Europe tips

United States citizens will soon get a taste of what it feels like for international travelers arriving in our country. Nations making up the European Union have been revamping how travelers outside of Europe pass through its borders.

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Wellness travel is hotter than ever, and the Nordics are a fantastic region in which to explore travel while also giving back to your personal well-being and recharging. Here are some specifics to explore.

Universal Studios is looking to England for its next theme park. The attractions operator has bought land in Bedford, 45 minutes outside of London, and may build its next big project there.  

One question after a volcano erupted in Iceland Monday night was: Will it impact air travel?

WHY IT RATES: As the world collectively strives for a more environmentally conscious future, The Nordics presents a compelling tapestry of new and enhanced experiences across the region to propel this effort. —Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Managing Editor

Standing astride a bike on a sunny morning in Austria, I waved goodbye to the AmaSonata, the river cruise ship I’d been on for the last few days, as it continued sailing west on the Danube River.

Civitatis, an online travel agency specializing in tours and attractions, said it had found whitespace to compete against bigger players like Viator and GetYourGuide by targeting speakers of Spanish, the most widely spoken first language after Mandarin.

Global market research company Euromonitor International has released its annual rankings of city destinations based on tourism, sustainability and economic performance. Europe dominates the field. Paris was crowned the most attractive city destination in the world in the Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023, with seven European destinations landing in the top 10 and the continent owning 63 spots in the top 100 overall. Nadejda Popova, Senior Manager (Loyalty) at Euromonitor International, said: “Paris has retained the title of the world's leading city following exceptional performance across the Tourism Policy and Attractiveness, Tourism Infrastructure and Tourism Performance pillars.” Paris was followed by Dubai in second place, Madrid in third, Tokyo in fourth and Amsterdam in fifth. The top 10 was rounded out by Berlin (6), Rome (7), New York (8), Barcleona (9) and London (10).  

Booking Holdings Chief Financial Officer David Goulden said this week that the flagship Booking.com brand launched its short-term rental business as a supplement to hotels “15-plus years” ago, which is roughly around the time Airbnb got going in San Francisco.

TUI, Europe’s largest tour package holiday operator, said Wednesday it saw strength in all its core business segments: hotels, cruises and experiences. And it’s benefiting from last years’ shift to consolidation of its products onto one global platform.

The Middle East exceeded its pre-pandemic international tourist arrival numbers by over 20% through September this year, according to the UN World Tourism Organization’s latest data. That’s before the Israel-Hamas conflict started in early October.

The European Commission has proposed revisions that would bolster traveler rights and protections.

Amsterdam’s “Stay Away“ campaign hasn’t discouraged reckless tourists, according to a letter on Tuesday from the Mayor to the city council.

In a strategic move to jumpstart its tourism sector, China has declared temporary exemption from visa requirements for citizens from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia.

The Skift Travel Health Index: October 2023 Highlights report shows a slowing trend in global travel momentum as the index dipped 2 percentage points and stands at 103.

For every world-famous European museum like the Louvre or Prado, there’s one that flies under the radar. The following collection is made up of both quirky & unusual museums and those that are home to world-class collections but just aren’t as well known as they should be. 

The company Outsite plans to purchase roughly 150 boutique hotels in Europe over the next five years to expand its cohousing community for digital nomads. 

In Part I of our series on Google Travel, we analyzed the hotel distribution landscape in the U.S. by web-scraping over 5,000 hotels and their respective distribution offerings across Google’s sponsored and organic auctions.

Despite conventional wisdom, Europe is still a dream come true come wintertime. From the merriment of myriad Christmas markets to joyous carnival celebrations, the continent shines bright during the season of darkness. But nothing dazzles quite like the Northern Lights. At their best during the winter months, the Northern Lights are a thrill to those lucky enough to gaze upon them and happen to be entering a period of increased activity. While finding them is always an inexact science due to the famously fickle nature of the lights, many locations across the northern tier of the continent offer travelers increased odds all winter long. And since seeing Europe by rail is always a thrill and you can reach almost any corner of the continent on a train, why not combine the two things for a winter trip you will remember forever? Think days spent gazing out the window at winter wonderlands and nights chasing the magical lights outdoors and having fun staying cozy indoors. You will probably want to bookend your adventure with a stop in a city like Stockholm, Oslo, Gothenburg, Bergen, Helsinki, or even London or Edinburgh to make it a well-rounded rail adventure.

When your clients embark on a river cruise with award-winning AmaWaterways, they will unpack once and explore a world of unparalleled experiences while cruising through Europe, Asia, Africa or South America. The picturesque summer months offer unique opportunities with this river cruise line along legendary rivers. Here are just a few reasons you should encourage your clients to embark on an AmaWaterways river cruise this summer!