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☆ Tyagarah, New South Wales: Australian nude beach faces possible closure
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Tyagarah Beach, a secluded 800-meter (875-yard) stretch of beachfront north of Byron Bay, has been the topic of heated debate in recent weeks. The beach, long loved by naturists from Australia and around the world, is part of the Tyagarah Nature Reserve and maintained by the New South Wales state government. “Nude recreation is a legitimate way of life,” Benham wrote. In 2018, a similar measure was rejected by the Shire Council and CCTV cameras were installed as a compromise. “I’ve been nude bathing on Byron Shire beaches since I was a child in the 70s and 80s,” Benham told 9 News.

Persons: Bradley Benham, Byron Naturists, Penny Sharpe, ” Benham, “ I’ve, CNN’s Angus Watson Organizations: CNN, naturists, New, 9News, Council, Nature, ” Local, Shire Council Locations: Tyagarah, Byron Bay, Australia, New South Wales, NSW, Shire, Byron Shire

☆ Dream of the Desert: Saudi Arabia is launching its own luxury train
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

State-owned railway company Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) recently struck a 200 million Saudi riyals ($53.33 million) deal with Italian hospitality company Arsenale Group to launch the first luxury train in the Middle Eastern kingdom. The destination has made a number of high-profile tourism investments in recent years – a $500 billion model city in the desert of northwest Saudi Arabia among them. Now Saudi Arabia is getting on board with the slow travel movement in a big way by moving into the luxury train market. Arsenale S.P.A./Saudi Arabia RailwaysSaudi Arabia’s decision to enter the luxury train market comes as demand for high-speed trains and luxury “rail cruises” continues to increase around the world. Infrastructure investmentA rendering of Dream of the Desert, which will be the first luxury train in the Middle Eastern kingdom.

Persons: Paolo Barletta, ” Barletta, S.P.A, Joe Biden, Dolce, ”, Luigi Corradi, King, Khalid al, Falih, Arsenale S.P.A, Bashar bin Khaled Al Malik, Al Malik, CNN’s Lilit Marcus, Ben Jones Organizations: CNN, State, Saudi Arabia Railways, Saudi, Arsenale Group, SAR, Saudi Arabia Railways Saudi, Reuters, “ Orient, Accor, Ferrovie dello Stato, Speed Railway, King Abdulaziz International, Saudi Arabia’s Investment, Projects, Saudi Railway Company, Orient Express, Orient Locations: Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Arabia’s, Riyadh, Qurayyat, Jordan, Hail, Italy, France, Italy’s, Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Venice, London, Kyushu

☆ Best travel destinations to visit in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-01 | by ( Cnn Travel Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +32 min

cdwheatley/iStockphoto/Getty Images Angola: Beyond the capital city of Luanda, pictured, Angola has some jaw-droppingly spectacular scenery and cultural treats. David ChiaFF/Alamy Stock Photo Mérida, Mexico: Yucatán state's capital city showcases a blend of Mayan and colonial heritage. Pavel Tochinsky/The Image Bank RF/Getty Images Morocco: This North African country is home to nine UNESCO sites, including the historic city of Meknes, pictured. Panama City is also the only world capital with a tropical rainforest within its city limits. And a historic city forever entwined with the famed Camino de Santiago.

