This photograph taken on February 18, 2020 shows people walking near commercial buildings in the central business district in Singapore.

Singapore visitor arrivals in March lowest since SARS outbreak in 2003

The number of visitors to Singapore plummeted to about 240,000 in March, the lowest since the SARS outbreak hit the Republic in 2003.

5 years ago

Tips

Can't go outside? Even seeing nature on a screen can improve your mood

Embracing the notion of “biophilia” – the innate human affinity with nature – while locked down inside may improve your productivity and even your health. ...

5 years ago

News

China to reopen Forbidden City after three-month closure

China's Forbidden City will reopen on Friday, three months after it closed due to the coronavirus crisis -- the latest signal that the country has brought the disease under control. ...

5 years ago

The Latest

Empty benches are seen during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on the main square of the city of Hallstatt, Austria, on April 22, 2020.

News

Austrian picture-postcard village, once swamped, awaits tourists' return

A tiny Austrian lakeside village so picturesque it had to limit throngs of tourists is now longing for visitors to return to its empty lanes.

5 years ago

Kolkata isn’t for everyone. If it is a jewel of a city, it is cracked and flawed, like a broken heart.

Destination

Forget the Taj Mahal and pink Jaipur, take me to the chaos of Kolkata

As great world cities come and go, Calcutta came and went. I just can’t wait to get back.

5 years ago

The HygienePass certification program aims to create hygiene and sanitation standardization for the hospitality industry as preventive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

News

RedDoorz launches sanitation, hygiene certification program

HygienePass, is the result of collaboration between RedDoorz and the Indonesian Public Health Expert Association (IAKMI), with Hermawan Saputra of the board of experts of IAKMI.

5 years ago

News

Hungary fines 'aggressive' Booking.com 7 million euros

Booking.com was fined 7 million euros ($7.5 million) for unfair trading practices, said the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH).

5 years ago

Tombstones are seen at the Old Jewish Cemetery, as the Jewish Museum remains closed for public to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 20, 2020.

News

Without tourist revenue, Prague's Jewish community fears for future of welfare services

With ticket sales to Prague's Jewish quarter halted during the coronavirus lockdown, the community is having to tap its reserves to pay for welfare services for Holocaust survivors that tourists usually help fund.

5 years ago

News

Airbnb unveils new cleaning protocols in bid to revive bookings

Airbnb announced new protocols Monday for cleaning and sanitizing its listed properties in an effort to reassure travelers and revive bookings for the home-sharing platform, which is reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

5 years ago

A general view shows the area outside the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, mostly deserted, after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Dubai, United Arab Emirates March 25, 2020.

News

Dubai aims to open up for tourists at the beginning of July

Dubai hopes to reopen for tourists at the beginning of July, after halting most arrivals last month to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

5 years ago

A general view of Bondi Beach after it reopened following a five week closure in Sydney on April 28, 2020, amid the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic.

News

Surf's up: Sydney reopens its famous Bondi Beach

Hundreds of Sydney-siders rushed into the waves at the city's famous Bondi Beach on Tuesday as Australia took the first steps in easing coronavirus restrictions.

5 years ago

if you’re planning to make a big surprise for your mom, Stride Travel has a very special offer for you.

News

To celebrate Mother’s Day, travel website offers 2021 travel giveaway for mom-child duo

Anyone can join the contest to get the chance to win a free trip with his/her mom to any country in the world in 2021.

5 years ago

This photo taken on April 20, 2020 shows people enjoying the beach in Sanya in China's southern Hainan province.

News

Hainan resorts to visa-free access for tourism payoffs

China's southern resort island of Hainan, which has benefited from its visa-free access by reaping local tourism boom and greater connectivity, is set to further open up, according to local authorities.

5 years ago

People relax on the Beach amid the Coronavirus pandemic in Tybee Island, Georgia on April 25, 2020.

News

Self-isolation? Some in Georgia choose beach instead

After being locked down for weeks, many residents in Georgia are thumbing their noses at the deadly coronavirus and seeking sanctuary in the sun, sand and waves of the southern state's beaches.

5 years ago

News

AirAsia introduces red-hot PPE suits for cabin crews

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, low-cost carrier AirAsia introduced on Friday new personal protective equipment (PPE) for its cabin crews.

5 years ago

A moving walkway sits empty in Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport on April 20, 2020.

News

Ghostly airports but easy security checks: Air travel in the time of the virus

Ghostly airports, countless flight cancellations, shops and restaurants closed: the coronavirus has played havoc with air travel in the United States.

