Tagged: tourism

Iceland to Reopen June 15 Using Testing and Tracing

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

Adorable Canine Instagrammer Has NYC’s Top Tourist Sites to Himself

By now, you've probably seen plenty of eerie photos showing normally crowded tourist sites looking desolate amid the pandemic lockdown. You know what makes them look less desolate?…

Maine Might Be Closed to Out-Of-State Visitors This Summer

On Tuesday, Maine's governor, Janet Mills, announced a phased reopening plan that has many in the tourist industry up in arms. While some businesses will reopen in May, and hotels and…

Rome Bans Souvenir Stands Next to Iconic Sites

Tourists in the market for a Pope Francis bobblehead may have a tougher time finding that souvenir on the streets of Rome this year. The city has banned stalls selling mugs, magnets,…

Staying in Amsterdam Will Cost You Extra This Year

An increase in Amsterdam's tourist tax went into effect on January 1. Going forward, visitors who stay in hotels in the Dutch capital will be charged a fee of €3 (US $3.35) per person…

This Was the World's Most Visited City in 2019—But Is It Safe?

Despite months of pro-democracy protests that have at times turned violent, Hong Kong was the world's most visited city in 2019, according to a projection from Euromonitor…

Arthur Frommer: An Alarming Drop in Incoming Foreign Tourists Will Devastate Us

The health of the American economy isn’t always shown in employment figures or gross domestic product. It is also affected by ups and downs in our success in attracting foreign…

New York City Sightseeing Passes: A Buyer's Guide for Every Type of Traveler

What makes choosing a New York City sightseeing pass difficult is the same thing that makes it hard to pick a Manhattan restaurant or find an eligible New Yorker on a dating app: too…

Unruly Drinking on This Spanish Island Could Cost You Thousands

Tourists who break public drinking laws on the Spanish island of Majorca—long known for its beaches and raucous party scene—will face fines of up to €3,000 (US$3,400) this summer, as…

Venice Has Adopted the Ultimate Means for Reducing Crowds: Admission Fees

Just about everyone will agree that the worst current problem in travel is overtourism—the crowded conditions in the world’s most popular cities and destinations. In places like…

The Leaning Tower of Pisa Is Leaning Less

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is standing a little straighter these days. Engineers say that the tilt of the Italian icon has reduced by about 4cm (1.6 in.), according to news reports.More…

Arthur Frommer: 12 Famous Destinations That Are Almost Too Crowded to Visit

It doesn’t often happen that one travel writer advises his or her readers to study the works of another travel writer.  But exceptions should occasionally be made, and that’s the case…

How Much of What You Spend Stays in Your Destination? G Adventures Knows

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bruce Poon Tip (pictured) for our radio show. Bruce is the founder of G Adventures, one of the most important small-group adventure…

Arthur Frommer: The Biggest News is the Dominance of Tourism by the Chinese

Suddenly, the press that deals with travel is full of articles about the sudden rise of Chinese tourism. All over the world, Chinese citizens have become the largest source of…

Arthur Frommer: Quintana Roo, Mexico, is Gaining as a Tourist Destination

While numerous destinations in Mexico are suffering from what some describe as an overly sensitive spate of tourist warnings from our U.S. State Department, one area is obviously…

New Zealand to Start Taxing Tourists

The price of a vacation in New Zealand is about to go up. The country's government has announced plans to charge a new tax on tourists, expected to go into effect in the middle of…

Famous Thai Beach Closing to Tourists This Summer

Thailand's Maya Bay is so pretty it played the paradise sought by Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the 2000 movie The Beach. But tourists will have to stream that film—fair warning:…

Now Flying: A Zip Line Over the Grand Canyon

A brand-new zip line has opened on a spur of the Grand Canyon, sending harnessed thrill seekers flying 1,000 feet over the earth.The Zip Line at Grand Canyon West near Peach Springs,…

To Visit This Island Paradise You Have to Pledge to Protect the Environment

In order to enter the island nation of Palau in the western Pacific Ocean, visitors must now sign a "passport pledge" to protect the environment.The mandatory vow was enacted to…

Arthur Frommer's Travel Resolutions for the New Year

Because they often seek to regulate all of human activity, I find most New Year’s Resolutions to be rather unsatisfying. Here’s an attempt to limit these rules to the world of travel,…

American Historical Sites People Think Are Real—But Are Actually Fake

You probably went to one of these on vacation or a field trip. You probably thought you were walking in the same rooms as the great figures in United States history. You were wrong.…

The Undeniable Drop in Incoming Foreign Tourists Will Gravely Affect Our Economy

Disturbing reports from a number of reliable sources have shown, beyond doubt, that the number of incoming foreign tourists to the United States has fallen dramatically in the past…

Where's Everybody Going? The United Nations Provides Some Answers

If you've been feeling more crowded than usual on vacation this year, it's not your imagination. The United Nations World Tourism Organization just released its tourism barometer…

"Despacito" Could Be Driving More Interest in Puerto Rico—But Not Visits

Chinese officials may want to rethink their recent decision to bar Justin Bieber from performing in their country.Turns out the pop heartthrob could be good for tourism. Just ask…

Is Bieber Good for Tourism?, an Airline for Millennials, and Milan's Selfie-Stick Ban: Today's Travel Briefing

JULY 25, 2017 — Good morning, everybody! Each of today's items has to do with the hotly coveted 18-to-35 demographic. TRAVELERS IN THEIR 20s AND 30s ARE ABOUT TO GET THEIR OWN…