Persons: you’d, Tengguo Wu, Gabriele Thielmann, Turkey's, Gary Ennis, Matevz, Bill Bachman, Christian Kober, Gonzalo Azumendi, David ChiaFF, Pavel Tochinsky, Terry Kelly, Raul Rodriguez, iStock, Anton Petrus, –, — Karla Cripps Turkey’s, — Barry Neild, Mana Kaasik, — Maureen O’Hare, — Maggie Hiufu Wong, Deb Snelson, Glen Arbor, Marnie Hunter, — Forrest Brown, — Forrest Brown Angola Cristo, Eric Lafforgue, it’s, King, Eric Carr, John’s, Saint John, New Brunswick —, —, Tuul, Bruno Morandi, — Julia Buckley, Groenewald, Alamy, — Lilit Marcus, Alexander the Great, Philip II of Macedon, — JB, Bogdan Lazar, — Tamara Hardingham, Gill, Hercules, Francesca, Lazarus, ”, David Casanova, Megan Sequeira Casanova, “, Kuka y Naranjo, medina, Gordon Sinclair, Yvette Cardozo, — FB, Pierce Ingram, Stefan Tomic, Fujairah, who’ve, Samarkand —, It’s Organizations: CNN, United, CNN Travel, Getty Images, Town, Getty, Northwest, Saint, New Brunswick Tourism, UNESCO, Heritage, Alamy, Parque Nacional Volcán Barú, Galicia, Tercera Orden, Parque, Bank, Wakulla Springs, Texas, United Arab Emirates, AP, Rock, of Culture, Estonian National Museum, — Maggie Hiufu Wong Northwest Michigan, Bear, Farm, Riders, Lubango, — BN Saint John, Canada Tourists, St, Saint John City Market, Historic, Saint John Arts Centre, Carnegie, Carnegie Library, — KC, Korea, Folk, Netflix, South Korea, Adriatic, Nacional Glaciares, Australian Sea Lions, Panama, Spain Santiago de, Spain Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Islas, Camino, Mexico People, YouTube, US State Department, Morocco, Regis Hotels, Resorts, — FB Texas, Travel Texas, Krause, Gruene, Fujairah, Icefjord, FS, Tuul, ” Locations: United States, Sumba, Indonesia Sumba, Indonesia, Bali, Getty Images Tartu, Estonia, Tartu —, European, Tainan, Taiwan, Northwest Michigan, Traverse City, Lake Michigan, iStockphoto, Western Balkans, Culebra , Puerto Rico, Flamenco, Culebra, cdwheatley, Angola, Luanda, , New Brunswick, Fundy, New Brunswick, New Brunswick Tourism South Korea, Korea Albania, Albania, Chile, mauritius, Western Australia, Greece, Macedonia, American, Panama, Spain, Camino, Santiago, St, John's, Mexico, Parque Hidalgo, Morocco, Meknes, Florida, Spicewood, Anton, Greenland, Denmark, AP Uzbekistan, Bukhara, Indonesian, Sumela, Turkey's, — Barry Neild Tartu, Estonia Tartu, of Culture Tartu, Tartu, “, Baltics, — Maureen O’Hare Tainan, Taiwan Tainan, Taipei, — Maggie Hiufu Wong Northwest, Lake, Traverse, Leland, Glen, perusing, Balkans, Slovenia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, transdinarica.com, —, Puerto Rico, It’s, — Forrest Brown Angola, Lubango, Barra, Cabo Ledo, — BN Saint John , New Brunswick, Canada, Hopewell, Newfoundland, Saint, Canada’s, Korea Andong, South Korea, Sanga, Korea, Seoul, Busan, Andong, Albania Albania, Berat, Montenegro, Vlorë, Gjirokastër, — Julia Buckley Chile, Atacama, Patagonia, Coral Coast, Geraldton, — Lilit Marcus Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece's, Hemis, Athens, Vergina, Veria, Naousa, Greece’s, Thrace, Philippi, Kavala, Panama . Panama City, Gill Galicia, Spain Santiago, Spain Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Galicia’s, Santiago de Compostela, Cabo, Fisterra, Galicia —, Singapore, John’s, Paseo, Montejo, Mérida, Yucatán, getaways, there’s, Marrakech, Rabat, Fes, Resorts Morocco, Wakulla, Ginnie, Fredericksburg, Texas, Marble Falls, Meanderers, New Braunfels, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Wadi, Nuuk, Ilulissat, West, FS Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, China, India, Khiva, Uzbek, Sentob, Tashkent

☆ The secret history of Japan’s best sweets
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Many of Japan’s present-day favorite wagashi – sweets – have their origins on Kyushu. Castella (kasutera in Japanese) also makes an appearance in another popular Japanese sweet, dorayaki. Here, the castella cake is thinner and made into a pancake with a layer of sweet red bean paste inside. Europe meets Japan, Japan meets EuropeAnother European sweet that got the Japanese treatment is macarons. For him, it’s a way of honoring Japan’s small producers, in addition to introducing these flavors to the hotel’s guests.