5 years ago

The ITLA has around 1,400 members in total and around 80 percent rely on leading tour groups as their main income source.

News

Indonesian tour guides turn to retail to make ends meet

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has especially devastated the tourist sector, tour guides have reportedly turned to retail to make ends meet.

5 years ago

Bali has the distinction of being the island with the largest number of hashtags on Instagram, according to a ranking established by the travel agent Tourlane.

News

Bali is world’s most Instagrammed island

At a time when paradisiacal beaches have never seemed so inaccessible, in all likelihood Bali is still figuring large in many people’s daydreams.

5 years ago

Tourists take photos of Mount Rushmore National Memorial on April 23, 2020 in Keystone, South Dakota.

News

Mount Rushmore drawing visitors escaping US virus lockdowns

Mount Rushmore, which ordinarily swarms with tourists, is now drawing only the occasional handful of visitors desperate to escape their extended confinement in the time of the coronavirus.

5 years ago

A Wizz Air Airbus A321 flies over the oldest Hungarian bridge, the 'Lanchid' (Chain Bridge) of Danube River in Budapest on May 1, 2016 during the Budapest Air Show.

News

Low-cost airline Wizz to resume some flights from UK's Luton airport

Low-cost airline Wizz Air said on Saturday it would restart some flights from London's Luton Airport on May 1, becoming one of the first European carriers to begin restoring services that have been halted during the coronavirus pandemic.

5 years ago

A man wearing a facemask amid concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus drives a shared bicycle on a street in Beijing on April 23, 2020.

News

As epidemic wanes in China, holiday travels warm up yet with caution

Chinese travelers are embracing a five-day International Labor Day holiday with caution although the coronavirus epidemic wanes.

5 years ago

Passengers board the airplane in Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar, Bali in July 2016.

News

Garuda Indonesia suspends some domestic, international routes

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has announced the suspension of some of its services:

5 years ago

Arrival flight boards shows canceled flights as Thailand will temporarily ban all passenger flights from landing in the country to curb the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International airport, Thailand, April 4, 2020.

News

What future do airlines have? Three experts discuss

The airline industry has faced many crises before – 9/11 and the 2010 Icelandic volcano eruption, for example. But these pale in comparison to the economic hit that airlines are currently facing. Some are asking: can it recover?

5 years ago

A Virgin Atlantic passenger plane comes into land at Heathrow airport in west London on December 21, 2012.

News

Richard Branson seeking buyer for Virgin Atlantic: Telegraph

Richard Branson is seeking a buyer for Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. as he struggles to secure a 500 million pound (US$618 million) government bailout, the Telegraph reported.

5 years ago

Some 110,000 tourists visited the Faroe Islands in 2018, with their numbers increasing by 10 percent per year the past five years.

News

Isolated by virus, Faroe Islands offer virtual tours

Isolated due to the pandemic, the Faroe Islands is now offering people a chance to discover the islands with virtual tours online.

5 years ago

A quiet Benhil Market in Central Jakarta is seen on the first day of Ramadan on Friday.

News

Benhil Market empty of Ramadan snack sellers amid COVID-19 pandemic

Benhil Market in Central Jakarta, which is typically abuzz with activity during Ramadan, was quiet on Friday afternoon, the first day of the holy month, as food vendors and customers stayed away amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

5 years ago

Tourists walk on a near empty beach in Kuta on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on March 22.

News

Bali sees almost 100 percent drop in foreign tourists

Bali Deputy Governor Tjokorda Oka Sukawati said Bali was one the region’s hardest hit by the pandemic in Indonesia, as around 60 percent of its gross regional product (PDRB) comes from tourism.

5 years ago

Etihad and other UAE airlines have been operating outbound-only flights for foreigners wishing to leave the Gulf Arab state, which has banned the entry of foreigners due to the global coronavirus outbreak.

News

Abu Dhabi's Etihad extends suspension of scheduled flights to May 15

Abu Dhabi's Etihad airways said on Saturday it would extend its suspension of scheduled passenger flights until May 15.

5 years ago

China is an important market for Airbnb, and the country’s recovery from the coronavirus outbreak is being closely watched as an indication on how other countries now reeling from the virus and related shutdowns may fare.

News

Airbnb booking data from China offers glimpse of a rebound

While the coronavirus pandemic has frozen global travel and hit the travel industry hard, data from home-sharing startup Airbnb Inc shows the number of domestic bookings in China for the first half of April were up more than 200 percent compared with the same period in March.

5 years ago