Norwegian Airline Flyr in Critical Situation After Failing to Raise Cash

Norwegian airline Flyr's unsuccessful attempts to raise investment funds will see the budget carrier make operational cuts. This survival move is unlikely to see its summer season plans go the distance. -Selene Brophy

Albania’s Coastal Airport and Tourism Project Meets Resistance

The government's airport, near the Adriatic coast, is designed to bring in more tourists. But like many destinations recovering after the pandemic, there's a balance to be struck between local communities. Environmentalists aren't happy. -Matthew Parsons

Vacasa Slashes Workforce and Other Top Stories This Week

In Skift's top stories this week, Vacasa makes another round of layoffs, Accor's CEO defends its major corporate overhaul, and more Americans plan to cut travel spending. -Sherry Sun

Paddling calendar: the best places to kayak and canoe in Australia, every month of the year

With a coastline that stretches thousands of kilometres, Australia is an all seasons, bucket list destination for on-water adventures * Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email When it comes to paddling destinations, Australia has an embarrassment of riches: there’s a coastline that stretches for about 34,000 km, easily accessible waterways for beginners and world-class rapids for thrill-seekers. Rohan Klopfer, head instructor for Melbourne-based East Coast Kayaking, says Australia is a “bucket list destination” for international paddlers. And whether you’re canoeing, kayaking or rafting, travelling on the water allows you to load up with more gear than hikers or cyclists, making multi-day trips significantly more comfortable. Continue reading...

‘Prepare to be blown away – literally’: readers’ favourite trips in Ireland

Our tipsters confirm that the Emerald Isle’s pubs, cafes and literary hotspots offer brilliant backup for its huge variety of outdoor adventures. Scroll down to see the winner I was fortunate to spend a few days in the seaside village of Portnoo, which made a great jumping-off point for exploring the multitude of white sand beaches – many of which wouldn’t have looked out of place in southern Italy. Dooey beach was a particular highlight and, other than a few surfers, was all but empty during my visit. The challenging but rewarding Wild Atlantic Way stretches along the coast and can be tackled in short stages. Proper pubs are abundant but Nancy’s in Ardara had the combination of excellent beers, food and craic. Michael Continue reading...

A Bavarian fairytale: hiking, frosty peaks and an ivory castle

The tale of a starry-eyed monarch’s fantasy fortress provides the backdrop to a dazzling walking holiday in Germany’s far south In a clearing at the foot of the Bavarian Alps, a stoat breaks cover. The little creature flows quickly across the grass, its eyes set ahead, the ice white of its fur broken only by the black tip of its tail. The dazzle of its winter coat provides zero camouflage on this cold, mid-January morning – all the snow is further up the slopes – but its button nose and exquisite colouring are a vision all the same, a cartoon come to life in Germany’s far south. The stoat isn’t the only thing to have fallen from a Disney animation. Minutes away, set against a frost-dusted cragscape of dark peaks, a hilltop palace spears into the sky. It is spectacular and preposterous, an ivory fortress that seems to have been formed in a dream. Turrets zoom up towards the clouds, asymmetric balconies gaze out across the land, statues of knights stand on pinnacles. This is Neuschwanstein Castle – the most flamboyant of many such creations here in the hills – and the story behind it is every bit as bonkers as its design. Continue reading...

Chinese Tourists Throng Macau for Lunar New Year Break

As the return of Chinese tourists helps Macau register the highest single day record since the pandemic, we wonder if these tourists would be able to do the same for other destinations. -Peden Doma Bhutia