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China denies tourism plans for disputed islands
Beijing - The Chinese government on Thursday rejected state media reports that it planned to start tourist cruises to a disputed island group in the South China Sea.
Thailand's hotels offer plenty of cheap thrills
Bangkok - Thailand's Dusit Group hotel chain opened a new luxury property in the Maldives this month that promises it a much sunnier future than any of their hotels at home.
Hong Kong airport handles record 187,000 passengers in a day
Hong Kong - Hong Kong International Airport handled a record 187,000 passengers on January 28, the city's Airport Authority said Monday.
French-Russian venture to invest billions in Caucasus tourism
Moscow - A French-Russian joint venture company will invest 30 billion dollars to develop tourism infrastructure in the restive Caucasus region, a Russian politician said Wednesday.
Sun, fun, crime: Mexico's tourism battles violent image
Cancun, Mexico - Ask foreigners on Cancun's glistening white beaches what comes to mind when they think of Mexico, and the answers aren't exactly fun in the sun.
Hundreds trapped as Hong Kong's Big Buddha cable car breaks down
Hong Kong - The cable car ride to the Big Buddha statue in Hong Kong was suspended Thursday after 700 tourists were trapped in cold conditions for up to 90 minutes by a breakdown.
Report: British travel firm sees slowdown in summer bookings
London - British travel firm Thomas Cook has seen a drop of one third in bookings for package holidays for the summer of 2012, the Financial Times (FT) reported Monday.
International tourism grows 4 per cent in 2011 despite crisis
Madrid - International tourism grew by 4.4 per cent to 980 million arrivals in 2011, despite economic stagnation in the wake of the global crisis, the United Nations' World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said Monday.
LEAD: India orders inquiry into tourist video of dancing tribeswomen
New Delhi - India's government ordered an inquiry into a video showing semi-naked tribal women allegedly dancing for food, news reports said Thursday.
India orders probe into tourist video of dancing tribeswomen
New Delhi - India's government has ordered a probe into a video showing semi-naked tribal women allegedly dancing for food, news reports said Thursday.
Grand Egyptian Museum to open in 2015
Cairo - The Grand Egyptian Museum, which will house more than 100,000 artefacts and monuments from the pharaonic era, is to be inaugurated in 2015, Antiquities Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said Tuesday.
Spanish tourism grows 8 per cent despite crisis
Madrid - Tourism remains one of the mainstays of Spain's crisis-hit economy, growing by 8.1 per cent in 2011, preliminary figures showed Tuesday.
Malta toasts record tourism year
Valletta - The Mediterranean island-nation of Malta is celebrating a record year for tourism, despite the odds stacked up against it.
Nepal stages annual elephant beauty pageant
Kathmandu - Nepal staged its annual elephant beauty pageant Wednesday, with the creatures parading along a catwalk before a panel of judges in the south-west of the country.
Nepal's annual elephant festival opens
Kathmandu - A three-day international elephant festival began Monday in Nepal in Suraha, in the south-western district of Chitwan.
LEAD: Thai beach resort commemorates 2004 tsunami
Bangkok - Phuket Island on Monday held memorial ceremonies for more than 5,000 lives lost during the December 26, 2004 tsunami that caught Thailand's Andaman coastline by surprise.
Thai beach resort commemorates 2004 tsunami
Bangkok - Phuket Island on Monday held memorial ceremonies for the more than 5,000 lives lost during the December 26, 2004 tsunami that caught Thailand's Andaman coastline by surprise.
Middle East unrest, internet bookings hit travel firm Thomas Cook
London - British travel company Thomas Cook reported an annual loss of 398 million pounds (616 million dollars) on Wednesday, partly blaming the result on the political unrest in North Africa and the Middle East and on a rise in internet bookings.
New Zealand police name drowned Asian hikers
Wellington - Two women who drowned when they were swept away while trying to cross a river on New Zealand's South Island were named Monday as tourists from Singapore and Taiwan.
Hong Kong extends tourism ban on flood-hit Thailand
Hong Kong - Hong Kong on Monday extended a ban on tour groups travelling to Bangkok for a fifth week because of problems caused by flooding in the city.
Hong Kong extends tourism ban on flood-hit Thailand
Hong Kong - Hong Kong on Monday extended a ban on tour groups travelling to Bangkok for a fourth week because of problems caused by flooding in the city.
