Greece Charges Tourists ‘Climate Crisis Resilience’ Tax

On our second episode exploring Skift’s Megatrends for 2024, Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit is joined by Managing Editor Lex Harris, Airlines Editor and Reporter Gordon Smith, and Airline Weekly Senior Analyst Jay Shabat, to discuss our three most “problematic” Megatrends. They cover: the current uproar over Junk Fees, the continuing supply chain issues faced by the aviation sector, and the impacts of the burgeoning climate crisis on the business of travel. 

From the protection of its coral reefs, mangroves to the unmissable marine life (where they hope to gain 30% of biodiversity by 2040), it is also home to some of the most important environmental ecosystems.

Cuba is counting on winter-weary Russians to help boost the Caribbean island nation’s ailing tourism sector in 2024, according to the Cuban ambassador in Moscow, after a disappointing 2023 saw visitors numbers fall short of the government’s goals.

United Airlines is dreaming of moussaka and ouzo as the airline prepares to launch a new seasonal flight from Chicago to Athens this spring.

On Tuesday, in a ceremony that, of course, involved a soccer ball, the Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi pressed a button and a bottle of champagne smashed against the bow of Icon of the Seas, christening the world’s largest cruise ship at its home port of Miami. Like an A-list celebrity stepping onto the red carpet, the arrival of Royal Caribbean’s 250,800-ton ship has captured the world’s attention, with some marveling over its cutting-edge features, like the largest water park at sea, while others criticize the gigantic ship’s potential to damage the environment.

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My hometown — Victoria, British Columbia — is a popular tourist destination known for its whimsical architecture, beautiful gardens, and horse-drawn carriages.

Travelers appear to be slowly returning to some Middle East nations despite the continuation of the Israel-Hamas conflict that all but decimated the region’s tourism since it began on Oct. 7. Travel operators said that bookings to countries including Egypt, Jordan and Oman are growing, welcome news for an area that’s dependent on tourist dollars and one that had received a record number of visitors since the height of the pandemic.

By now, they were supposed to be well into the first leg of the three-year Life at Sea cruise, sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Punta Arenas in Chilean Patagonia.

Ask a traveler where they’ve visited in Greece, and chances are good they’ll point to Santorini. The photogenic island has fueled social media feeds for years with its whitewashed buildings, black sand beaches, and luxe accommodations.

The US embassy in Bogotá has issued a security alert warning of the risks of using online dating sites in Colombia after eight Americans died under suspicious circumstances in the city of Medellín between November 1 and December 31, 2023.

During a 25-day trip to Italy, my husband and I spent six nights in Rome.