‘We must avoid tourists becoming public enemies’: Ban on new hotels as overtourism threatens Bali

Are your ready for it? Since its kickoff in March 2023, tens of millions of fans have clamored to attend one of the 152 shows making up Taylor Swift's Eras Tour — which has become highest-grossing tour in history.  And for good reason: this three-hour concert by the most prolific and talented songwriter of our generation will rock your world. (Is my bias showing?)

If you’re chronically online or often traveling like me, you may have seen one of the robots that are now staffing airports and restaurants, carrying your suitcases, and delivering your food. With the surge in AI, from Google’s AI overview to Chat GPT, artificial intelligence is the new frontier, and who knows where it might lead to next. For me, it led me to an Aescape AI robot massage at the glam Lotte New York Palace in Midtown East—yes, the very same property that served as a backdrop for some particularly iconic Gossip Girl moments. I’m no stranger to massages, and personally adore the experience of sinking into a calming, almost meditative state while a professional therapist works their magic and turns my body from a human stress ball into a melted pile of putty. So, when I was given the chance to try out a personalized, fully automatic treatment by a massage robot, I had to take it, if only to see if it could live up to the experience of the one-on-one human contact of a professional.

Millionaires, they're just like us.

Oct 3, 2024 • 7 min read

For a U.S. state with just over 4.5 million people, Louisiana punches above its weight when it comes to tourism. In 2023, the state brought in 43 million visitors. 

Travel advisor consortium Ensemble has announced the launch of its first-of-a-kind Hotel Cruise Amenity Program offering exclusive hotel benefits and private port transfers for cruise clients.

Delta Air Lines is picking up the slack that American Airlines left in Austin.

Will Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Gate be finished on schedule by 2030? Does it have the right mix of luxury and affordable hotels? Will tourists come year-round? 

I love visiting kitschy or unique tourist landmarks on a road trip or weekend getaway. In fact, after visiting all 50 states solo, I've enjoyed my short visits to nearly all the major tourist attractions in the United States.

I am not the likeliest serial traveler to Central America. I don’t speak Spanish, or surf, or have any kind of Latin dance skills. But in recent years, I’ve been drawn to the region repeatedly, making visits to Nicaragua, Guatemala, and, this past June, to El Salvador. After the country made this year’s “52 Places to Go” list from the New York Times, I felt the familiar, early tug of intrigue that so often sends me into trip-planning mode.

Sep 22, 2024 • 4 min read

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Eliot Davenport, a 32-year-old SEO manager and business owner from Melbourne, Australia. It's been edited for length and clarity.