It’s a common dilemma most travelers face when booking a dream vacation: how many days are you going stay in one place? It's a choice that can be the difference of having perfectly enjoyed the time in a city, and being somewhere just a little too long. This week, the dilemma spilled over into an online discourse on Reddit where hundreds of travelers weighed in on which cities require the most amount of days to visit, and which can be skipped over. One of the top cities that travelers felt needed extra time is Tokyo. The city has a population of 14 million across 847 sq. miles, while for comparison, New York City is only 468 sq miles. “Definitely Tokyo, if we're counting the Tokyo Metropolis. Just the city proper requires 10-14 days to explore its variety and sprawl,” one traveler wrote in support of the Japanese city in the tread.
Vietnam Was Most Googled Tourist Destination for Indians
19.12.2023 - 12:12 / skift.com / Air India
Vietnam was the most-searched destination for Indians in 2023, according to the Google trends. There was a revival of global exploration after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The resurgence is evident in the latest report, unveiling the most Googled tourist destinations of the year. Here are some of the top searches:
Having announced visa-free entry for Indians, it’s interesting to note that Sri Lanka and Thailand feature in the top 5 searched destinations. Vietnam is also likely to be the next destination to offer visa-free entry to Indians. In the first 10 months of this year, Vietnam had almost 10 million visitors.
Skift’s earlier articles have explored how Indian travelers are now opting for destinations that don’t require them to navigate the maze of visa applications.
Minister forCivil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, announced the implementation of a systematic approach to address congestion challenges at various airports.
Identifying and Resolving Congestion Issues: Congestion problems were noted at major airports during the festive season and winter 2022, resulting in prolonged waiting times for passenger processing at various touchpoints. Scindia personally inspected arrangements at Delhi Airport in December 2022, alongside senior officials of the ministry of civil aviation, directing necessary infrastructure enhancements.
Simultaneously, major airport operators in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Chennai received instructions to identify and address bottlenecks in passenger processing, ensuring increased capacities to meet growing demands and prevent congestion during upcoming festive seasons and peak times.
Expansion of Efforts in September 2023: In September 2023, an additional 10 airports were identified, and operators were sensitized to proactively augment capacities as needed to avoid future congestion. The causes of congestion were identified, leading to the formulation and implementation of a mitigating action plan which included demolition of waiting lounges, retail outlets, and office spaces at airports like Delhi and Mumbai to create more space for passenger infrastructure facilities, among other things.
The U.S.-based Around.Us mobile application got 20% of app’s daily users from smaller Indian cities like Patna, Lucknow and Indore. The company said in a release that it is looking to reshape travel exploration through an interactive map, highlighting the top 10 points of interest globally.
India has emerged as a biggest user base, contributing to almost 150,000 out of the ever-growing 750,000 million downloads.
Community-Driven Curation The curation process for the Around.Us application involves a proprietary algorithm, and in the future, the application
India Registers 22% Jump in Licenses For Women Pilots: India Report
The Indian aviation watchdog, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said Monday that it issued a decade-high of 1,622 commercial pilot licenses in 2023, up from 1,165 licenses in 2022.
From Arctic art to the Disgusting Food Museum: Europe’s top 10 culture destinations for 2024
Germany is celebrating the 250th birthday of one of its best-loved painters, the Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840). His work features mountains, ruins and stormy seas, often with human figures, such as Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog. There are exhibitions in Hamburg (until 1 April), Berlin (19 April to 4 August) and Dresden (24 August to 5 January 2025), where Friedrich lived for 40 years; he is buried in the city’s Trinitatis Cemetery. His birthplace, Greifswald, has a festival (31 August-1 September) and three exhibitions at the Pomeranian State Museum (from 28 April). Visitors can also follow in the artist’s footsteps – literally, as he preferred to travel on foot, sketchbook in hand – to locations in his paintings, such as Rügen Island or the Saxon Switzerland national park.germany.travel
Air France unveils new destinations for summer 2024
New non-stop flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Verona (Italy), Narvik-Lofoten Islands (Norway) and Kalamata (Greece). Resumption of service to Minneapolis (Minnesota, USA). Extension through summer of service to Raleigh-Durham (North Carolina, USA), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Tromsø (Norway).
The Smart Destination Platform, European funds and AI, at the heart of the 12th edition of FITUR Know-How & Export
More than 40 exhibiting companies with technological solutions for the transformation of tourist destinations.
24 of the world’s most incredible train journeys
From cutting through the countryside to connecting a country’s great cities, the world’s best railway journeys offer entirely new perspectives on a destination.
6 Undiscovered European Travel Destinations For 2024
While the allure of popular tourist cities like London, Barcelona or Paris is undeniable, if you're seeking a destination less frequented by the masses, a more off-the-beaten-path adventure could be just what you're looking for. Here are six suggestions of lesser-known holiday spots.
These Are The Top Destinations For Luxury Travelers In 2024
There’s plenty of evidence that 2024 will be a watershed year for luxury travel.
10 Most Popular Solo Travel Destinations For 2024, According To New Report
Taking your first solo trip is a rite of passage for a traveler. It gives you a chance to step outside of your comfort zone, deepen your sense of empowerment and independence, and spend your time exactly how you want.
Mexico's Top Trending Destinations for 2024
It’s no surprise that Mexico continues to be one of the top-selling international destinations for U.S. travelers. It’s one of the top 10 most-visited countries in the world, according to the World Tourism Organization, and the U.S. accounts for a majority of its international arrivals.
New Study Finds New Orleans The Most Expensive City To Spend New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve can be an expensive affair if you plan on traveling—even, as it turns out, if you plan on doing a staycation stateside. In a recent study conducted by TravelMag.com, New Orleans was found to be the priciest city in the world to book a hotel room on New Year’s Eve.
Marriott Bonvoy offers properties for every type of family traveler — here are 3 to try
Sometimes traveling with your family or young children in tow requires a different set of needs from your hotel. For example, if staying on budget is important, you may value free parking more than room service. And on the other hand, if you're looking to splurge on spa or babysitting services, you'll find yourself looking for accommodations with those amenities instead.