Global Travel Restrictions Are Averaging 350 Per Country This Far Into Pandemic

Tourism isn't getting back to normal anytime soon, and this UBS report is a stark reminder of that. -Lebawit Lily Girma

India massacre memorial's lights-and-lasers 'makeover' attracts controversy

The renovation of a historical monument in India's Punjab state where British troops once killed hundreds of men, women and children has sparked furious debate and concerns over the "Disneyfication" of history.

10 of the best things to do in the Azores

Now on the UK’s travel green list, the Portuguese archipelago offers stunning volcanic landscapes and its own delicious cuisine, wines and even coffee The Azores archipelago (Açores in Portuguese) lies about 1,000 miles west of mainland Europe and is made up of nine volcanic islands: São Miguel (the largest), São Jorge, Terceira, Pico, Faial, Ilha das Flores, Santa Maria, Graciosa and Corvo, which you can cross by ferry or plane. Colonised by the Portuguese in 1432, the Azores is now an autonomous region. During the period known as the Discoveries, Portugal had the largest high-seas fleet in the world, with many of its ships stopping to replenish stocks in the Azores as they travelled back and forth to Brazil, India, Japan and elsewhere, bringing with them spices that changed Azorean cuisine from simple. plain dishes to ones spiced and flavoured with new-world produce, such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes and yams. Continue reading...

20 of the best places to stay in Italy

With the five-day quarantine requirement lifted, we pick gorgeous affordable hotels, villas and farm stays on the coast, mountains and islands Continue reading...

Vacasa and Sonder Face Challenges as They Get Ready to Join Airbnb as Public Companies

Will Vacasa and Sonder have the wherewithal as public companies to build their own brands independent of relying on Google and Airbnb, and will their business model challenges be surmountable? There's a ton of potential and so much work ahead for each of the companies. -Dennis Schaal

10 great UK canoe and paddleboarding trips with a pub pitstop

A tranquil river or coastal paddle – with lunch at a waterside pub to refuel – makes a delightfully relaxing day trip The South Downs around the gorgeous town of Alfriston isn’t short of nice pubs, some of which can be reached by paddling along the River Cuckmere. Buzz Active runs kayak tours along the river from its outdoor centre on the banks between Eastbourne and Seaford. One heads upriver with the tide to Alfriston, following the Cuckmere meanders – ribbon-like bends – through the Cuckmere valley, passing pretty villages and the chalk white horse on a hillside near Litlington. The trip takes 4-5 hours with time for a lunch stop at the 17th-century Plough and Harrow in Litlington, which always has six real ales on tap. Or you can push on to Alfriston, wandering up the High Street to the George Inn, one of several pubs here. Those who don’t want to go so far can hire a kayak to explore the meanders for an hour or so then walk to the Cuckmere Inn in Seaford. • Tour to Alfriston from £36pp, buzzactive.org.uk Continue reading...

European Union Could Ban Non-Essential Travel From U.S. as Early as Monday

Less than two months after opening up to Americans for non-essential travel, the EU is reversing course with new expected travel restrictions. News of this latest ban will throw more chaos into the future of travel companies already bracing for a tough fall. -Tom Lowry

Paris Floats Amphibious Bus Attraction After Years of Duck Tour Scrutiny

The amphibious bus in Paris is a way to float by some of the City of Light's best-known attractions. But it has to overcome the negative safety reputation associated with so-called Duck Tour amphibious vehicles in other cities. -Cameron Sperance

I swam with seals and puffins off the south-west coast of Wales

Our writer has ‘one of the finest wildlife watching experiences ever’ with the playful sea creatures around Pembrokeshire’s rocky islets Having spent the day driving through perfect sunshine, I reach Pembrokeshire’s Marloes peninsula and enter a blank wall of cloud. I pitch my tent at West Hook Farm campsite in thin drizzle, then walk on to the headland, watching the cloud rise to let the late sun blast underneath. A rainbow strums a perfect chord across the sky behind me. An hour after sunset the sky is cloudless. Continue reading...

