Crown Resorts Shareholders Approve $6.3 Billion Sale to Blackstone

A step nearer for Blackstone, but a few gambling regulators dotted around Australia now get to have their say. It's not a done deal yet. -Matthew Parsons

Daily Podcast: Travel’s Booming Recovery

Good morning from Skift. It's Friday, May 20, in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. -Jason Clampet

A Dracula-themed walk to a great pub: Kilmarnock Arms, Cruden Bay

Dracula is 125 this month. This walk takes in the castle and treacherous coast that inspired Bram Stoker, and ends in the pub where he began writing the book ‘And here one day, to the sound of the sea on the Scottish shore, Count Dracula made his entry,” wrote Bram Stoker biographer Harry Ludlam. Dracula’s creator had never been to Transylvania when he fled London for the bracing North Sea wilds of Cruden Bay in the twilight of the Victorian era. In Aberdeenshire, Stoker finally found Dracula’s world of raging sea and glowering sky – a world of fisherfolk whose pagan beliefs the railway had yet to dim. On this shipwreck-strewn coast, where the mournful cries of seals haunt the night, Count Dracula emerged undead from the granite cliffs of Slains Castle. Continue reading...

An Artificial Intelligence Remedy to Ease Traffic Jam Madness This Summer

Travel reports are revealing that people are going to be spending more time on the road this year than during any other pandemic year. One company is introducing a new technology to make sure people are actually spending that time in transit, not at a traffic light. -Mary Ann Ha

The restaurant where real Italian mothers rule the kitchen

Like many Italians living abroad, Peppe Corsaro missed his mother's cooking.

Lake District cafe owner fights holiday lets with plan to ’buy back’ town

Brick By Brick campaign aims to save Keswick from second and third homeowners pricing out locals Chinty Turnbull fully expects people will say she’s taken leave of her senses as she outlines her bold plan of action. She wants to reclaim a Lake District honeypot town – “buy it back, brick by brick”. “I think a lot of people think I am mad, yes,” she said. “What’s that scene in Jerry Maguire when everyone is saying yay, great, good for you! And they’re all going ‘oh my God’.” Continue reading...

‘Really cool, day or night’: readers’ top modern European architecture

From a giant Gulliver in Spain to a sleek basking whale in Budapest, readers tip 10 destinations with stunning contemporary buildings The Hamsun Centre in Hamarøy, northern Norway (a couple of hours by boat from Bodø), is dedicated to Norway’s most famous novelist, Knut Hamsun (1859-1952), hailed by many as the father of modern Norwegian literature. Designed by the American architect Steven Holl, the striking building, which dominates the landscape for miles, offers references to the man and his work, including “hair” on its head (the roof), a metallic “spine” running through the building and a beckoning hand (a yellow balcony jutting out from the dark facade). M Peyre Continue reading...

‘I was dog-tired but exhilarated’: hiking the UK’s Coast to Coast route

A solo hike on the celebrated 192-mile route from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay brought our writer solace after the death of her mother Lying back on the grass, I exhaled for what seemed like the first time in 18 months. I was miles away from civilisation and a world away from the long days of solo lockdown in my London flat. Now I was alone again, but in happier circumstances. I could hear faraway sheep and feel a gentle breeze as I gazed at the Lake District countryside and sky. I was a few days into walking from Cumbria’s Irish Sea shores to the North Sea on the Coast to Coast, a network of paths created by Alfred Wainwright, and it was absolute bliss. Continue reading...

Podcast: The Definitive History of Short-Term Rentals

For today's podcast episode, Skift's Dennis Schaal is joined by RVshare's Jon Gray, UndertheDoormat Group's Merilee Kar, and HomeAway's Carl Shepherd to discuss their experiences during the evolution of online short-term rentals. -Jason Clampet

Saudia Arabia to Spend $1 Trillion Over a Decade to Build a Global Tourism Economy

With a goal to attract 100 million tourists a year by 2030, Saudi Arabia realizes that it will have to promote itself aggressively as a leisure destination. A trillion dollars looks pretty aggressive. -Peden Doma Bhutia

French Shipping Giant CMA CGM Takes Stake in Air France-KLM

Taking a leaf out of Lufthansa's book, which is planning its own deal with MSC, this is a smart move that helps hedge against any further events that put the brakes on passenger flights. -Matthew Parsons