Persons: Joyi Chang, It’s, ”, Michele Abbatemarco, there’s, Margaret, Emperor, –, Miyamoto Shoko, it’s Organizations: CNN, Japan CNN Locations: Kyushu, Japan, Macao, Nagasaki, Portuguese, Japan’s, Portugal, Fukusaya, Fukuoka, Fukusaya’s, Hakata Station, Europe, Otemachi, Saga City, Tokyo, Spain, Netherlands, England

☆ UN shares its world’s ‘best tourism villages’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

For travelers who want to visit a smaller, more authentic local destination, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has released this year’s list of the best tourism villages. For 2023, 55 villages were recognized by the international organization, which focuses on sustainable tourism, up from 32 last year. The list includes small towns and villages from places as diverse as Mexico, China, Ethiopia, and Italy. There’s no ranking of the villages, and they are all listed in alphabetical order in English. Highlights in EuropeEurope’s selections to the UNWTO list represent a mix of cultural and environmental differences.

Persons: Dhordo, Les Falles, Sant, Al Sela, Jordan • Barrancas, Spain •, Peru •, Egypt •, India •, Korea •, Portugal •, Colombia •, Japan •, Italy • Manteigas, Ecuador •, Pisco, Austria •, Uzbekistan •, • Siwa, Portugal • Anton, Arlberg, Tân, Viet Nam, Hungary •, Moldova • Vila, China • Organizations: CNN, United Nations World Tourism Organization, Asia Dongbaek, UNWTO, UNESCO, Reserve, Spain • Ordino, Andorra • Oyacachi, Schladming, Moldova • Locations: Tokyo, London, Mexico, China, Ethiopia, Italy, Asia, South, Jeju, Shirakawa, Japan, Gifu prefecture, Nagoya, Zhejiang, Dhordo, Rann, Kutch, India, Europe, Spain, Sigüenza, Madrid, Slunj, Croatia, Andorra, Ordino, Sant Pere, Peru, Machu Picchu, Lima, Peruvian, Chacas, Chile, La Carolina, Argentina, Biei, Tortel, Cantavieja, Spain • Chacas, Huantar, Peru • Dahshour, Egypt, Egypt • Dhordo, Republic, Korea, Korea • Douma, Lebanon, Ericeira, Portugal, Portugal • Filandia, Colombia, Huangling, Cánovas, Kandovan, Iran, Lerici, Switzerland, Mosan, Juárez, Oñati, Ecuador, Ecuador • Paucartambo, Peru • Penglipuran, Indonesia, Pisco Elqui, Pozuzo, Saint, Saty, Kazakhstan, Austria, Austria • Sehwa, Korea • Sentob, Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan • Shirakawa, Egypt • Slunj, Sortelha, Viet, Peru • Tokaj, Hungary, Hungary • Văleni, Moldova, Madalena, Portugal • Xiajiang, China • Zapatoca, Colombia • Zhagana

☆ Find out why this garden has been named ‘the most beautiful in Japan’ for 20+ years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Shimane, Japan CNN —In Japan, gardening isn’t just a hobby – it’s an art form with spiritual significance. The US-based Sukiya Living magazine (formerly Journal of Japanese Gardening) has awarded the Adachi Museum its highest honor – most beautiful traditional garden – for more than 20 years running. Despite accolades coming from outside of Japan, the museum and gardens remain relatively unknown compared to those in Kyoto and Tokyo. Many Western visitors to Japan are confused when they visit a Japanese garden, only to not see a single flower. “Before looking at Japanese paintings, you can look at these Japanese gardens and understand them in this sequence.

Persons: ”, Sophie Walker, Robert Gilhooly, Takodori Adachi, Zenko Adachi, Adachi, Adachi's, thanyarat07, Lafcadio Hearn, genji maki Organizations: CNN, Japan CNN —, Adachi Museum of Art, Adachi Museum, “, Art, Mount Fuji, UNESCO, Museum of Art Locations: Japan, Shimane, Osaka, The, Kyoto, Tokyo, Tottori, San’in, Okayama, Honshu, Matsue, Adachi, Yasugi

☆ The ‘world’s skinniest hotel’ measures nine feet across
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

It’s now the home of PituRooms, a seven-room hotel (Pitu is Javanese for “seven”) that measures just 2.8 meters (9 feet) wide. “I want people to experience Salatiga in a new way,” Indra tells CNN. Case in point: Indra tells CNN that PituRooms, which opened in December 2022, has had “only five percent” non-Indonesian guests. But within Indonesia, Indra says, Salatiga is known a tolerant city that has good food, good infrastructure and a good quality of life. Here we are skinniest,” Indra told Dezeen, an architecture blog.

