Japan Plans Spa-Themed Amusement Park with Hot-Tub Roller Coaster
Posted on 11/30/2016, 12:00 AM
If you've ever taken a relaxing soak in a hot spring and said, "Gosh, this is nice, but I wish there were some way to throw in the heart-racing thrills of a roller coaster ride," we'd think you were being completely ridiculous. There's a time for everything, we'd tell you, and the time for speeding along a track with sharp turns and sudden drops is not while you're sitting in a pool of steaming...
Trump Still Threatening to Reverse Obama's Cuba Policy
Posted on 11/30/2016, 12:00 AM
President-elect Donald Trump continues to threaten that he'll undo President Barack Obama's 2014 deal to normalize relations between the United States and Cuba. Following the November 25 death of Fidel Castro, Trump tweeted on Monday, "If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban-American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate deal." Trump used simila...
Carnival Nixes Social-Impact Cruises in the Caribbean
Posted on 11/29/2016, 12:00 AM
Carnival Corporation has announced that the company is pulling the plug on Fathom cruises, a one-ship line introduced just last year. The point of the brand was to offer "social-impact cruises," incorporating sightseeing as well as volunteer projects and cultural exchange, with stops in the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Carnival was hoping to capitalize on the possibly overhyped voluntourism...
You Can Now Use Airbnb to Book Experiences
Posted on 11/23/2016, 12:00 AM
Airbnb has launched a new service called Trips, allowing users to book experiences in addition to the company's core short-term vacation rentals. The new feature is a section of the site where you can browse listings for stuff like cooking classes, guided tours, and pub crawls, all offered by locals in whatever destination you're visiting. Additionally, Airbnb users can now recommend specif...
Melania Trump's Native Country, Slovenia, Anticipates New Interest After Election
Posted on 11/22/2016, 12:00 AM
The small Central European nation of Slovenia could be an unexpected beneficiary of the 2016 presidential election. It's the native country of Melania Trump, who will be the first foreign-born first lady in 191 years (the last was John Quincy Adams's British wife, Louisa). Slovenia's tourism officials clearly think that the Melania link might bring some new interest and new visitors to the...
Devaluation of the British Pound Has Made Attendance at the Oxford and Cambridge Summer Schools Much Cheaper Than Before
Posted on 11/21/2016, 7:00 PM
The smart way to take advantage of the U.K.'s slumping pound? Enroll in the summer programs at Oxford or Cambridge. ...
An Angry Airbnb, Cattle-Car Airfares, Trump's Impact on Travel, and Colombia's Truce: Four Major New Developments in Travel
Posted on 11/21/2016, 7:00 PM
Arthur Frommer weighs in on four news developments that could affect travelers....
Ruin of Chariot-Racing Stadium in Rome Now Open to the Public
Posted on 11/21/2016, 12:00 AM
Rome's newest tourist attraction opened to the public last week. And as with so many sites worth seeing in this ancient city, it's actually not new at all. For centuries a huge muddy field, the spot known as Circus Maximus was once used as a stadium for chariot races, religious ceremonies, processions, and other big public events in the days of ancient Rome. Six years of excavations have t...
Over-the-Top Holiday Offerings at Luxury Hotels
Posted on 11/18/2016, 12:00 AM
For travelers with deep pockets and an overabundance of holiday spirit, several luxury hotels across the country are offering over-the-top Yule-themed packages. Here are three of the most ridiculously extravagant options we've come across so far (we'll update the list as we encounter more): * At the Schofield Hotel in Cleveland, you can stay in a suite designed to look just like Ralphie's hom...
One Year After Paris Terror Attacks, French Tourism Still Struggling
Posted on 11/17/2016, 12:00 AM
November 13 was the first anniversary of the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people—and France's tourism industry is still struggling to recover. After a promising start to the year, incoming flights to the country dropped a little over 1% in the second quarter, while flights to Paris were down about 4%. Though final figures for the third quarter aren't available yet, analysts estimate ...