U.S. Tour Operators Face Heat for Not Taking Stand on Anti-LGBTQ Laws

Tour operators angry about states enacting anti-LGBT laws shouldn't reward those places. Those companies can absolutely find more welcoming destinations for their guests. -Rashaad Jorden

Bandits, beaches and Roman baths – Andalucía’s wild side

Away from the main cities, the region’s dusty plains and green mountains offer hiking, ancient ruins and no crowds, as the author of a new guide reveals The golden sands south from Cádiz form part of the Costa de la Luz and run to the southernmost tip of continental Europe at Tarifa. This is one of the least-visited stretches of Andalucían coast, but are a meeting place of cultures and continents: Africa with Europe; the Atlantic with the Mediterranean. From Tarifa, the hazy blue silhouette of Jebel Musa mountain in Morocco is visible – 14km away over the strait of Gibralta. Visit in spring and autumn to see skies filled with griffon vultures, eagles and storks on migration paths to Africa. Continue reading...

Tell us about your favourite Portuguese beach for the chance to win a £200 prize

Share a tip on a seaside gem in Portugal: the best wins £200 towards a Sawday’s stay The Algarve’s beaches are a major destination, but for many the best of the country’s 1,700km coastline lies beyond this tourist hotspot – from sandy coves below the lush Sintra hills north of Lisbon to the expansive, clean sands of Nazaré – one of Portugal’s top surf towns. Tell us about your favourite place to spread your towel, whether it’s a sheltered cove, a remote slice of sand accessible only on foot or somewhere to soak up the sun from a beach bar. Continue reading...

Do I need a mask to fly? Check carefully as European rules change

France has relaxed its rules, but holidaymakers heading for Greece, Italy and Spain will need masks for several more weeks Rules for wearing face masks while travelling abroad remain complex for British holidaymakers as EU nations adopt differing approaches. The European Union announced that from Monday (16 May), masks would no longer be required for passengers on flights to many EU countries. The announcement coincided with one from the French health minister, stating that masks will no longer be required on trains, planes and metros in France. However, major destinations for UK holidaymakers, including Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain, are keeping the mask rule. Italy said passengers are required to wear more-protective FFP2 masks on public transport until 15 June. In Spain, restrictions that came into force in July 2020 were due to be lifted on 15 May, but last Saturday, Spain’s Ministry of the Interior said this was being postponed to midnight on 15 June. Continue reading...

Want to become Italian? The 007 of lost Italian documents may be able to help

If you have Italian ancestors in your family tree, it might be easier than you realize to get Italian citizenship. Francesco Curione, the 007 of Italian Records, helps track down documents to pave the way.

Japan Will Test Reopening With Select Triple Vaccinated Tourists

One of the most reticent Asian destinations is finally looking to reopen to tourists, but not before a trial run. -Peden Doma Bhutia

Uber Takes Further Steps Into Travel Through Itinerary Aggregator, and More

Uber may not become a superapp anytime soon, but wants to become a bigger part of your journey and everything you do in it, that is for sure. -Dennis Schaal

The German city with an incredible upside down railway

Suspension railways today seem like an anachronism -- a 19th-century vision of what the future of transport would look like. By the year 2022, surely we would all be commuting to work on upside down railways!

Daily Podcast: Climate Change and Business Travel

Good morning from Skift. It's Monday, May 16, in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. -Jason Clampet

Thailand cove made famous in The Beach reopens to visitors after four-year closure

Maya Bay was once a sorry victim of overtourism. Now the beach’s wild residents – and a restricted number of human visitors – are returning “I just feel like everyone tries to do something different but you all wind up doing the same damn thing.” When these words were uttered by Richard in Alex Garland’s novel The Beach – and in the film adaptation by a young Leonardo DiCaprio 22 years ago – no one realised just how prophetic they were. The novel’s protagonist was talking about the trap backpackers like him fall into when travelling around Thailand: all visiting the same sites, from Bangkok’s Khao San Road and the 46-metre reclining gold buddha at Wat Pho temple to full-moon parties on Ko Samui. He decides to do “something different”, and so begins a journey to find a secret island idyll. Little did the filmmakers realise they were about to add that location to the tourist bucket list and see its popularity explode. Continue reading...