Persons: Salatiga, Indra, “, ” Indra, Dezeen, Merbabu Organizations: CNN, nab Locations: Indonesia, Salatiga, Central Java, Jakarta, Singapore, PituRooms, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Bali, Indonesian, ‘

☆ Coral spawning season brings hope for the Great Barrier Reef
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —For a few days in the southern hemisphere every spring, the world’s biggest and most famous coral reef explodes. This is coral spawning season – a time when the Great Barrier Reef creates the next generation of corals. This year’s coral spawning began on November 2. Coral spawning, which happens ahead of the southern hemisphere’s summer, gives clues about the health of the 133,000-square-mile (345,000-square-kilometer) reef. “The annual coral spawning is not only one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena on the planet,” says Anna Marsden, managing director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Persons: ”, Anna Marsden, “ Organizations: CNN, ” UNESCO, Heritage, UNESCO

☆ National Geographic announces 2024 ‘cool list’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

City breaksFor great food, museums and nightlife, head to some of the cities featured on National Geographic’s list. States of beingIn several cases, National Geographic highlighted entire states. National Geographic advises not only visiting New York City – the Empire State is also home to some natural beauty at Lake Placid and Niagara Falls. Meanwhile, National Geographic also lauded the northern Indian state of Sikkim, which is nestled in the Himalayas near the country’s borders with Bhutan and Nepal. Natural wondersThe National Geographic list is heavy on beautiful natural destinations.

Persons: •, Italy •, Germany •, Chile •, Argentina • Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, National Geographic, New, Geographic, Northern Ireland • Emilia, Scotland •, Finland •, Peru •, Peru • New York State, Argentina • Akagera Locations: Europe, Albania, China, Lima, Peru, Tainan, Taiwan’s, Texas, New York, New York City, Lake Placid, Niagara Falls, , Texas, Victoria, Australian, Melbourne, Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, Nova Scotia, Canada, Chile, Dominica, Madagascar, Scotland, Galloway and Southern Ayrshire, Albanian, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Romagna, Italy, • Galloway, Southern Ayrshire, Scotland • Nordland, Norway, North Yorkshire, England, Italy • Saimaa, Finland, Finland • Tartu, Estonia, Germany, Germany • Valletta, Malta, Wales, Ireland, Atacama, Chile • Lima, Peru • New York, Miami, Florida, Dominica • Nova Scotia, Yucatan, Mexico, Wetlands, Argentina, Rwanda, Madagascar • Sierra Leone, India, Taiwan, Australia

☆ Tarantula sighting results in car accident in Death Valley National Park
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A tourist tried to avoid a wild animal in a national park and got in a car accident. According to a press release issued by the Death Valley National Park in California, two tourists from Switzerland were in a campervan on October 28 when the driver saw the spider and slammed on the brakes. However, the park urges Death Valley visitors not to panic if they see an eight-legged creature. Earlier this year, staff at Yellowstone National Park were forced to euthanize a bison calf after a visitor tried to pick up the animal. Last week, a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway national park in North Carolina was closed after multiple incidents of “visitors feeding and attempting to hold a young bear.”

Persons: who’d, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Death, Yellowstone Locations: California, Switzerland, Death, North Carolina

☆ Fukuoka: The Japanese city that dominates street food
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Fukuoka, Japan’s sixth largest city by population, has more open-air food stalls than the rest of the country combined. These stalls are called yatais, and they’re an indelible part of what makes Fukuoka’s food scene so special. A vendor prepares local Hakata-style pork broth ramen at a Fukuoka yatai. Hemis/Alamy Stock Photo“Yatai is the best place to make friends,” says Nick Szasz, a Canadian-born longtime resident of Japan who runs the English-language website Fukuoka Now. Though the city has always been dotted with these food carts, Takashima’s administration set up a committee to regulate them and make sure they’d remain a vital part of the city.