Phuket tourism fears ripples from Bangkok floods
Phuket, Thailand - Business appears to be booming on the Thai tourist destination of Phuket Island, 700 kilometres south of the floods currently plaguing Bangkok.
Marital spat leave Berlin Christmas market scrambling for tree
Berlin - You can stage a German Christmas market without a Christmas tree, but few organizers would want to.
Bangkok's floods spare Thailand's other tourist destinations
Bangkok - Bangkok's floods, the worst to hit the capital in decades, have yet to impact tourist arrivals in some of Thailand's other popular destinations, partly thanks to the exodus of 'refugees' from the capital, tourism officials said Friday.
Berlin joins other German cities in imposing hotel tax
Berlin - German cities are seeking to recover the funds they lost when the federal government more than halved the value-added tax the hotel sector is required to impose. They are now reaching for a local tax on overnight stays to make up for the lost income.
Thailand lowers tourism forecast due to floods
Bangkok - Tourist arrivals to Thailand this year will drop 2 per cent below the government's target of 19.5 million because of devastating floods, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) forecast.
Hong Kong extends tourism ban on flood-hit Thailand
Hong Kong - Hong Kong Monday extended a ban on tour groups travelling to Bangkok because of continued problems caused by flooding in the city.
Report: Travel agency seeks protection from Greek currency switch
Hanover, Germany - Fears that the Greek government could ditch the euro currency for its old drachma have prompted a European travel group to renegotiate contracts with Greek hotels to protect against financial loss, a German tabloid reported Saturday.
Bangkok's main international airport safe from floods, manager claims
Bangkok - Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport is expected to stay dry during Thailand's worst floods in five decades that are now creeping towards the capital's centre, the airport's management said Friday.
Hong Kong extends tourism ban on Thailand as flooding continues
Hong Kong - Hong Kong Monday extended a ban on tour groups travelling to Bangkok as serious flooding continued to threaten the Thai capital.
Bangkok floods driving tourists away
Bangkok - Theng and Nalen Chiun and their 3-year-old daughter are sitting in the Intercontinental Hotel lobby in the commercial centre of Bangkok, eating lunch before returning home to Sydney, Australia, after 'a great visit.'
Hong Kong cancels all tours to Bangkok as floods advance
Hong Kong - Hong Kong on Wednesday cancelled all package tours to Bangkok as the floodwaters advanced on the Thai capital.
Adventure tourists defy travel warnings on Afghanistan
New Delhi - Western adventure tourists ignore warnings against travelling to Afghanistan - sometimes, with fatal consequences.
Second tourist dies after New York helicopter crash
New York - A second tourist died after a helicopter crashed last week into New York's East River, media reports said.
Bali tourists warned off cocktails after Australian's brain damage
Sydney - Australian holidaymakers on the Indonesian island of Bali were urged Wednesday to steer clear of so-called Jungle Juice cocktails after a 25-year-old nurse was repatriated after suffering brain damage and kidney failure.
Mountaineers scale Washington Monument looking for quake damage
Washington - The Washington Monument, the iconic obelisk towering over the nation's capital, is closed indefinitely for inspections and repairs after the August earthquake.
Report: Zimbabwe airline strike hits Victoria Falls bookings
Harare - Tourists have cancelled up to 80 per cent of their bookings for Zimbabwe's landmark Victoria Falls resort since pilots with the national carrier embarked on a strike at the end of July, media reported Wednesday.
Egypt freezes rule on pre-arrival visas
Cairo - The Egyptian government has suspended a controversial rule requiring that foreign visitors obtain entry visas before their arrival, a tourism official said on Sunday.
Bangkok faces future hotel room glut
Bangkok - Thailand's capital Bangkok faces a looming oversupply of hotel accommodation in 2013-14, when 12,000 new rooms come on the market, a leading property consultant warned Wednesday.
Fatal accident prompts Rio to suspend streetcar beloved by tourists
Rio de Janeiro - Rio de Janeiro authorities Monday suspended service on its picturesque streetcar line until further notice after an accident killed five people.
North Korea to liquidate South Korean assets at tourist resort
Seoul - North Korea on Monday said it will liquidate the South Korean assets at its mountain tourist resort near the border, after last-minute talks broke down last week.
