Travel News

Travel apps come up 100% failure of security standards Special

A study into the world’s most popular travel apps has shown them to have a 100 percent failure rate by OWASP standards. This means vulnerabilities for consumers and travel service providers, according to John Aisien, CEO of Blue Cedar.

Climate protesters lay siege to London City Airport

By AFP

A climate protester glued himself to a plane and another held up a flight with a speech on global warming Thursday as campaigners tried to "occupy" a London airport near the capital's global financial hub.

Climate protesters try to 'occupy' London city airport

By AFP

London police dragged away several chanting and singing climate protesters on Thursday who tried to "occupy" an international airport serving the British capital's global financial hub.

London repatriates 10% of Thomas Cook's UK customers

By AFP

London - Britain has repatriated ten percent of nationals who were stranded abroad after the collapse of travel firm Thomas Cook, authorities said Tuesday, as anger erupted over excessive management pay.

Thomas Cook clients struggle with flight, hotel woes in Spain

By AFP

Palma - Standing in a long line or sitting on their suitcases, anxious Thomas Cook passengers at Palma airport faced an uncertain wait on Monday for a flight to Britain following the collapse of the travel giant.

Mexico braces for impact as Thomas Cook collapses

By AFP

Canc - 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.

Anxious Thomas Cook passengers seek a way home to Britain

By AFP

Thomas Cook airline Condor keeps flying but seeks govt loan

By AFP

Frankfurt Am Main - Condor, the German airline subsidiary of British travel giant Thomas Cook, said Monday it was requesting financial aid from Berlin to help keep it in the air even after its parent company declared bankruptcy.

What awaits tourists hit by Thomas Cook crisis?

By AFP

London - The possible bankruptcy of British tour operator Thomas Cook, which was fighting for survival on Sunday, would be a bombshell for European holidaymakers and trigger a mammoth repatriation operation.

Fresh Hong Kong clashes outside mall but airport avoids disruption

By AFP

Fpo - Pro-democracy protesters clashed with riot police outside a mall on Sunday, with some activists vandalising a nearby subway station and defacing a Chinese flag, but plans to disrupt the airport did not materialise.

Thomas Cook collapses with 600,000 tourists stranded abroad

By AFP

London - British travel firm Thomas Cook collapsed on Monday, leaving some 600,000 holidaymakers stranded and sparking the UK's biggest repatriation since World War II.

Hong Kong curbs airport links as protesters vow 'stress test'

By AFP

Fpo - Hong Kong reduced rail and bus links to the city's airport on Sunday and police stepped up security checks in a bid to scupper plans by pro-democracy protesters to disrupt the bustling transport hub.

World tourism numbers up 4% in first half of 2019: UN

By AFP

Madrid - International tourist arrivals rose by 4.0 percent in the first half of 2019, but trade tensions and Brexit uncertainty could hinder growth, the UN World Tourism Organization said Monday.

Robust baht, travel trends rattle Thai tourism market

By AFP

Bangkok - A strong Thai baht and a slowdown in arrivals from China are battering the kingdom's moneymaking tourism machine even as the country hopes to welcome a record 40 million visitors by the end of the year.

Chocks away for round-the-world Spitfire flight

By AFP

Chichester - A vintage World War II Spitfire plane took off for an unprecedented journey around the world on Monday, which will see the iconic aircraft soar over some 30 countries.

'Majestic' WWII Spitfire takes off on round-the-world flight

By AFP

Chichester - An original Spitfire plane took off from Britain on Monday on an unprecedented attempt to fly the iconic World War II fighter around the globe.

Vacation tip: don’t travel east if you want quality sleep

By Tim Sandle

According to a new report from Sleep Cycle, which looked at more than 1.5 million nights’ worth of sleep data through different time zones, traveling east (forward in time) results in poorer quantity and quality of sleep and worse wake-up moods.

China halts individual travel to Taiwan

By AFP

Bejing - China stepped up pressure on Taiwan on Wednesday as it announced the suspension of individual travel permits to the self-ruled democratic island "due to current cross-strait relations".

North Korea's Air Koryo to begin direct flights to Macau

By AFP

Fpo - North Korea's national airline Air Koryo will resume direct flights from Pyongyang to the gambling enclave of Macau next week after a 15-year hiatus, the Chinese territory's civil aviation authority said.

Siberians flock to toxic lake for 'Maldives' selfies

By AFP

Moscow - An industrial dump site in Siberia whose turquoise lake resembles a tropical paradise has become a magnet for Instagrammers who risk their health in the toxic water to wow online followers.

Siberians flock to toxic lake for 'Maldives' selfies

By AFP

Novosibirsk - An industrial dump site in Siberia whose turquoise lake resembles a tropical paradise has become a magnet for Instagrammers who risk their health in the toxic water to wow online followers.

French government is introducing an eco-tax for airline travel

By Tim Sandle

Airline travel comes with a relatively high environmental impact. Adopting the 'polluter pays' philosophy, the French government is set to introduce a so-called 'eco-tax' each time an airline ticket is purchased.

Iran announces visa waiver for Chinese tourists

By AFP

Tehran - Iran will no longer require Chinese visitors to obtain visas, state media reported Sunday, as the sanctions-hit country attempts to boost tourism in the face of an economic crisis.

Russia bans Georgia airline flights as tensions rise over protests

By AFP

Moscow - Russia's government on Saturday banned Georgian airlines from flying into its territory, extending restrictions imposed by President Vladimir Putin as part of growing tensions between Moscow and its ex-Soviet neighbour.

Russians hit out at Kremlin ban on flights to Georgia

By AFP

Moscow - Russia's travel industryhit out Saturday at a decision by the Kremlin to suspend flights to Georgia as a politically motivated move that has little to do with safety concerns.

Antigua takes control of troubled Caribbean airline LIAT

By AFP

Saint John's - A Caribbean airline that helps bind together the region's many island nations has been saved from going under -- at least for now -- by a rescue plan led by the government of Antigua and Barbuda.

Man dies accidentally, having ingested 246 packets of cocaine

By Tim Sandle

A passenger on-board a flight from Mexico City has died after inadvertently ingesting 246 packets of cocaine. The high level of drug consumption triggered a cerebral edema.

Digital tool for assessing climate change impact when you travel

By Tim Sandle

People are becoming more aware of the environmental impact of travel. However, assessing the impact is not straightforward - is flying really so much worse than driving a car? To assist consumers, Chalmers University has developed a new platform.

Q&A: Travel startup paves way for industry consolidation Special

By Tim Sandle

Travel startup VacationRenter uses an AI platform to consolidate vacation rental listings from the top sites into one place so travelers can save time booking and rest assured they’ve found the best rental. We look into this disruptive technology.

Review: Swimmer Michael Andrew films travel vlog in Guangzhou, China Special

By Markos Papadatos

Guangzhou - World champion swimmer and vlogger Michael Andrew took his fans on a virtual trip to Guangzhou, China, where he competed as part of the FINA Champions Series.