Persons: Yatais, oden, ”, Nick Szasz, Szasz, it’s, Sōichirō Takashima, –, Fukuoka’s, Kensuke Kubota –, London’s Zuma, Japan –, Yatai Keiji, yatais Organizations: CNN, Fukuoka Locations: Japan’s, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Hakata, Canadian, Japan, Kyushu, AsiaDreamPhoto

☆ Sydney Opera House: Australia’s most famous attraction turns 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Saying that the Sydney Opera House is a well-known icon of Australia is kind of like saying the Amazon is a creek. Inaugurated on October 20, 1973, by the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Opera House now welcomes more than one million visitors every year. A rich historyThere’s much more to the Opera House than, well, opera. “I think there’s a big misconception that we’re the classical arts,” says Jade McKellar, chief customer officer for the Sydney Opera House. “The Sydney Opera House constitutes a masterpiece of 20th Century architecture,” UNESCO wrote in its designation.

Persons: Queen Elizabeth II, Jorn Utzon, “, ”, Jade McKellar, we’ve, there’ll, Golding, McKellar, Megan Cope, Bob Henry, UCG, Piper, Hamelin Organizations: CNN, Sydney Opera, Deloitte, Empire, Opera, Opera House, Sydney Opera House, UNESCO, ” UNESCO, Fairfax Media, House, Nations, Botanic Garden, Getty, Opera Bar Locations: Australia, ”, Spanish, Korean, Sydney

☆ ‘World’s coolest’ neighbourhoods 2023: Colombia’s Laureles tops Time Out’s list
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Travel news: Amsterdam will increase its tourist tax in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —This week in travel news: An ancient Italian site, a hefty European tourist tax and a bunch of bears in Alaska all got bigger. Norbert Eisele-Hein/imageBROKER/Shutterstock An Indian icon: The Hawa Mahal is part of the larger City Palace complex in the middle of Jaipur. According to Indian authorities in charge of the monument, roughly 1 million people visit Hawa Mahal each year. To experience its cooling effects firsthand, head inside Jaipur's City Palace -- it's located on the edge of the palace grounds. Vishal Bhatnagar/NurPhoto/Getty Images India's stunning Hawa Mahal Prev NextThe Hawa Mahal isn’t just one of India’s most beautiful buildings – it was also way ahead of its time in terms of sustainability.

Persons: It’s, Grazer, F, Jimenez, Alaska’s, Grazer “, She’ll, Jeffrey Pfefferle, Leon McNaught, Pfefferle, they’ve, “, ”, Norbert Eisele, Hein, imageBROKER, Hawa, Vishal Bhatnagar, Elena Odareeva, what's, Sanjay Sharma, Kavita Jain, Lola Fdez, Jain, Mickey Mousing, – Organizations: CNN, Amsterdam, Bear, &, Grazer, CNN Travel, UNESCO, Heritage, Adobe, KS, IKEA Locations: Alaska, overtourism Amsterdam, Europe, ”, Amsterdam, Italy, American, Sicilian, Mussomeli, Zhangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Fujian province, Indian, Jaipur, Jaipur's, Nogales, Kenya, Swedish

☆ Grand Canyon issues warning about ‘love locks’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —“Love is strong, but our bolt cutters are stronger,” reads a new Facebook post from Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Many people believe that the locks are good luck for a relationship, and that throwing away the key symbolizes an unbroken love. However, while the locks themselves are considered “littering” and “graffiti” in the park, it’s the keys that can cause even more serious problems. When the city of Paris removed the locks in 2015, the weight of the 700,000 metal objects was the equivalent of 20 elephants. Once they were all removed, the city put glass partitions up on the bridge to prevent anyone from adding new locks.

Organizations: CNN, California condor, “, “ Condors, Paris ’ Pont des Arts Locations: Arizona, California, Paris

☆ Travel advice for Israel following the deadly clashes: Everything you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The situation remains fluid and all information is subject to sudden change, but here’s what travelers need to know following the attacks. Among the locations Hamas has claimed it is targeting is Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel’s international hub, located just outside Tel Aviv. As for Israeli airlines, El Al, the country’s flag carrier, issued a statement on October 8 saying it would continue to operate as usual. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines has issued guidance for passengers with flights booked to or from Tel Aviv between October 7-14. “The situation in Israel continues to be unpredictable,” said the US Embassy in Israel in a statement, which advised American citizens in Israel to contact the embassy in Jerusalem or the consulate in Tel Aviv.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, CNN’s Nic Robertson, Ben Gurion’s, Ilan, Asaf Ramon, El Al, Ben Gurion, Élisabeth Borne, ”, Bruno Mars, CNN’s Nicole Goodkind, Sophie Jeong Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Hamas, Ben Gurion International Airport, Asaf Ramon International Airport, El Al Airlines, El Al, El, Arkia Airlines, International, German, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Group Airlines, BFM, Air France, Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways, Korean Air, Korean, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, United, Air, Hainan Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Royal Air Marcoc, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Reuters, of European Football Associations, Estonia, “ UEFA, Embassy, Front Command Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Red Sea, Eilat, El, Rome, Milan, Athens, Hong, Incheon, Air Canada, Hainan, Switzerland, Germany, “, Tel Aviv’s, Gaza, Jerusalem, Lebanon

