl Opening to Tourists
Chernobyl Opening
to Tourists
Dec 14, 2010 1:20 AM CST

Chernobyl Opening to Tourists

Guided tours to be offered inside restricted zone

(Newser) - Get your red hots! Ukraine plans to start welcoming tourists to the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster next year. Officials will open up the sealed zone which extends for a 30-mile radius around the Chernobyl plant, and guides will offer tours which would avoid contaminated areas while taking...

No Joke: Blondes Building Blonde Resort

Lithuanian firm wants fair-haired mecca in Maldives

(Newser) - Blonde ambition or blatant racism? That's the question surrounding a Lithuanian firm's plans to build a blonde resort in the Maldives. The property will be staffed, of course, by blondes—leaving locals to wonder if non-whites will be excluded, notes the BBC , "This is racist and should not be...

Italy Demands Apple Store Ditch 'Offensive' App

There's more to Italy than the Mafia

(Newser) - Italy is home to many things, but a sense of humor may not be one of them. The country's tourism minister is demanding that Apple bar the "offensive and unacceptable" What Country app from its store, and has instructed lawyers to take legal action against its creators. The app,...

Oprah's Trip to Cost Aussie Taxpayers $2.8M

Tourism boost will be worth it, ministers say

(Newser) - Oprah's bringing her audience to Australia —and the Aussie taxpayers will be footing a chokable chunk of the bill. The Australian government is contributing some $2.8 million toward the cost of bringing the Oprah Winfrey Show to the country later this year. Officials say the price is a...

Want to Visit the US? That'll Be $14, Please

Starting today, tourists from 36 countries charged fee

(Newser) - Starting today, visitors to the US will be required to pay what some are calling a “tourist tax.” Anyone entering the US without a visa will have to pay a whopping $14 to do so, Yahoo reports. The EU lamented this unbearable burden yesterday, calling it “inconsistent...

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