Airplane Lessor SMBC Aviation Eyes $7 Billion Deal for Goshawk

The number of players leasing aircraft to airlines keeps shrinking even as the sector grows. -Edward Russell

10 of the best UK birdwatching breaks

Combining areas rich in birdlife with birder-friendly places to stay, these breaks offer truly immersive birdwatching experiences Puffins prefer to nest on uninhabited islands, including the Farne Islands and Isle of May, but they make an exception for Rathlin. The year-round human population of 150 is swollen by thousands of puffins arriving from Iceland and Greenland each April. They lay eggs and raise their young on the island before flying off again in August. The Manor House on Rathlin, reached by ferry from Ballycastle, is an ideal place to park your binoculars for a few days; during a summer visit here, you’ll normally get to see black guillemots, corncrakes and the exceedingly rare red-billed chough. Two nights B&B, £200; manorhouserathlin.com Continue reading...

Podcast: The Evolution of Airline Loyalty With Delta Air Lines’ Loyalty VP

What comes next for travel loyalty? As travel returns, brand loyalty and retaining trust with long-standing customers is more important than ever. With an increased focus on the customer experience and journey, companies are reimagining points programs and loyalty efforts in hopes of stealing customers and increasing market share. Delta Air Lines’ VP of Loyalty […]

Sizzle your bangers at the table: 10 great new bits of camping kit

From palatial tents to table-top grills, you’ll be a happy – and toasty – camper with this outdoor kit Made using recycled plastic bottles, this insulated blanket is great around the campfire, or doubles up as a lightweight summer sleeping bag. £89, voited.co.uk Continue reading...

Too posh to pitch? 10 of the UK’s best new glamping sites

From converted steam engines to Persian tents and a castle hut with turrets, these glamping sites are in a field of their own There are four geodomes on this idyllic site in a valley on the edge of Dartmoor, backed by woods and a stream. Each dome has a kingsize bed, woodburner and skylight for stargazing; a private kitchen, toilet and shower; and an outdoor space with a firepit and barbecue. Two are couples’ domes with wood-fired hot tubs, and two are family domes. Guests can walk to Sheepstor for views over Burrator reservoir and down to Plymouth Sound, cycle the nearby Drakes Trail or head to the village pub. It is a half-hour drive to the nearest beaches. Domes sleep 2-5, from £135, dartmoordomes.co.uk Continue reading...

Airlines Press U.S. to Lift Covid Testing Requirements

Good for the airlines. -Sean O'Neill

The Great Merging and Other Top Stories This Week

In Skift's top stories this week, Skift founder and CEO Rafat Ali writes about the blending of work, travel, and personal lives, Ghana's decision to use celebrities to promote tourism emerges as problematic, and the labor shortage in hospitality enhances the need for robots in hotels. -Mary Ann Ha

U.S. Travel Firms Flex Marketing Muscle to Lure Travelers Seeking Sun and Sand

The charts in this article capture the conundrum facing Airbnb, Booking Holdings, and Expedia Group. The online travel agency groups need their revenue to soar faster than their marketing expenses as the pandemic recovery unfolds. -Sean O'Neill

Train to tent: 10 brilliant UK campsites you can reach on public transport

The author of a new book on green travel picks sites on train or bus routes that can be reached without a car – from the Cairngorms to the island of Sark Twenty camping pitches and two safari tents sit among wildflower meadows on a 200-hectare farm outside the small village of Trefor on the northern coast of the Llŷn Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There’s a treehouse and rope swings for the kids, while the big draw for grown-ups is its seasonal kitchen-garden restaurant for breakfast and lunch every day, and dinner six nights a week (drinks and cocktails are garnished with herbs from the garden). There’s a private shingle beach and you can hire paddleboards and kayaks at the nearby sandy beaches of Porth Iago or Aberdaron. Take bus 30 from Caernarfon or Pwllheli to Ganolfan, from where it’s just over a half-mile walk down the lane to the site. Adults from £22 a night, children from £10, two-night minimum, bertskg.com Continue reading...

Vacasa Could Get Boost From Home Sales Softness

If they can't sell their homes, vacation rental owners tend to stay with their property managers. Making the proverbial lemonade out of lemons. -Dennis Schaal

Daily Podcast: Airbnb’s Confidence Push

Good morning from Skift. It's Friday, May 13, in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. -Jason Clampet

The 'erotic' origins of Sicily's top pastry

Making a trip to Sicily without indulging in a delicious cannolo pastry is akin to visiting Naples without tucking into an authentic pizza. Practically unheard of.