British man killed by shark in Seychelles had 'no chance'
London - A 30-year-old Briton was killed by a shark during his honeymoon in the Seychelles, the Foreign Office in London confirmed Wednesday.
Father of New Zealand victim advises against travel to Thailand
Wellington - The father of a young New Zealand woman who died from toxic chemical poisoning in a Thailand hotel welcomed Tuesday moves to tighten rules on spraying pesticides in tourist areas but said he would not advise others to travel there.
Investigation into tourists' deaths in Chiang Mai inconclusive
Bangkok - An investigation into the mysterious demise of five tourists and one Thai national in Chiang Mai, Thailand earlier this year failed to pinpoint the cause, but pesticides were the main suspects in four of the cases, authorities said Tuesday.
Philippine tourism chief resigns
Manila - The Philippines' tourism secretary resigned Friday amid allegations that his weak leadership has failed to attract more tourists.
125-year-old Statue of Liberty to undergo one-year renovation
New York - The Statue of Liberty, symbol of freedom for millions of European immigrants to the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries, will be closed for renovation for a year starting in October, the US National Parks Service has announced.
Tourists clash with police on Spain's Costa Brava
Barcelona - Hundreds of young people, many of them tourists, clashed with police early Thursday in Lloret de Mar on Spain's north-eastern Costa Brava, police said.
Young tourists clash with police on Spain's Costa Brava
Barcelona - Young people, many of them tourists, clashed with police overnight in Lloret de Mar on Spain's north-eastern Costa Brava, police said Thursday.
Unrest takes toll on Syrian tourism, minister says
Cairo/Damascus - Four months of unrest in Syria have dealt a hard blow to the country's tourism industry, Tourism Minister Lamia Assai said in remarks published Friday.
US snorkeller left behind on Great Barrier Reef
Sydney - A US man snorkelling on Australia's Great Barrier Reef was shocked to find he had been left behind when his tourist boat returned to Cairns without him, news reports said Wednesday.
Spanish tourism continues recovery from global crisis
Madrid - Spain's tourism industry is recovering speedily from the global crisis, with visitor numbers expected to grow by up to 6.5 per cent this year, Tourism Minister Miguel Sebastian said Wednesday.
100 Star Cruise passengers suffer apparent food poisoning
Singapore - About 100 passengers on a cruise from Singapore to Vietnam suffered food poisoning, The Straits Times said Saturday.
German tourist drowns in Egypt's Red Sea
Cairo - A 76-year-old German tourist drowned in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt's touristic town of Hurghada, Egyptian authorities said Tuesday.
New York hotels: First bed bugs, now sexual attacks
Plan to ban illegal cyclos in Hanoi questioned
Hanoi - A plan to ban unlicensed cyclos from Hanoi's streets has sparked dismay among travel firms, state media reported Wednesday.
Visitors to Japan in April plunge 62.5 per cent amid nuclear crisis
Tokyo - The number of overseas tourists visiting Japan plummeted 62.5 per cent to 295,800 in April from a year earlier, the biggest decline on record, an industry body said Thursday.
Cuba considers allowing citizens to take tourist trips abroad
Havana - Cuba is evaluating a move to end restrictions on Cubans' tourist trips abroad, according to a reform plan drafted in last month's Communist Party congress and published Monday.
Tourism operators warn of massive losses owing to Ugandan unrest
Kampala - Uganda will lose up to 100 million dollars each month from tourism revenues if anti-government protests continue, a tourist sector leader warned on Monday.
Report: Bed bug spray blamed for tourist's death in Thailand
Wellington - A chemical spray that kills bed bugs was probably responsible for the death of a 23-year-old New Zealand woman while holidaying in Thailand this year, according to a New Zealand scientist quoted in news reports Monday.
Germany opens World War II submarine yard as historic site
Bremen, Germany - Germany's largest bomb-proof World War II submarine yard was opened Sunday to the public as a historic site.
German TV series shot in Vietnam could boost tourism
Hanoi - A popular German-language television drama could help promote Vietnam's tourism industry, local media reported Friday.
Spanish tourism profits from unrest in Arab countries
Madrid - Spain's tourism industry is recovering from the global crisis, due partly to the unrest in competing travel destinations in the Arab world, officials said Monday.
