Trade tips

In the 16th century, Antwerp, Belgium, with its busy docks along the river Scheldt, was a booming center of trade and one of Europe’s most influential cities, attracting artists, intellectuals and entrepreneurs. In 1576, Christophe Plantin ran a prestigious printing business (one of the continent’s largest) in the center of the city, a half-mile from where, a few decades later, the painter Peter Paul Rubens would build his own studio and semicircular sculpture hall, modeled after the Pantheon. Over the years, while other long-established port cities like Venice and Barcelona evolved into throbbing tourist centers, Belgium’s second city largely kept far away from the spotlight, yet it’s always quietly maintained a reputation as a place for innovation and creative expression. In the 1980s, it became an important fashion hub with the emergence of the Antwerp Six: a group of young designers, including Ann Demeulemeester, who had been educated at the city’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

Whitening. Herbal. Charcoal. Color changing? I'm in the toothpaste aisle at Target, dumbfounded by a selection that runs several shelves long and as many high. After more than 20 years in Cuba, where Close-Up and La Perla were the only choices for most of that time, I'm overwhelmed by the number of options. If Target triggers paralysis, I shudder to think what terror Costco might elicit.

Myth distorts any city’s musical history, and in Manchester myth looms as large as the new Co-op Live, a £365m, 23,500-capacity mega-venue that opens today and will soon be staging big-name acts, including Take That. So, for every occasion a music fan mentions the hit-making boy band or, for that matter, 10cc or the Hollies, a thousand more bark back: Joy Division, the Fall, Happy Mondays. Not that 10cc were a small Manc band, but they peaked before punk and a wall went up at the end of the 1970s that relegated all that had passed prior to 4 June 1976 – the night the Sex Pistols performed at the Lesser Free Trade Hall – to prehistory, as in dinosaurs, fossils, folk musicians. New hagiographies about music impresario Tony Wilson (1950-2007) are no doubt at the printers as I write. But how about we spend half an hour mooching round the Rainy City aboard the free buses and trams in search of the underplayed, surprising and tangential – with a few Gen X/6 Music standards for when we’re stuck at the lights.

The creations of Arizona-born Orlando Dugi, a member of the Diné Nation, are nothing if not dramatic: gowns glittering with delicate beadwork, silks embroidered with symbolic flora and fauna. Some have been exhibited at places like the Denver Art Museum and the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles. While his imagination is fueled by his upbringing—days spent watching his grandmother sew and nights stargazing at his family's sheep ranch—Dugi also finds inspiration in Santa Fe, which he's called home since 2010. “All the tribal, colonial, and Spanish history—it's all here,” he says. “It's very small, but it's also pretty international.” New Mexico's capital city is set to draw a global audience as host of the inaugural Santa Fe Native Fashion Week, the first of its kind in the country, held from May 2 to 5, where Dugi will present highlights from his mens- and womenswear collections. When he's not designing, he enjoys connecting with Indigenous culture on the ancestral lands of the Tewa people—or kicking back with a margarita.

Starting now, interested companies, regions and destinations can secure their stand online at ITB Berlin 2025 and begin preparing even earlier to attend the World’s Largest Travel Trade Show. From 4 to 6 March 2025 the global tourism industry and actors from the entire value chain will be coming together on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.

WHY IT RATES: Individuals interested in attending the marquee event will have to join the waitlist now.—Patrick Clarke, TravelPulse Senior Editor

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) has once again been crowned the busiest airport in the world, serving a whopping 104.6 million travelers in 2023. The Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports, published its annual rankings on Monday. Most notably, Atlanta’s international airport saw an 11.7% increase in traffic from the previous year when it also ranked as the busiest airport in the world.   The demand for domestic flights remained robust, with ACI’s report indicating a recovery of 96.8% of the 2019 passenger traffic level. However, the most encouraging trend was the resurgence of international air travel, which experienced a robust 36.5% growth and welcomed 90.4% of passengers from pre-pandemic numbers in 2019. 

Several hundred years ago, German-speaking traders would arrive in Bergen with boatloads of grain, cloth, and other vital commodities. They would stay for a few days in the wooden warehouses that line the harbor, before stocking their boats with dried fish from Lofoten and heading back to Europe.

Just steps from modern Scandinavian waterfront apartments and some of Copenhagen’s most important historic and cultural landmarks lies the enigmatic neighborhood of Christiania.

This guide equips you with the knowledge and strategies to help cancel your timeshare successfully.

AMSTERDAM -- The ASTA River Cruise Expo returned to Europe for its third year, featuring more ships, more travel advisors and an even larger venue.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning spring breakers about vacation scams ahead of the hugely popular travel season.

This week in Düsseldorf, Germany, ProWein celebrates its thirtieth year of leading trade show programming for the wine and spirits industry. It’s a massive undertaking in the “mini city” of the Messe Düsseldorf fairgrounds, with some 50,000 trade visitors and 5700 exhibitors from 60 countries.

American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) president and CEO Chip Rogers has stepped down. Kevin Carey, the trade group's senior executive vice president and COO, has replaced Rogers on an interim basis.

Under this partnership, BLS International will play a pivotal role in managing Hungary’s visa processing operations, optimizing efficiency, and enhancing the overall experience for applicants.

Adventure Europe will take place 25th September 2024 online.

Qatar Airways is the world’s first airline to develop a virtual cabin crew MetaHuman

Marriott International's Bonvoy rewards program is tapping into the Taylor Swift frenzy, granting Bonvoy members the chance to experience Swift's Eras Tour through either a sweepstakes or the Marriott Bonvoy Moments platform, where members can trade in hotel-stay points for experiences, concerts and sporting events.

First established as an East India Company trading post, Calcutta served as India’s capital under the British Raj between 1772 and 1911. It was officially renamed Kolkata in 2001 to reflect Bengali pronunciation and has become a center for culture and the arts with 13 major festivals occurring every year.

SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., the parent company of theme park brands SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, is changing its name to United Parks & Resorts Inc.

Looking for remote work that will allow you travel the world or just work from home? You’ve come to the right place.