IHG Locked in Fierce Luxury Competition and 11 Other Top Travel Stories This Week

In Skift's top stories this week, IHG makes further inroads in the luxury sector, the travel industry grapples with the prolonged absence of Chinese visitors, 2021 emerges as the year of travel companies going public, and the trend of tour operator mergers continues. -Rashaad Jorden

From the Thames to the Tyne: what to see and do on five of Britain’s great rivers

Instead of the coast, try a leisurely trip on our great rivers, for memorable sights, activities and food along their banks We want our waterways to be the life-giving arteries of our country, not its sewage pipes. Whether boating on them, walking their banks or sipping a pint by their side, enjoying our rivers is a delight and a right, and a precious resource to be protected. Here’s how to explore some of the finest. Continue reading...

Brazil’s Miles-Based Flight Seller MaxMilhas Buys a Hotel Discounter

Many bootstrapped travel companies may prove more innovative than venture-backed ones during the pandemic. MaxMilhas is an example, given its distinctive approaches to selling flights and hotels. -Sean O'Neill

The wetland wonder on the edge the desert

On the northeastern fringe of Qatar's vast sandy deserts, a delicate mangrove ecosystem provides sanctuary for rare plant and animal species and an outdoors adventure on water for visitors.

10 new places to eat seafood and other delicacies on Britain’s coast

Innovative dishes, freshly caught produce and cool, coastal vibes mark out these new restaurants and cafes Owner Luke Davis hopes Rockwater will help revitalise the Hove seafront. The modern, glass-fronted building on the promenade is open all day, from breakfast on the deck (crab benedict, meat- and plant-based fry-ups) to cocktails on the roof terrace. The main lunch and dinner menu includes small plates (such as lobster mac & cheese), large plates (beer-battered cod or banana blossom and chips) and sourdough pizzas. The roof terrace menu is fancier, with oysters, caviar and fruits de mer platters, while takeaway shacks serve hotdogs, bagels and tacos. There are plans for live music and film screenings; upcoming events include wellbeing talks, creative writing and chess clubs, and a “gin and sequins” party. Rockwater Life is a health and fitness programme held on the deck, the lawn and in the sea, ranging from yoga, pilates and meditation to strength training, bootcamps and paddleboarding. • Mains from £11. Open daily 7am-11pm, rockwater.uk Continue reading...

Seven destinations to be added to UK’s Covid travel green list

The Azores, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Switzerland to move on 30 August * Coronavirus – latest updates * See all our coronavirus coverage Travellers from seven more destinations will no longer have to quarantine after being added to the UK’s travel green list. The Azores, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Switzerland will move from amber to green from 4am on 30 August in the final update to the traffic-light system before the end of summer. Continue reading...

What pizza from a vending machine really tastes like

Rome's new pizza vending machine, Mr. Go, cooks pizza from scratch in just three minutes. Can it beat the famous pizzerias of Trastevere?

Zen and the art of fly-fishing in Sweden – a photo essay

Following two anglers into an area of deep forests and swift rivers brings a new appreciation of the mindful appeal of fly-fishing I first learned about fly-fishing in a story by Truman Capote called Handcarved Coffins. In America’s midwest, Capote’s help is solicited by a small-town sheriff stumped by a string of diabolically ingenious murders in his remote farming community. The victims have been killed in ways suggesting intimate knowledge of their habits, yet nowhere is there any apparent motive. In the end Capote has no evidence but meets up with the man he reasons must be the killer. He’s fly-fishing. Waist-high in a stream, he talks about the “will of God”. As little as I then knew about the sport, it somehow made perfect sense that the killer would be fly-fishing. In a larger sense, fly-fishing is a discipline of the mind, about things unseen. In the run-up to my trip to Sweden’s fly-fishing mecca Älvdalen, four hours north of Stockholm, I listened to fly-fishing stories on the internet. Many are about technique, or about making the “flies,” the tiny lures fly-fishers use; also, oddly, there are a great many tales about fly-fishing as a sort of personal, even spiritual, quest, about people who go to restore a relationship, to help them unravel some knotty issue in their lives or just find peace of mind. Somehow fly-fishing makes that possible. Continue reading...

