Travel in Russia

The Skift Travel Health Index indicates a bright tourism outlook this summer. The latest June 2023 Highlights Report shows global travel performance outpacing 2019 levels by 4 percentage points. The index now stands at 104, gaining 1 point over the previous month.

Europe was close to reaching its pre-pandemic tourism levels last year, but some countries started to go above and beyond in early 2024, according to a recent report from the European Travel Commission.

It’s been 16 years since actress and singer Eden Espinosa has been on Broadway, but now, she’s back in a big way as the lead in the new and highly acclaimed musical “Lempicka.”

The Ajman Department of Tourism Development (ADTD) is gearing up for a momentous presence at the Arabian Travel Market 2024 (ATM), scheduled from May 6 to May 9, 2024. This premier event serves as a significant platform for ADTD to unveil the rich Ajman’s cultural heritage, vibrant Events Calendar, Things to Do diverse tourism offerings, and the remarkable growth trajectory of its tourism sector. In line with its vision for progress, ADTD actively seeks strategic partners during ATM 2024 to foster collaborations and enhance Ajman’s position as a leading destination in global tourism.

Miral, the leading creator of immersive destinations and experiences in Abu Dhabi, announced record-breaking visitation numbers in 2023 across Yas Island and Saadiyat Island, witnessing an extraordinary surge in destination visits and setting a new benchmark. Revealed during Arabian Travel Market 2024, Yas Island recorded over 34 million visits, a rise of 38% compared to 2022, which recorded 24.9 million. Similarly, Saadiyat Island saw a 44% visitation growth compared to 2022.

Los Angeles, California — The United States has “serious problems” when it comes to international inbound travel that must be resolved if the country is to regain its competitive edge.That’s the assessment of the U.S. Travel Association and its leader Geoff Freeman, the organization’s president and CEO.Freeman delivered his sober take on the problems plaguing inbound travel to the United States during a press conference today in Los Angeles, California where a travel industry convention is taking place.“The United States remains the world’s most desired nation to visit, but at the end of 2019 we had 79 million visitors internationally and in 2023 we had 67 million international visitors," Freeman told the media gathered for the IPW 2024 convention. “That’s only 84 percent of pre-pandemic levels.”“When you look at travel as an export - before the pandemic we had a 12 billion [person] travel trade surplus. At end of last year we had about a 50 billion [person] travel trade deficit,” Freeman added.There's a handful of challenges that the United States currently faces when it comes to attracting international visitors and significantly ramping up inbound numbers, said Freeman. And some of those challenges are within the country’s ability to fix, while others are not.There’s not much that can be done, for instance, about the strength of the U.S. dollar, which makes this country very expensive to visit from many other parts of the world. Similarly, there’s not much U.S. officials can do about the current prohibitions surrounding flights over Russian airspace, which pose a major obstacle for airlines coming to this country from China.However, visa wait times continue to be a significant roadblock for international visitors — and that’s an issue U.S. officials can — and should — be able to fix, Freeman said.“On the visa side, I checked this morning — if you're a Columbian and want to come to the U.S. the wait times are over 600 days to get an interview at a U.S. consulate,” said Freeman. “If you’re in Mexico, the wait times are over 800 days.”By contrast, for visitors from India the wait timeline for visa interviews has recently been reduced to a somewhat more reasonable 150 to 200 days. Similarly, wait times for those visiting from Brazil have been reduced drastically — from what was once 500 days down to just 21 days, according to the U.S. Travel Association.“It shows us that it can be done. When the State Department uses their ingenuity and gets creative and puts resources in the right places, this problem can be solved,” explained Freeman. “But it’s been going on for far too long. It needs to be solved now.”

Last year, Eric Schmidt made waves in the yachting community when news came out that he was the soon-to-be owner of the Alfa Nero, an 81-meter megayacht that belonged to a sanctioned Russian oligarch.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live and work in space?

The average Joe celebrating a personal renaissance after, say, the end of a long-term relationship or when approaching a fresh decade might commemorate it with an ankle tattoo or a sportscar. But if you're a billionaire, you may instead spend hundreds of millions on a yacht.

After supporting roles on shows ranging from ‘Russian Doll’ to ‘Girls’ and ‘Inside Amy Schumer’ actress Greta Lee finally stepped into the spotlight with her starring role in the film ‘Past Lives’ — for which she received her first Best Actress nomination from the Golden Globes. I spoke with Lee about her love of Champagne, her need for ritual and what it’s like to drink with one of the stars from ‘Absolutely Fabulous.’

Amid velvety green valleys and oak-covered hills, more than 425 wineries flourish on 63,000 acres of vineyards, producing some of the nation’s best pinot noir, zinfandel and chardonnay — 99% of which are sustainable. Welcome to laid-back Sonoma, located an hour north of San Francisco (depending on traffic), yet a world away. 

There’s a fairly high chance that you’ve never heard of Volotea. But it’s one of the quirkiest budget airlines anywhere on the planet. It’s also (usually) pretty profitable.

It's official: Scandinavian Airlines will become a full-fledged SkyTeam member Sept. 1.

Cruises are increasingly popular but not the most environmentally-friendly option for travelers keen to keep carbon emissions low. It's also true that cruise companies need to meet goals of being carbon-neutral by 2050—one possible solution then, would be to start building nuclear-powered cruise ships.

Google said Wednesday that it is releasing new features that share options for traveling in ways that are more environmentally friendly.

I consider myself an adventurous person. I’ve overlanded through Russia. Traveled solo in Egypt. Followed the Dakar Rally through Saudi Arabia. But it was my recent experience getting to the Dukha people, Mongolia’s reindeer-riding tribe, that I consider one of the most adventurous experiences to date. Not just because of how remote the tribe is, but because we were also contenting with -30C temperatures, unusually heavy snowfall, and incredibly hard to navigate terrain.

The Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators is determined to increase Indian arrivals to the island destination and is taking steps to achieve this.

The “Great North American Eclipse” is over—now prepare for the “Greatest American Eclipse.”

Flights between Europe and Asia could see significant delays and longer journey times, following the first direct attack from Iran on Israel on Saturday night.

Sarah Faith is a content and values writer at activist travel company, Responsible Travel.

Mainland Europe’s first total solar eclipse since 1999 is just 850 days away. Where will you be? As excitement dies down from the “Great American Eclipse,” eclipse chasers are turning their attention to Wednesday, August 12, 2026, when a 183-190-mile-wide moon shadow moves across remote Siberia, Greenland, Iceland and Spain.

The totality of an eclipse is never long enough. My first total solar eclipse experience in 2017 made for the shortest two minutes of my life: the sun transforming into a blazing diamond ring, the beautiful delirium of darkness, that perfect circle in the sky. Before I knew it, the eclipse was over—and my friends and I were plotting how we could catch our next.