Articles

Arthur Frommer Online

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Will Hawaii Secede from the United States? Touristically, We Mean

Imagine if Gov. Andrew Cuomo were to meet with the New York State Legislature to propose a special relationship that only applied to New York State and France. "Because the Empire…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Frontier Airlines Is Now Checking Temperatures—Will It Matter Much?

Nearly a month ago, Frontier Airlines announced that it would be the first U.S. airline to screen passengers for high temperatures. Several weeks have gone by, but on June 1, the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

There's More Room at the Inns of the National Parks This Summer. Here's Why

Americans who visited a U.S. national park in recent years might have learned something surprising: Though the parks are America’s greatest treasures, it is foreign visitors who seem…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Cyprus Takes a Humane and Ethical Approach to Reopening to Tourism

If you've visited Cyprus, you know that it's the local custom for some Cypriots to greet everyone, whether they know them or not, with a friendly smile and a "Ya Su." Though that's…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Japan Wants to Pay for Part of Domestic Travel To Boost Tourism

Hiroshi Tabata, chief of the Japanese Tourism Agency, announced in a press conference his intention to help revive visitation to his country by discounting vacations there. Tokyo's…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Portugal Reopens to Tourism June 6, but with an Odd Twist

Update, June 30: Portugal has updated its policy to conform to recommendations by the European Union. Americans are no longer welcomed. For complete information, see our feature about…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Pauline Frommer: Social Distancing Inspires Creativity at Restaurants

What's the new specialty at some of the world's restaurants? Extreme theatricality. In an attempt to shield customers from the buzzkill of social distancing, restaurateurs are getting…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Las Vegas Casinos Planning to Reopen—But They Won't Be the Same

There is still no reopening date for the Las Vegas Strip. The casinos along that normally overbusy thoroughfare are waiting for the go-ahead from Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

If Americans Want to Travel Again, They'll Fight for On-Demand Testing

Countries around the world are making plans for welcoming international tourists again. Austria: Tourists must quarantine for two weeks—unless they can show recent proof of a negative…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Europe Has a Plan to Save Summer Travel—But Will Non-Europeans Be Welcome?

The European Union laid out a plan today for salvaging the summer travel season—at least, for Europeans. Facing bleak economic prospects due to a drying up of tourism amid the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Despite What They Say, Airlines Are Not Enforcing Mask Use

This spring, news about U.S. airlines has followed a familiar pattern. First, the airlines trumpet a new safety measure that the news media repeats, generating a round of praise. Then…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Enough Is Enough: Let American Cruise Workers Go Home

In March, the U.S. Coast Guard helped more than 265,000 passengers leave cruise ships and get home. Crew members, however, were forced to remain aboard. About 80,000 crew members are…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Better Buy a Watch: Your Travel Future Will Be Timed

Travel is still shut down, but the coronavirus has already changed it. New social distancing measures have forced attractions around the world to look at entrance procedures anew.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Greece Announces a Bold Concept to Open Soon. Now, About That Plan...

Greece has been comparatively lucky this spring, with some of the lowest infection rates and fatality numbers in Europe (144 deaths in a population of 11 million). With that in mind,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Ireland Lays Out a Five-Pronged Phase-In Period for Reopening

What is Ireland without its pubs? Irish citizens, emerging from a very strict lockdown, will soon find that out. In the five-step reopening plan, announced late Friday, Irish Acting…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Under Fire from Congress, Carnival Floats Plan to Restart Cruises This Summer

Carnival Cruise Line has announced a phased plan to begin sailing that would mean a return to cruising by August 1. The principal points of the plan as stated in the company's news…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

France May Be Effectively Closed to Visitors Until Late July

In the stretch of just a few weeks, the world's top spring and summer events—including Burning Man, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, South by Southwest, and Edinburgh's…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

United Airlines Slashes Compensation Consumers Fought for in 2017

Two weeks ago, the airlines gratefully arranged to accept a boatload of our tax dollars. And what have those companies done last week and this week? They enacted rule changes so they…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Airfares Could Spike in the Near Future. Buy Now!

I've spent much of my career trying to predict where airfares are going. Like a fortune-teller consulting tea leaves, I've used the same tools over and over in that effort. For…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Immunity Passports for Travelers: Quick Solution or False Hope?

Every day, it seems, we’re learning more and more about Covid-19. Over the last few weeks—and they feel like years, don’t they?—we’ve learned that loss of taste and smell might be…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Saving California's Restaurants Means Saving Its Tourism Industry

Food is central to travel. Each year I write a roundup of travel trends for Frommer's, and every time, culinary vacations play a huge role. Over the last decade, tours devoted to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Sicily Creates Fund to Pay 50% of Vacationers' Costs

Sicily is giving vacationers an offer they can't refuse. The government of this storied Italian island has put aside €500 million (about $595 million) to pay for 50% of the cost of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

How the Major Theme Parks Might Reopen

On Monday, the respected site Theme Park Insider published a story that reportedly came from an inside tip. The site claims that Walt Disney World in Orlando is considering reopening…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

It’s the Pits! The Cancellation of the National Cherry Festival Is Personally Saddening

About four years ago I learned that I was a failure. At cherry spitting, that is. No matter how much I tried—and I lined up four times to show off my non-skills to a judge—I couldn’t…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Do Airlines Have to Refund You for a Canceled Flight?

If I cancel a flight because I no longer wish to travel during the outbreak, don't airlines have to refund me for the ticket? I'm getting this question a lot on Twitter and on the…