Tour Operators Embrace Vaccine Mandates While Grappling With Covid-Induced Changes

It's very beneficial from a PR standpoint for tour operators to vocally support vaccine mandates since the travel industry needs increased vaccination rates to help reach pre-pandemic travel numbers. -Rashaad Jorden

Superyacht concept with an infinity pool and open-air cinema

Designers Gill Schmid Design describe the 65-meter SEE concept's interior, which consists of huge open plan areas with convertible spaces, as "Transformers in an architectural context."

'It makes you feel alive while half-killing you': cycling in Carmarthenshire

Between the Brecon Beacons and the Cambrian mountains is an area of big hills and big views, laced with quiet roads perfect for those on two wheels “So,” my hostess Tanya said as I arrived at Penstacan, an organic farmstay in the Welsh village of Cilycwm, “they’re making you go over the Black Mountain, are they?’ Did I detect a note of concern in her voice? You know, I believe I did. Continue reading...

Airbnb Set to Provide Temporary Housing for 20,000 Afghan Refugees

While it's uncertain where the Afghan refugees will eventually be resettled, Airbnb's decision to house them temporarily will undoubtedly give them a new lease on life after being evacuated — and the homesharing giant PR bonafides. -Rashaad Jorden

Unruly passengers risk flight safety, FAA warns

Federal authorities want passengers to know that thousands of violent outbursts on commercial flights are not only a problem for flight attendants, but they distract pilots from keeping the entire flight safe.

Over 60 years ago, these men crossed the Pacific in a Chinese junk boat

On April 4, 1955, a massive crowd flocked to Taiwan's Keelung Harbor.

Airport Lounges Prep for the Return of a Healthier Breed of Business Traveler

This could be a long-term shift in behavior, but don't rule out more corks popping if international corporate travel, and all its paid-for perks, fully bounces back. -Matthew Parsons

Village near Rome joins Italy's €1 home sell-off

Italy's ongoing clearance sale of €1 houses has been ideal for people seeking to start a new life in some of the country's far-flung corners.

Hilton, Marriott, and IHG Are Making Affordable Brands Development Priorities 🔒

Luxury and lifestyle hotels may be the shiniest assets in a hotel company’s portfolio, but investors want to be where the travelers are. That means pumping money into more affordable offerings like Hilton’s Tru, IHG’s Holiday Inn, and Marriott’s Fairfield Inn — all concepts that snapped back fast from the pandemic. -Cameron Sperance

Millions of people know Dubrovnik by another name

The seaside site of King's Landing from "Game of Thrones" is also home to a vibrant and storied sailing culture.

U.S. Airlines Ordered by Pentagon to Help in Afghanistan Evacuations

In a rare call to duty, U.S. airlines are being asked to do their patriotic part to help extract civilians in need. -Ruthy Muñoz

10 of Yorkshire’s finest hotels

Charming rooms, fine dining and breathtaking countryside … We round up stylish and friendly places to stay in God’s Own County A little over a mile from York’s historic centre, the 17th-century splendour of Middlethorpe Hall is an oasis of calm set in 20 acres of rolling parkland. Built by Thomas Barlow, an affluent master cutter from Sheffield, it had fallen from grace by the 1980s and been turned into a nightclub. Now owned by the National Trust, it has been sympathetically restored to its former glory. The result is an authentic historic house rather than a commercial hotel. The sitting room is a stunning setting for afternoon tea. With its swagged floor-to-ceiling Georgian windows, pale yellow walls and grand portraits, it gives Castle Howard a run for its money, albeit on a smaller scale. The bedrooms are equally elegant, as are the cottage and garden suites. In the evening, dine on Yorkshire lamb, pea velouté and raspberry crumble soufflé, and work it off the next day in the pool, spa and gym room, tucked away in a pretty converted cottage. • Rooms from £155 B&B, dinner from £45 for three courses, middlethorpe.com Continue reading...

