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Outbound travel from China is set to receive a much-anticipated jolt as "Golden Week" bookings show changes in where and why Chinese people are traveling. While most Golden Week travelers are choosing mid-tier accommodations, growth for five-star hotels in Europe is almost three times higher in Europe than in Asia-Pacific, company data showed. Seeking quiet and concertsAs Chinese tourists continue to move beyond organized sightseeing tours abroad, more are seeking to celebrate Golden Week in off-the-beaten-path locations, especially in Asia and Europe, according to Trip.com's data. In Europe, bookings in Spain rose 260% to the city of Granada and 144% to Seville, according to Trip.com. Hong Kong is expected to welcome as many as 1.2 million mainland Chinese visitors during the coming Golden Week holiday, up 10% from last year, according to the city's Travel Industry Council.

Persons: Trip.com, Oscar Wong, Vietnam —, Ito, John Legend Organizations: National, Alibaba Group, United, United Arab, Goldman Sachs Equity Research, ASEAN, Golden, city's Travel Industry Locations: China, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, United States, Chile, Croatia, Belgium, Hungary, Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Europe, Trip.com, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Tokyo, Kyoto, Yokohama, Phu, Granada, Seville, Golden, . Hong Kong

☆ 'Coolcations' had another big summer. Here are the places travelers went
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-27 | by ( Leila Najafi | Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Extreme temperatures are driving travelers to seek cooler destinations. From January to June 2024, flight searches increased 705% to Lapland, Finland, according to Expedia. The online travel agency said flight searches are also up to Canada, specifically Banff (65%) and Lake Louise (55%), its data showed. "We live in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles where we experience extreme heat for most of the summer, reaching highs well above 100," she said. "We want to be comfortable when we are traveling to experience all a city has to offer and take a break from the extreme heat at home."

Persons: Lake Louise, Vrbo, Stephanie Greitzer Organizations: U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Expedia, CNBC Travel Locations: Lapland, Finland, Canada, Banff, Lake, Breckenridge , Colorado, White, , New Hampshire, Pocono, , Pennsylvania, Whistler, San Fernando, Los Angeles

A couple, who argued with a passenger who reclined her seat, won't be flying with Cathay Pacific ever again. Cathay Pacific has not responded to CNBC's request for comment, but said in the statement that it "sincerely" apologized for the incident. The woman, who narrates parts of the video that was posted on the same platform, said the couple harassed her after she declined to return her seat to the upright position. Eventually, she was moved to another seat, the video showed. However, Cathay Pacific said in its statement that onboard staff had issued two "serious" verbal warnings to the two disruptive passengers.

Persons: Instagram Organizations: Cathay Pacific, London . Cathay, Cathay Locations: Hong Kong, London, London . Cathay Pacific, Cathay Pacific

☆ The unspoken rules of celebrating Oktoberfest in Munich
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey | Chris Dwyer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Oktoberfest is a worldwide phenomenon, a Bavarian beer festival celebrated in countries around the globe. Revelers, dressed in leather lederhosen, celebrate Oktoberfest in Munich on Sept. 21, 2024. A waiter brings beer to a table during Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany on Sept. 22, 2024. The world's biggest beer festival ends on Oct. 6, 2024. A waitress carries a tray of food at the start of the Munich Oktoberfest celebration.

Persons: Johannes Simon, Beer, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Revelers, Ein, driel, Crown Prince Ludwig, Princess Therese von Sachsen, Felix Hörhager, Alexander Hassenstein, Marco Polo, Jeff Dean Organizations: Munich's Department of Labor, Getty, Afp, Oktoberfest Museum, Oktoberfest Locations: Bavarian, Munich, steins, Germany, Hildburghausen, Munich's Beer, Salzburg, Austria, Rothenburg, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Harbour, Cincinnati , Ohio

☆ Germany’s doctors can prescribe four-week spa breaks to frazzled parents
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Those lucky parents may leave with doctor’s orders for a four-week spa break by the sea or in the mountains. Germany has around 350 designated spa towns, with many designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites. ‘I had severe sleeping problems’Focused on preventative as well as restorative care, a Kur is frequently aimed at burned-out parents. The proportion of single parents in MGW clinics is disproportionately high in relation to the overall share in society. “Together, solutions are developed that will help patients to cope with everyday life again and prevent (further) health problems,” Gerstkamp explained.

