Tag: Leisure

Thailand welcomes first tourists since March

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand has welcomed its first group of tourists in seven months, as part of an experiment aimed at testing if a wider opening is possible as the coronavirus cripples the kingdom’s economy. A planeload of 39 Chinese tourists flew into Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport Tuesday evening from Shanghai to a welcome from staff in full protective equipment. The visitors underwent health checks and had their luggage disinfected, before donning protective clothing themselves […]

Disneyland Paris reopens, but no hugs for Donald

MARNE-LA-VALLEE, France (AFP) — Disneyland Paris, Europe’s biggest private tourist attraction, reopened its gates Wednesday after four months of coronavirus lockdown, albeit with limited access and a ban on hugging the famous characters. As festive music played, Mickey, Pluto and other Disney characters greeted the first visitors — all sporting face masks and some the trademark Mickey Mouse ears — while keeping a safe distance from the guests. Despite the merry mood, things at Disneyland […]

Climate concerns put Austria glacier project on thin ice

SANKT LEONHARD IM PITZTAL, Austria (AFP) — In his office nestled in Austria’s snow-capped Pitztal valley, Eberhard Schultes is among those pushing to expand the region’s skiing sector — but environmentalists alarmed about the region’s vanishing glaciers are pushing back. Schultes is the managing director of the Pitztaler Gletscherbahnen mountain lift company, which is trying to win approval for a new ski area to connect the Pitztaler glacier to the neighbouring Oetztal formation. Even though […]

Fosun buys Thomas Cook brand for £11 million

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese conglomerate Fosun has snapped up the Thomas Cook brand for £11 million ($14.2 million), weeks after the renowned British travel group went bust and left hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers stranded abroad. Thomas Cook’s demise in September sparked 22,000 job losses worldwide and triggered Britain’s biggest repatriation since World War II, with the government paying to fly home 140,000 tourists. The 178-year-old British institution declared bankruptcy in September after an […]

Mexico braces for impact as Thomas Cook collapses

  CANCUN, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico is bracing for a “very powerful” impact from the collapse of British travel firm Thomas Cook, an official said Monday, as several hundred tourists gathered at the Cancun airport looking for a way home. Britain sends more tourists to Mexico’s Caribbean coast than any other European country, and more than any country in the world except the United States and Canada, according to Mexican tourism ministry figures. And the […]

Japan sees record 31 million tourists in 2018

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan welcomed a record 31 million foreign visitors in 2018, official data showed Wednesday, as the country gears up to host the Rugby World Cup this year and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The world’s third largest economy, also known for its ancient temples and vibrant pop culture, welcomed 31.2 million visitors in 2018, up 8.7 percent from the previous year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation. Fellow Asian countries dominated […]

Let it grow: Tokyo DisneySea adds ‘Frozen’ in $2.3 bn expansion

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The Tokyo DisneySea theme park is getting a $2.3 billion overhaul and adding a section based on the wildly popular movie “Frozen” to its offerings, its operator said Thursday. Oriental Land, which runs the ocean-themed park as well as the adjacent Tokyo Disneyland and hotels, said the 250-billion-yen ($2.3-billion) undertaking will be the most expensive expansion plan in the site’s 35-year history. The project will add attractions replicating the Kingdom of […]

Angry Birds maker posts loss despite jump in sales

HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — Finland’s Rovio Entertainment, creator of the popular smartphone game Angry Birds, on Thursday posted a loss for the third quarter despite rising sales, as it increased its investments with a view to boost its winnings in future. Sales reached 70.7 million euros (nearly $84 million) in the third quarter compared to 50 million the previous year, but year-on-year the company lost 800,000 euros. Rovio posted a profit of 3.9 million euros […]

DIGITAL NEST Leisure: New York Times Travel Show

DIGITAL NEST | New York If you love food, traveling, and all the adventures in between, the New York Times Travel Show was definitely the place to be.  Hosted at the Jacob K. Javits Center during the weekend of January 28th, only a few minutes from the last stop on the Manhattan-bound 7 train, thousands of people who shared the common love and interest in traveling attended this event.  It was such a perfect event […]