Expedia and Airbnb Split on Travel’s Future and 10 Other Top Travel Stories This Week

In Skift's top travel stories this week, we covered the Expedia CEO's take on Airbnb, the Hyatt-Apple Leisure deal, two online travel veterans launching a hotel distribution network, the unpaid fines of unruly flyers, among other topics. -Dennis Schaal

10 of the best tapas bars in Santander, northern Spain

San Sebastián gets the kudos and crowds – but this port city in Cantabria has its own take on pinchos, plus top fish and seafood Behind Santander’s sweep of bay lies a grid of streets dotted with bars that offer a fusion of Basque-style pintxos with versatile tapas, or pinchos as they’re called here. And unlike those of San Sebastián, a couple of hours east, they are not heaving with tourists. Yet this tiny region of Spain punches well above its weight in attractions: think the rugged Sierra Cantabrica, blissful sandy beaches close to the centre, and the cave paintings of Altamira half an hour away. Among the specialities, preserved anchovy fillets (anchoas del Cantábrico) are the local favourite, but the covered Mercado de la Esperanza also flaunts a tantalisingly varied catch. Add in Renzo Piano’s striking waterfront Centro Botín art centre and there’s no shortage of reasons to visit. Continue reading...

A cycle through Spanish history: retracing the 1941 Vuelta a España

An epic ride in the shadow of Julián Berrendero, who spent 18 months in a Franco concentration camp, then put two fingers up to the dictator by winning the race The temperature stood at 42C as I rode into Salamanca one dog-day afternoon a little over a year ago. After two and a half brutal days I had finally completed stage one of the 1941 Vuelta a España, a stage won in just under eight hours by the man who would go on to claim victory in the first edition of this national bike race held under the Franco regime. Continue reading...

Girl meets girl at band camp. They fall in love

It was August 2011 and Natasha Fisher was 17 and traveling from her home in England to the United States for the first time, desperate to spend a summer in New York living out a fantasy she'd only ever seen in TV and film.

Co-Working Giants Turn to Franchising Model in Era of Remote Work 🔒

WeWork and IWG will vie for an “asset light” future to recover after the pandemic. And with that, branding becomes even more important in the world of work. -Matthew Parsons

Blyth spirit: a car-free break along the coast of Northumberland

Taking in beaches, castles, historic houses and wildlife, this bus-based trip from Blyth via Ashington is a shore-fire winner I’m swimming in the bracing sea near Blyth in Northumberland. A boat sails by, a tern flies overhead with a small silver fish in its beak, and I can feel more fish tickling my feet. Continue reading...

‘Ride the giant boat wheel’: readers’ favourite bank holiday family days out

A Moomin wetland trail, mazes and magical woody walks feature among our tipsters’ bank holiday trips around Britain Easily reached from Edinburgh and Glasgow, the Falkirk Wheel and Kelpies on the Forth and Clyde canal make for a superb family day out. The Falkirk Wheel is a giant boat lift between different levels of the canal. You can actually ride the wheel on a boat trip. As well as the wheel, there is a great free play area, crazy golf, cafe and boating lake. Parking is £3.50 for the day. Bring a bike or hire one for the four-mile ride along the canal to see the giant Kelpie sculptures – billed as the largest equine sculptures in the world – at Helix Park. The immense size of these incredible structures never fail to wow adults and children. Entry to the park is free. • Adult £13.50, child £7.50 for one-hour boat trip including wheel revolution Amy Lane Continue reading...

Five areas to discover in the French Alps for a great holiday adventure

Mountains offer great landscapes, hiking and places to stay, as these ideas from a new Wild Guide to the French Alps show While the pristine turquoise waters of Lac d’Annecy are renowned, the remote massif of Les Bauges, which rises to its west and south, is one of the least-visited areas of the French Alps. Fringed on almost all sides by great forested limestone ridges and escarpments, the interior of the Bauges feels a place apart in time as well as in geography. As it’s a protected parc naturel regional, ski development here is limited mostly to the cross-country variety. In summer this verdant oasis of green, cut by deep gorges and ravines, is a nature lover’s dream. Continue reading...