Persons: ”, They’ve, Cécile Poirot, ” Poirot, “, Müttergenesungswerk, Petra Gerstkamp, Gerstkamp, Poirot, ” Gerstkamp Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, Heritage, “ Locations: Germany, Baden, Wiesbaden, Bad, Europe, Elmshorn, Hamburg

☆ Exhausted at work, she spent four months in France and Spain on a $6,800 budget
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Marylou Costa | Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

In 2023, Rowena Hennigan came to a difficult but necessary conclusion — she needed an extended break from work. That didn't leave much left for her travel budget, but Hennigan had a plan, she said. Hennigan spent the first few days on her own, before her husband and daughter joined her. The family plans to do another house sit in France during their summer holidays this year, she said. Total costs: around $300 (excluding Trusted Housesitters' annual membership fee of $240)The outcome of her four-month break

Persons: Rowena Hennigan, Hennigan, Spain —, France Hennigan Organizations: Gran Canaria Locations: Dublin, Hennigan, Zaragoza, Spain, Gran, Canary Islands, Spanish, Canfranc, France, Valencia, Formigal, Villembits, Tarbes

Paris boasts many luxurious five-star accommodations. For a break from the city, consider Chateau de Villette, a late 17th-century estate 40 minutes from Paris by car. France, the birthplace of the Michelin Guide, offers no shortage of luxurious dining, with 630 starred restaurants nationwide, including nine in Paris with three Michelin stars. Le Cinq, in Paris' Four Seasons Hotel George V, serves dishes by award-winning chef Christian Le Squer and wine from a cellar that can hold 50,000 bottles. Other notable options include Restaurant Kei, which fuses Japanese and Western cuisines, and Epicure in Le Bristol Paris, which serves elevated classic French fare.

Persons: Hôtel de Crillon, Karl Lagerfeld, Le, V, Christian Le Organizations: Paris, Ritz, Michelin, Le Bristol Paris, LVMH Locations: Villette, Paris, Versailles, France, Le Bristol

Singapore is the world's safest city for tourists, according to new research by Forbes Advisor. Out of 60 analyzed cities, the Southeast Asian city boasted the lowest natural disaster risk, and the second lowest health and infrastructure risks. Singapore was deemed to have the second lowest digital security risk on the list. After Singapore, the study ranked Tokyo and Toronto as the next safest cities for travelers. Tokyo was deemed to have the lowest health security risk, a testament to the quality of healthcare services in the city, and the fifth lowest infrastructure security risk.

Organizations: Forbes Advisor, Singapore Locations: Singapore, Tokyo, Toronto, Japan, Australia

☆ Packing your bags for Paris? Here’s what to expect from a visit this summer
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

More restaurants and stores will be open in August to host the millions of visitors attending the Summer Olympic Games. Pawel Libera | The Image Bank | Getty ImagesBut this summer, many businesses and restaurants plan to take full advantage of the 11 million visitors expected to visit the city for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Paris has ramped up cycling paths and bicycle parking spaces ahead of the Summer Olympic Games, as part of an effort to make the city a cyclist-friendly metropolis. Instead ask for a "carafe d'eau," and you'll get chilled tap water, which is free and perfectly drinkable in Paris. Escape from the cityConsider a quick break from Paris and her crowds, but one that doesn't require going very far.

Persons: Kiran Ridley, planche, Elena Noviello, Ernest Hemingway, Michel, Charles de Gaulle, Louis XIV, Bois, Christophe Lehenaff Organizations: Pawel, Bank, Getty, Paralympic, Associated Press, Gare de, Saint Locations: Paris, —, Spain, Etoile, Saint, Germain, Laye, Bois de

☆ I finally had the chance to stay in a snow hotel along the Arctic Circle this year. I didn't last the night.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Ulrike Lemmin-WoolfreyI put on my boots and warm jacket and ran out of the snow hotel and into the night, where it was snowing beautifully. I ran across the path into the chalet my husband — already aware of my nighttime habits — had booked at a discounted price. On the hotel's website, one night in a one-bedroom chalet in February is listed at 8,000 Norwegian Krone, or $743. So, I peed in our private bathroom, slid into a real bed, with a real blanket, no dead reindeer or sleeping bag to battle with, and slept contentedly. But I'd only do it for one night, then off into the chalet for the next.

Persons: Ulrike Lemmin, —

☆ Dealing with teenage daughters is difficult. Raising mine in the Middle East made it even harder.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewMy husband and I were sitting outside our house in Dubai, ignoring the noise coming from partying teenagers inside. Instead, she was used to being brought back by car to our house after a sleepover at a friend's house. Parents and teenage daughter ballooning over the Yarra Valley in Australia. We packed up and moved to Australia, in order to allow our daughter a sample of "normal life" as a teenager. But that's normal teenage behavior too.

Persons: —, stealthily, It's, Christina, expat, Ulrike Lemmin Organizations: Service, United Arab Emirates, United Arab, Business, Burberry Locations: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Doha, Qatar, Muscat, Oman, UAE, Yarra, Australia, Melbourne

☆ Inside Qatar’s ‘city of the future’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Like others, it has moved from the capital Doha to this, Qatar’s newest city – 10 miles north. Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty ImagesLusail claims to be Qatar’s first sustainable city – no easy task for a newbuild in the desert. There’s an extensive choice from food trucks at the Lusail Marina Food Arena, abundant cafes, and fine dining restaurants.”A sprawling city of the futureThe Marina area is fast proving a hit for residents. Al Tara – the district, by Al Maha Island, where Warner lives – is home to the Lusail Marina. There is a rumor – as yet unsubstantiated – that Lusail might eventually become Qatar’s capital city.

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