Overseas visitors to Japan down 50 per cent in March
Tokyo - The number of travellers visiting Japan fell sharply in March in the wake of a 9-magnitude earthquake, a devastating tsunami and the ongoing nuclear crisis, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Thursday.
Acapulco fighting violent crime to protect vital tourism
Mexico City - Acapulco authorities are scrambling to save the city's tourism industry, which has been jeopardized by violence in recent months as criminal gangs reportedly struggle for territory.
Bereaved father sets up Thailand travel-warning website
Bangkok - The bereaved father of a New Zealand woman who died under mysterious circumstances in Thailand this year has set up a travel-warning website for tourists visiting the kingdom, media reports said Friday.
Crackdown on bear-bile tours in Vietnam welcomed
Hanoi - The illegality of bear-bile farming in Vietnam has failed to stamp out the practice in the past six years, but a renewed government push to crack down on bear-bile tourism has hope rising at an animal protection organization.
Any member embassy can help during conflict, EU reminds citizens
Brussels - The European Union on Wednesday launched a website dedicated to consular protection for its citizens, after a spate of recent crises around the world sometimes left people not knowing where to turn for diplomatic support.
Afghan villagers eye ski-tourism to boost economy
Bamiyan, Afghanistan - Sayed Ali Shah watched intrigued as the strangely-clad men and women shuffled their way up towards his house in the Koh-e-Baba mountain range in the central province of Bamiyan.
Pyramids under stress due to mystic equinox pilgrims
Mexico City - On every equinox, tens of thousands of people arrive at Mexico's archaeological sites to contemplate the wonders left by ancient civilizations.
Japan crisis hits Vietnam's tourism trade
Hanoi - The crisis in Japan has affected travel companies in Vietnam, authorities said Thursday.
Spanish government attempts to avert holiday air strike
Madrid - Spanish trade unions and the government were negotiating frantically Tuesday in an attempt to ward off a strike by airport staff which threatens to deal a heavy blow to the country's key tourism industry.
Brazil promises 2014 World Cup 'without violence'
Berlin - High crime and airport access are two of the biggest problems for Brazil as it prepares to host football's World Cup in 2014.
Lab tests on Thailand tourist deaths under way, officials say
Bangkok - It will take at least a month for laboratories to return the results on the cause of four tourists' deaths in the same guest house in northern Thailand, Thai officials said Friday.
Afghans divided over remains of Buddha statues
Bamiyan, Afghanistan - As experts in Paris pondered what to do with Afghanistan's shattered Buddhist statues, the locals in a snow-covered valley thousands of kilometres away had their own opinions.
Swiss firm Kuoni buys out Gullivers Travel for 720 million dollars
Geneva - Kuoni, the Zurich-based travel group, announced Monday that it will buy out Gullivers Travel Associates for 668 million Swiss francs (720 million dollars), in an effort to boost its online presence.
Vietnam suspends company after deadly tourist boat sinking
Hanoi - Vietnamese authorities have fined and suspended the company in charge of a tour that left 12 people dead in Ha Long Bay last month, officials said Monday.
Economic recovery fuels growth in business travel to Hong Kong
Hong Kong - The number of people travelling to Hong Kong on business soared 22 per cent in 2010, fuelled by more stable economic conditions and the cheap Hong Kong dollar, tourism officials said Monday.
Polish travel agents offer cut-price Tunisian vacations
Warsaw - Polish travel agencies were Monday offering rock- bottom prices on vacations in Tunisia in a bid to lure back tourists after the protests in Tunis that lead to the overthrow of the country's president.
Egypt's vital tourism still dried up amid unrest (News Feature)
Giza, Egypt - Forlorn are the caravansaries and bazaars at the Pyramids of Giza.
Singapore tourism revenue up 49 per cent thanks to casinos
Singapore - Singapore's tourism revenue jumped by almost half to a 10-year-high last year helped by the opening of two casino resorts and positive economic sentiment, the city-state's tourism board said Thursday.
TUI Travel in profit warning over unrest in Egypt, Tunisia
London - Leading European tourism company TUI Travel warned Thursday that political unrest in Egypt and Tunisia could hit earnings by up to 30 million pounds (48 million dollars) between January and March.