Southwest Business Wants to Do More Than Just Fly Corporate Travelers to Meetings

What a difference a year makes. The airline’s business travel division has, finally, added Sabre, but is also preparing to add a shopping mall-style loyalty program. Will this complete its corporate-friendly transformation? -Matthew Parsons

'Superman' cyclist shows off Colombia's underrated Boyacá region

These Colombian mountains have forged the iron legs of the top Colombian cyclists. Movistar team member Miguel Angel Lopez grew up in Pesca, Boyacá -- training on the unforgiving hills of the Andean Mountains amid colonial architecture and colorful small towns.

Skift Global Forum Preview: Expedia CEO Sees Airbnb as ‘One-Dimensional’

Peter Kern is correct that Expedia Group currently offers broader travel services than do Airbnb and Booking Holdings, but whether Expedia can gain ground on its rivals and can execute on its strategy are entirely different questions. -Dennis Schaal

Church made famous by Paul Revere reckons with its ties to slavery

The main reason people come to visit the Old North Church in Boston's historic North End is to see the famous steeple where two lanterns signaled to Americans Paul Revere's famous cries that "the British are coming!"

Share a tip for late summer sun holidays in Europe for the chance to win a £200 voucher

Tell us about the best places to go for a late sunshine break and you could win £200 towards a Sawday’s stay As the UK summer begins to wane, we want to hear about your favourite places to find sunshine in Europe into September and possibly beyond. Perhaps there’s an island you love where warm days last well into the autumn, or a coastal resort where sunshine tends to linger after the main tourist season ends. Send us your sunny suggestions for a chance to win a holiday voucher. If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition. Continue reading...

The underwater forest growing in the Med

The artist behind the world's first underwater sculpture park has just unveiled his latest sub-aquatic project -- a spectacular sunken forest located off the coast of Pernera beach in Ayia Napa, Cyprus.

See the street art that makes this city a destination

Colombia's capital Bogotá has embraced street art and has been fostering urban artists like never before. Self-proclaimed neo-muralist, Ledania, delivers bright colors and stylized strokes that adorn high rise buildings, hotel lobbies and city blocks.

Canadian luxury scenic train line debuts its first US route

The United States' railroad system is getting a boost from its northern neighbor. One of Western Canada's luxury scenic train lines, the Rocky Mountaineer, launched its first US route on August 15 between Denver, Colorado, and Moab, Utah.

Airlines Reroute Flights Over Afghanistan as Kabul Airport Evacuations Continue

Missile attacks on commercial planes in recent years will be front of mind for many airlines. No risks will be taken in light of the escalation of militant activity across the country. -Matthew Parsons

Airbnb’s Record Shows the Third Quarter Is the Charm

While you have to toss out Covid-ravaged 2020 as any kind of a barometer for a company's trajectory, during the last two-and-a-half years, Airbnb has only made a profit during its third quarters. If remote working becomes entrenched in coming years, then that can indeed help with Airbnb's seasonality issues. -Dennis Schaal

Hyatt Plans Caribbean Expansion with Apple Leisure Group Deal

Days after Hyatt executives said they planned to resume growth through acquisitions, the hotel chain plans to buy Apple Leisure Group for $2.7 billion. The deal would expand their presence in the Caribbean at a time when visitors are flocking to the islands. -Edward Russell

10 of Britain’s best islands for a holiday getaway

They’re only a hop away, but these secluded and beautiful islands can feel like another world For a true sense of escape bypass the Scilly’s Big Three (Tresco, Bryher and St Mary’s) and head to the most northerly island in the archipelago. Just two miles long, St Martin’s is home to some of the most glorious beaches in the UK, with heathery cliff walks and skies full of rare birds. There are just 120 permanent residents, but the island boasts its own vineyard, dive school, bakery and jewellery designer, along with holiday cottages, chalets and camping. • visitislesofscilly.com Continue reading...

IHG CEO Softens Stance on Brand Bloat and 8 Other Top Travel Stories This Week

In Skift's top travel stories this week, IHG is launching its 17th brand, global consultancies will cut business travel spend, Oyo edged toward an initial public offering, and British Airways' parent grew its startup accelerator during the pandemic. -Dennis Schaal