North Korea Prepares For First Foreign Tourists Since Pandemic — Here’s What They’ll Do

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.

For many travelers, airports are places to pass through as swiftly as possible, not places to savor. The incessant drone of announcements, the frustration of being shut out of increasingly exclusive lounges, the overpriced food, the serpentine lines and the fruitless search for an electrical outlet, all can make for a hellish experience.

Many travelers have experienced the warming pleasures of a steamy soak at a Japanese onsen (hot spring) or a heated Turkish hammam. But they may not have jumped into the world of contrast bathing—the practice of alternating between intense heat (hot tubs, saunas) and intense cold (polar bear-style plunges or ice baths).

Qantas debuted its new air safety video on Wednesday, and it hasn’t gone down well. The Australian flag carrier proudly posted a 10-minute version on social media that instantly sparked criticism. Aside from its length, comments have centered around distracting visuals and vague safety instructions. 

This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with The Points Guy.

Dinner begins at Gori, the tasting menu chef’s counter that opened this month above Anto, a high end Korean steakhouse in New York’s Midtown East, with the presentation of ingredients in a lavish Cartier chest. How to take this: a bit showy, too quintessential East Side? But once the ten courses start to appear, the luxe introduction makes sense. Chef Jeong Muk Kim, formerly of Myomi in Seoul, the youngest chef to earn a Michelin star in Korea, joined this nearly year old restaurant in November and uses strictly elite ingredients such as the caviar, uni and Wagyu in the chest. Even more important: the creations he produces from them for the ten seat counter have flavors so fully developed and enticing that they immediately set up anticipation for the next course.

From air traffic control strikes to extreme weather, last year saw millions of passengers face flight delays across Europe.

Air India is starting the new year with a bold statement of intent. On Thursday, the carrier showcased its new flagship aircraft, as part of a bigger plan to present a re-energized Air India to the world.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, January 18. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

An upcoming Russian tourist trip to North Korea is the first such inbound visit by vacationers there in four years. When people think of that country under the strict dictatorship of Kim Jong Un, they don’t think of tourism. So many will have questions about what kind of travel is possible.

The selfie craze is now more lethal than shark attacks. A study published in the Journal of Travel Medicine in 2022 uncovered 379 selfie-related deaths over the previous 13 years. 

Among the last countries to resume tourism activities post-pandemic, North Korea is set to welcome its first international tourists in February, marking the end of its border closure since January 22, 2020. And tourists, especially in Russia, are taking note.