Travel trade halts Egyptian holidays as unrest spreads (Roundup)
Berlin - The unrest in Egypt took its toll on the tourism industry Tuesday as tourists fled, the German government issued a travel warning and package-holiday companies cancelled upcoming charter flights.
BACKGROUND: Major tourist destinations in Egypt
Berlin - Tourism is one of the most important sectors of Egypt's economy. In 2009, the sector earned revenues of 10.8 billion dollars, spurred on by strong Russian and British arrivals, followed in third place by German visitors.
Spanish tourism profits from unrest in Egypt, Tunisia
Madrid - Tourists planning holidays in Tunisia and Egypt have changed their minds because of the unrest there and are going to Spain instead, travel agents said Sunday.
Zimbabwe apologizes for weekend incursion at tourist sites
Harare - Member's of Zimbabwe's Zanu (PF) party on Monday apologized for militants who forcefully entered a series of lakeside private boat clubs and tourist lodges over the weekend, according to tour operator groups.
Slight bounce back in Spanish tourism trade in 2010
Madrid - International tourist arrivals to Spain increased by 1 per cent to 52.6 million in 2010 - slightly less than had initially been expected - the country's tourism ministry said Monday.
Thailand closes 18 dive spots to help rejuvenate bleached reefs
Bangkok - Thai authorities on Friday closed 18 dive spots off its coast in a bid to allow coral reefs to rejuvenate, after vast swathes were bleached by high temperatures last year.
Thousands visit Malaysian cave temple for Hindu festival
Kuala Lumpur - Hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees celebrated the festival of Thaipusam on Thursday, seeking divine blessings at a cave temple in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur.
Emerging economies drive global tourism recovery (Roundup)
Madrid - International tourism last year recovered from the global economic crisis , with arrivals in 2010 increasing 6.7 per cent to 935 million worldwide, the Madrid-based United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced Monday.
Emerging economies drive recovery of world tourism
Madrid - International tourism recovered from the global economic crisis in 2010, with arrivals increasing by 6.7 per cent to 935 million worldwide, the Madrid-based United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said Monday.
German tour operator flies holiday-makers home from Tunisia
Berlin - German-owned Thomas Cook tour operator is flying holiday-makers home early from Tunisia, as sometimes fatal political unrest continues in that country, the company announced Friday.
SIDEBAR: Experts predict full recovery for soiled Barrier Reef
Sydney - Opinion is divided over how the Great Barrier Reef will fare in Queensland's worst floods in 50 years.
Fun comes at a price for Shanghai Disneyland
Beijing - The Disneyland amusement park under construction outside Shanghai is to cost more than the Chinese port city's World Expo last year, news reports said Friday.
Elephant racing and beauty festival finishes in Nepal
Chitwan, Nepal - The 7th International Elephant Race festival came to a conclusion in Nepal on Tuesday with the pachyderms winning an array of titles.
Jumbos romp the runway in Nepal (Feature)
Chitwan, Nepal - Bhawanikali reached out her trunk to the mouth of her co-contestant, Chanchalkali, Monday as they waited to do the catwalk at an elephant beauty pageant in Nepal's southern plains.
Elephant festival kicks off with racing, calf football in Nepal
Chitwan, Nepal - Teams representing Britain, France, China and Nepal were Sunday among 12 that made it through to the semi- final after the first day of competition at Nepal's 7th International Elephant Race.
Elephants day out in Nepal (Feature)
Chitwan, Nepal - Anil Kumal, 25, bathed his pet elephant Poonamkali early Sunday morning, as he has been doing every day for past five years.
Berlin advises Germans to leave Ivory Coast
Berlin - Berlin is advising German citizens to leave Ivory Coast because of the threat of violence there. It has also reduced its embassy staffing in Abidjan to a minimum, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday.
Top German court approves levy on postcard pictures of palaces
Karlsruhe, Germany - Postcard makers have to pay to take photographs of German kaisers' palaces in the Berlin area, the country's top court ruled Friday.
North Korea seeks talks with South on resuming tourist trips
Seoul - North Korea offered Thursday to discuss ending a freeze on South Korean assets in the Stalinist country as it pressed for talks with its neighbour on resuming their tourism projects, which have been on hold for more than two years.
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