☆ Tokyo’s Shibuya City attempts to ban Halloween
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing is the busiest intersection in the world, with five crosswalks interlacing through 10 lanes of car and bus traffic. The leadership of Shibuya City – which is a self-governed district within Tokyo – has issued a formal request to both domestic and foreign tourists to mind their manners and not observe Halloween in the area from October 27-31. Crowds of people celebrating Halloween in Shibuya in 2014. The Shibuya City notice specifically addresses concerns that, if people don’t take action, Tokyo could experience a dangerous crowd crush like the one that took place in Seoul last year. “The streets of Shibuya are not party venues,” the city’s mayor, Ken Hasebe, said in a statement.

Persons: overtourism, Yuya Shino, it’s, Ken Hasebe Organizations: CNN, Tokyo – Locations: Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, Seoul

☆ Japan implements tourist tax at famous ‘floating shrine’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Japan’s popular Itsukushima Shrine has now become slightly more expensive to visit. Located in the town of Hatsukaichi, in Hiroshima prefecture, the torii – a shrine gateway – is part of a 1,400-year-old Shinto complex that’s listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its striking appearance has made it one of the most recognizable attractions in Japan – even President Joe Biden visited earlier this year. Hatsukaichi has long struggled with overtourism, prompting officials to implement a tourist tax, which came into effect on Sunday. Each visitor to Miyajima, the island access point for the shrine, is now charged 100 yen (67 cents).

Persons: CNN —, Japan –, Joe Biden, ”, Shunji Mukai Organizations: CNN, UNESCO Locations: Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima prefecture, Japan, Miyajima, ”

☆ India proposes barring perfume on pilots and flight attendants
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —It would be difficult to find an airline that didn’t consider a pilot flying while drunk a fireable offense. But a newly proposed regulation in India could also take action against pilots who use perfume. India’s Office of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which oversees the country’s aviation industry, recently proposed an update to its bylaws regarding alcohol consumption. There is already reference to things other than alcoholic drinks that could cause a positive breath test, namely mouthwash, in the guidelines. It reads: “No crew member shall consume any drug/formulation or use any substance such as mouthwash/tooth gel/perfume or any such product which has alcoholic content.

Persons: “, Katsutoshi, Gabriel Lyle Schroeder Organizations: CNN, Civil Aviation, Japan Airlines, Delta Locations: India, mouthwash

☆ China debuts its first overwater high-speed train
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The maximum speed of the trains along this route is 350 kilometers (217 miles) per hour, according to China Railway, the state railway operator. The first train on this line debuted on Thursday, September 28, departing from Fuzhou, the province’s capital, at 9:15 a.m. China Railway says that it used intelligent robots and environmentally friendly corrosion-resistant steel to build out the overwater rail sections. Fujian province is also significant for being the closest part of mainland China to the self-governing island of Taiwan. The plan would turn Kinmen into a “peace island,” or a sort of DMZ between Taiwan and China.

Persons: China’s, ” Organizations: CNN, China Railway, State, Communist Party, Taiwan Locations: Zhangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Fujian province, Fujian, China, Taiwan, Kinmen

☆ North Korea hints at tourism reopening, but doubts remain
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

When North Korea slammed its already tight borders closed in 2020, he was one of many travel industry professionals left out in the proverbial cold. One of Cockerell’s business concerns, he says, is that a lack of search engine interest in North Korea trips could hurt his website’s visibility on Google. In 2017, the United States banned its passport holders from traveling to North Korea and has renewed this ban through at least 2024. The 2017 ban on American travel to North Korea came shortly after the death of Otto Warmbier, a recent college graduate from Ohio who participated in a Young Pioneer Tours group trip to North Korea. Warmbier was detained in North Korea in 2016 for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster and held for 17 months.