Ireland’s most scenic bus service? Ennis to Galway via the Cliffs of Moher

The 350 bus in County Clare offers sublime views of some of Ireland’s most dramatic scenery, stops off in historic villages and gives glimpses of a rich cultural heritage The winding, medieval streets and gorgeous architecture of Ennis, County Clare’s main market town, are the southerly starting point of route 350, a bus service that navigates sleepy villages, historic landmarks, epic landscapes and some of the finest coastal scenery in Ireland. Ennis is just 30 minutes by bus from Shannon airport and midway by rail from Galway to Limerick City – yet, in spite of all that connectivity, there are no early starts here, and that includes the 350. The town stretches and yawns awake sometime after 9am with the clanking of empty kegs to the rear of the pubs that line Abbey Street as far down as Ennis Friary. It had a literary nod as a location in James Joyce’s Ulysses, which brings a flurry of visitors for its book festival in early spring, but apart from that, Ennis ambles along at its own pace until late May. That’s when Fleadh Nua starts – a traditional Irish music event, hallmarked by the sound of uilleann pipes or a bodhrán filtering through every bar door and window. Continue reading...

Private Equity Firm Brookfield to Pay $3.8 Billion for Watermark Lodging Trust

The Brookfield deal shows that investment interest in hotel portfolios remains strong. Analysts at Baird said that Xenia Hotels has a portfolio with similar characteristics to Watermark's. -Sean O'Neill

Behind Sonder’s Multi-Pronged Tech Approach to Sell More Rooms

The self-proclaimed next-generation hospitality company has a finely tuned strategy, but it may be a slow-burner as profits continue to be elusive. -Matthew Parsons

Marriott’s Homes & Villas Taps Bonvoy Loyalty Pool to Supercharge Growth

Marriott Bonvoy members account for about a third of bookings on the company's Homes & Villas short-term rental platform, and access to that pool of customers is a strength, the unit's leader said. This pool of potential customers helped fuel Homes & Villas' 30-fold growth since its 2019 launch. -Madhu Unnikrishnan

23 of the world's best sandwiches

Is there a food more humble yet universally adored than the sandwich?

‘An unmissable spring spectacle’: readers’ favourite places to spot birds

Migrant birds like swallows and wheatears are arriving in the UK at the end of epic journeys. Our tipsters share their favourite places to see them The lighthouse, and the giant’s grave, in Hale village, near Liverpool, may attract many visitors to this Cheshire outpost east of John Lennon airport, but in spring, birdwatchers flock here for a different reason. The juxtaposition of the Mersey coast, saltmarshes, fields, woodlands and nearby Carr Lane Pools, provide welcome stopping off points for weary migrant bird species. First sightings of wheatears in the fields are harbingers of spring. Social media is soon buzzing with reports of buntings, warblers, whinchats, swallows and swifts. Few sites offer an opportunity to see such avian diversity in adjacent habitats. Accessible by car, cycle or public transport, Hale village presents an unmissable spring spectacle. halevillageonline.co.uk Jennifer Jones Continue reading...

Short-Term Rentals Gain Big Share on Hotels in Europe’s Shifting Lodging Sector

The pandemic boosted the growth of the already flourishing short-term rentals sub sector of the European accommodation market. It is still to be seen how the various sub sectors will compete to define the market landscape. -Varsha Arora

Airbnb Reorganizes Its Search Around Curated Categories

Interesting new attempt by Airbnb to rethink how people search and discover on its product and likely to finally spur some innovation in travel search and booking. -Dennis Schaal

Daily Podcast: The Great Merging Is Reshaping Travel

Good morning from Skift. It's Wednesday, May 11, in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. -Jason Clampet

Airbnb-style camping comes to UK as US giant Hipcamp buys Cool Camping

The takeover will add 25,000 pitches and glamping structures to the US website and will enable private landowners to rent out rural space The British camping brand Cool Camping has been taken over by a large US company, Hipcamp, which aims to bring its Airbnb-style model of campsite booking to the UK. From today, all 25,000 camping pitches and glamping structures on Cool Camping’s website will be listed instead on Hipcamp. Continue reading...

