Cruise Lines Continue to Cancel Stops in Turkey
Posted on 07/20/2016, 8:00 AM
Cruise lines—including Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, and Celebrity Cruises—continue to cancel stops in Istanbul and other Turkish cities, substituting days at sea or calls at Mediterranean spots in Greece and Italy. The latest moves come in response to a failed military coup intended to overthrow Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Previous cancelations have been prompted by terrori...
Interest in Travel Insurance Surges Following Terror Attacks
Posted on 07/20/2016, 8:00 AM
Experts in the travel insurance industry say that consumer interest in terrorism coverage and trip cancelation policies has surged following recent attacks in Brussels, Paris, Nice, and elsewhere. Despite the increased interest, however, you shouldn't be seeing rate hikes or policy changes; those things are heavily regulated. But although terrorism coverage has become standard since 9/11, make s...
Singapore Getting a Michelin Guide
Posted on 07/19/2016, 8:30 AM
Singapore—undoubtedly one of the world's great food capitals—is getting its own Michelin Guide, making it the first Southeast Asian country to be singled out by the gold-standard dining directory. Something else that makes Michelin's list for Singapore unique: it will include 17 hawker stalls, the small businesses specializing in a single dish apiece and grouped together in hawker centers across...
Marriott Brings Hotel Brand Aimed at Millennials to USA
Posted on 07/19/2016, 8:15 AM
Hotel chains have begun courting Millennials—travelers in their 20s and 30s who have been spending more and more money on trips. Two of the generation's defining characteristics are said to be a fixation on technology and a fondness for laid-back communal spaces, so in the future you can expect a lot more hotels with internet TV and ping-pong tables in the lobby. To wit: Marriott Internationa...
21 New UNESCO World Heritage Sites Announced
Posted on 07/19/2016, 7:45 AM
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee added 21 sites to its World Heritage List during the group's annual meeting in Istanbul last week (a meeting that had to be cut short because of the failed coup attempt in Turkey). Among the new natural and cultural spots deemed worth preserving: 17 buildings across seven countries designed by 20th-century Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, the fossil-rich ...
Lawsuit Filed Against LA's Skyslide
Posted on 07/18/2016, 8:00 AM
A lawsuit has been filed claiming that a woman broke her ankle on the recently opened Skyslide at the top of U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles. A feature of the skyscraper's new observation lounge, the glass-enclosed slide stretches 45 feet from the 70th to the 69th floors, letting riders zoom above downtown LA at a height of 1,000 feet for a hot second (we tried the attraction out when it opened ...
Zipline Debuts at Niagara Falls
Posted on 07/18/2016, 7:45 AM
The classic way for a daredevil to go down Niagara Falls is in a barrel, but how are you supposed to enjoy the views in there? An attraction that made its debut on Friday offers a solution—and it's safer (though still spine-tingling), too. The 2,200-foot MistRider zipline stretches from the top to nearly the bottom of the Niagara Gorge on the Canadian side, offering intrepid visitors the chance ...
Study: Zika Outbreak Will Be Over in Three Years
Posted on 07/18/2016, 7:30 AM
The Zika outbreak currently taking place in Central and South America has probably peaked and will be more or less over in about three years, says a new study published in the journal Science. People who are infected with the mosquito-borne virus appear to become immune to getting it a second time, leaving fewer and fewer at risk for infection. Eventually this "herd immunity" makes outbreaks in...
"Hamilton" Fans Flock to the Rooms Where It Happened
Posted on 07/15/2016, 8:30 AM
The Tony-, Grammy-, and Pulitzer-winning hip-hop musical Hamilton continues to pack ‘em in on Broadway—it’s sold out through next May, even though the show’s creator and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, gave his last performance on July 9. Reaping the benefits of all this Hamilton fever are many New York City sites associated with the “$10 Founding Father.” The cemetery where Alexander Hamilton is buri...
Sites in Mali, Libya, and Uzbekistan Added to UNESCO Endangered List
Posted on 07/14/2016, 7:00 PM
An ancient village of mud houses in Mali has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list of endangered sites. Instability from Islamist militants in the West African country has kept preservationists from taking necessary measures to protect the village, known as the Old Towns of Djenné—a grouping of nearly 2,000 mud homes that have been inhabited since 250 BC. Other additions to the endange...