Persons: Simon Cockerell, ” Cockerell, ”, Cockerell, Kim, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, CNN’s Paula Hancocks, Irene Nasser, Kate Springer, Yoonjung Seo Organizations: CNN, Air Koryo, of Tourism, United, DPRK, Tours, North Koreans, North Korean Locations: North Korea, North, Pyongyang, Beijing, China, Vladivostok, Russia, Koryo, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tourism, United States, Ohio

☆ Auckland Airport hosts its first-ever proposal via PA system
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“In Bollywood movies, I think eight out of 10 times, the couple would only come together at the airport,” Chhabra tells CNN Travel. Courtesy Auckland AirportShukla, an Auckland native, lives in Melbourne, Australia, where she works for the Victoria state government. So Chhabra hatched a plan: he’d arrange for their loved ones to be at the Auckland Airport when Shukla arrived for a visit. But it was when he finally connected with Laura Platts, the Auckland Airport communications manager, that everything began to fall into place. When she landed in Auckland, Shukla realized that her luggage hadn’t arrived.

Persons: Vash Chhabra, Riiya Shukla, Chhabra, Shukla, Laura Platts, Platts, hadn’t, “, ” Shukla, it’s, Melbourne, ” Organizations: CNN, “, CNN Travel, ”, Shukla, Auckland, Auckland Airport, Chhabra, Melbourne - Locations: Chhabra, Auckland, Melbourne, Australia, Victoria, New Zealand, Melbourne - Auckland, India, panicking, Punjab

☆ Why Korean Air will be weighing some passengers before their flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Passengers flying with Korean Air in the next few weeks may be asked to take one additional step before boarding – getting on the scale. Korean Air is one of the many airlines around the globe that is required to periodically obtain plane weight data. If a passenger would prefer not to have their weight data collected, Korean Air confirms that they can opt out by letting a staff member know. No one can see your weight, not even us,” a representative from Air NZ, the country’s national carrier, said at the time. Once data is gathered, it helps airlines make decisions about fuel needs and weight distribution on board.

Persons: isn’t, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Korean Air, Gimpo International, Incheon International Airport, country’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, Air, Zealand, JFK, Air NZ Locations: Korean, Auckland, New

☆ North Korean plane lands in China for first time in three years
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Mihir Melwani | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Air travel between the Hermit Kingdom and the Middle Kingdom is possible once again. Air Koryo flight JS151 from Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, arrived at Beijing’s PEK airport on Tuesday at 9:17 a.m. local time, according to the Beijing Capital International Airport website. The resumption of North Korean flag carrier Air Koryo’s regular flights between China and the DPRK was approved by Chinese authorities amid the changes in Chinese covid travel restrictions in January, according to a statement by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, regular flights between North Korea and Russia are set to resume on Friday, August 25, for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, as previously reported by CNN. The one-hour flights travel between Pyongyang and the southeastern Russian city of Vladivostok, where North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for a summit in 2019.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, CNN’s Paula Hancocks, Lilit Marcus, Yoonjung Seo Organizations: CNN, Air, Beijing Capital International, Air Koryo’s, DPRK, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, North Locations: Hermit, Kingdom, Pyongyang, North, Beijing’s PEK, North Korea, Korean, China, Russia, Russian, Vladivostok

☆ North Korea-Russia flights due to take off for first time since the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Lilit Marcus | Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Flights between North Korea and Russia are set to resume for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. Air Koryo, North Korea’s national airline, is operating four flights between Pyongyang and Vladivostok, in southeast Russia, this month for the first time since 2020, a Vladivostok airport official confirmed to CNN. North Korea, which already has some of the world’s most tightly controlled borders, essentially sealed off the country during the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, several Russian diplomats had to take drastic measures to leave their posts in North Korea during the pandemic. According to information shared by the Russian embassy at the time, the pushcart ride was only one part of a two-day journey to leave North Korea.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, pushcart, Korea’s Organizations: CNN, Koryo, Air, Pyongyang International Airport, pushcart Locations: North Korea, Russia, North, Pyongyang, Vladivostok, Air Koryo, North Korea’s, Russian, Khasan

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