TUI Aims to Return to Profits Off High Prices and Strong Demand

Only the CEO of the world's largest tour operator could see the upside in rising oil and gas prices, as Fritz Joussen warns there won't be any cheap deals to be had this year. -Matthew Parsons

Mardin: Turkey's ancient treasure trove

Donkeys meander through narrow streets past doorways and through low arches, suddenly braying around corners at startled tourists while residents continue on their way, unperturbed.

A coastal walk to a great pub: the Jolly Fisherman, Nortumberland

Seafood, North Sea views, a brilliant castle and the waft of smoking kippers permeate this lovely saunter Imagine building a castle and visiting it only once. That is the fate that befell Thomas, the second Earl of Lancaster, in the case of Dunstanburgh Castle on the Northumberland coast. He was executed when he was in his mid-40s, the year that the castle was completed – exactly 700 years ago – after he’d led a force of powerful barons in an uprising against his cousin Edward II. On his retreat to Dunstanburgh, he fought the Battle of Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, lost, was taken prisoner and beheaded. Continue reading...

Tell us about a great beach in France – you could win a holiday voucher

Share details of your favourite French beach – whether it’s a shingly cove or a popular crescent of sand with a town attached – the best tip wins £200 towards a Sawday’s stay With a coastline that is spectacularly varied, France has some of the most glorious beaches in Europe. From the Côte d’Opale on the English Channel to the Atlantic Côte d’Argent, with its miles of unbroken sandy beaches and the chic Mediterranean Riviera, France boasts some of the most beautiful shorelines in Europe – and the odd lovely bar and cafe to enjoy, too. Tell us about your favourite beaches to lay down your towel whether it is a sheltered cove, a secluded slice of sand accessible only after a hike or somewhere where you can soak up some sunshine on a deckchair. Continue reading...

A castle to yourself: 10 famous UK properties to book a holiday stay

Stay at these historic piles and you get to experience them after all the tourists have gone home Just five miles from Tenby, this 11th-century Norman castle has a commanding position overlooking the beautiful Manorbier Beach with the village nestled behind. It is a glorious mixture of ruins and fully furnished fortification. It’s usually open to the public during the day, but you can have it all for yourself if you stay here. There are three holiday cottages, while Castle House sleeps 12 in great comfort and guests have their own walled garden. The setting for the 2003 film, I Capture the Castle, it’s a short walk to the pretty beach and the village pub. From £650 a night, manorbiercastle.co.uk Continue reading...

‘Traffic-free lanes and beautiful views’: readers’ favourite UK family cycle routes

These idyllic routes take in nature reserves, a safari park, meandering rivers and coastal views, with plenty of pitstops for tired legs In Swaledale, between Keld and Reeth, the Swale Trail is a stunning 12-mile cycle track that snakes along the crystalline River Swale in the Yorkshire Dales. The terrain is manageable for rookie cyclists (that would be me rather than my husband and teenage kids) and there are plenty of stops along the way to have a cold drink and give the pedals a rest. The national park has upgraded the established routes, improving the surface for a less bumpy ride and there are reassuring Swale Trail signposts along the way. About three-quarters of the route is on unsurfaced tracks, the rest on nearly traffic-free lanes. Dales Bike Centre near Reeth is a good place to hire bikes, as is Stage 1 Cycles at Hawes. Katya Kitchingman Continue reading...

Wild water: packrafting with the kids down Scotland’s River Tay

An 87-mile family paddling and camping adventure connects our writer with the Highlands landscape – especially when she takes an unexpected dip Between the whirlpools of Campsie Linn on the River Tay in Perthshire and the village of Stanley, I raft down waterfalls of white into lakes laden with light. Then the river flows through twisting green corridors, wide beside walls of beech and birch trees before I have to begin paddling quickly. My heart beating fast, I head into the jaws of racing rapids, waves rearing towards me, swirling me high on to their peaks. I’m packrafting the 117-mile-long Tay, Scotland’s longest and most powerful river, from source to sea, and this kind of excitement is par for the course. The river, which holds more water than the Thames and Severn combined, commences its journey in the west near Loch Lomond, before gliding east across the Highlands to Dundee, where it spills into the North Sea. However, we will end our journey in Perth, 87 miles from the start, because that’s where the river turns tidal. Continue reading...