News travel tips

When we said Skift is committed to our coverage of short-term rentals, we meant it. Ahead of the sold-out Short-Term Rental Summit in New York City, we’re launching the Skift Short-Term Rental Report, a premium newsletter that will hit your inbox three times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) starting June 13.

How closely did you pay attention to the news this week? Test your knowledge of what Skift’s editors and reporters wrote about the travel industry this week, below.

How closely have you been following the news this week? Put your knowledge of the travel industry to the test with highlights from Skift’s editors and reporters’ coverage. Check it out below.

Test your knowledge of the travel industry with highlights from Skift’s editors and reporters’ coverage this week. How closely have you been following the news?

Hotel stays in Abu Dhabi are now set to get cheaper as the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi (DCT — Abu Dhabi) announced the reduction of government fees imposed on hotels within the emirate.

For nearly a century, the Monte-Carlo Beach hotel has been welcoming well-heeled guests—including Grace Kelly, Leonardo DiCaprio and Rihanna—to the French Riviera. After two years of renovation, the hotel reopened last year with a chic, minimalist redesign by architect India Mahdavi that pays homage to the 1930s. The reborn Monte-Carlo Beach features three restaurants, a PAOMA spa, and a new emphasis on sustainability.

An Austrian climber who filmed the mountaineer Kristin Harila and her team as they appeared to step over a dying man during their pursuit of a world record said the Norwegian climber missed the opportunity to be a hero.

An Israeli journalist said she was yelled at by a United Airlines crew member who blamed her for flight delays after she refused to move seats on her plane.

On Monday 14 August, when the tide is right, an antique sailing ship will manoeuvre through the lock of Plymouth’s historic Sutton harbour and point herself south-west towards the Canary Islands. It will be the start of a two-year voyage around the world taking in 32 ports and involving thousands of people in a groundbreaking geographical project, Darwin200, which aims, among other things, to inspire the environmental leaders and scientists of the future.

Among the many wonderful things about Greece is that everyone has a favorite island—and everyone is right. For veteran Forbes travel contributor Jim Dobson, that magical isle is Sifnos. Reachable by ferry from Athens in a little over two hours, Sifnos has beautiful beaches, numerous hiking trails along the Aegean Sea and a remarkable 237 churches. Here’s where to eat, stay and play on Sifnos.

A French man known for taking part in extreme sports has died from what appears to be a fall from a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong, local police confirmed to Insider.

Royal Caribbean already operates the world’s largest cruise ship—Wonder of the Seas—but next January it will break that record with Icon of the Seas, which boasts 2,805 staterooms (including more than 1,800 with balconies) and 179 suites. Nearly 1,200 feet long, Icon of the Seas has 20 decks and features a 55-foot-waterfall, multiple pools and waterparks and a “chill island” and a “thrill island”—depending on a passenger’s vibe.

Until yesterday, American Airlines customers dismayed at the airline’s August 1 pivot to a spend-based mileage program had a fallback option: Earn miles for their American flights in Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan program, which still awards miles the old-fashioned way, according to the distance flown.

On Friday evening—traditional timing for bad-news announcements that companies hope will go unnoticed by the public and unreported by the media—American published the new mileage-earning rates, effective from August 1, for travel on AAdvantage partner airlines.

Warren Buffet is famous for being one of the world’s savviest investors, earning billions for himself, and plenty for his stockholders as well. As chief of the Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, he’s been accorded the honorary title of the Oracle of Omaha.

When it comes to commercial air transportation, consumers have two bottom lines. First, it must be cheap. And second, it must be safe.

Dreaming of being on a dreamy European beach—or already on one and wondering if you can do even better? Then look to the Iberian Peninsula. European Best Destinations recently announced its ranking of the top 15 beaches in Europe, as voted on by thousands of travelers from 83 countries. This year’s No. 1 is Torrente de Pareis in Mallorca, Spain. Rounding out the top three are Bordeira Beach in Alzejur, Portugal and Amio Beach in Cantabria, Spain.

Repeated heatwaves and growing fears about the climate crisis may spell the beginning of the end for the Mediterranean as a holiday destination, according to a report published by the European Travel Commission.

The setting is instantly familiar. There’s a small donkey who likes to mingle with the locals, a low-raftered pub and a wild Achill Island coastal setting visible through a small sash window. However, the real-life version of JJ Devine’s pub from The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh’s surprise Hollywood success from 2022, differs from its onscreen portrayal in a number of ways.

Rough Guides author Steve Vickers takes a look at the latest travel news and weirdness, including a new, Ferrari-branded theme park and the rise of virtual tourism.