It's been 30 years since two workers, one French, one English, dug through an undersea wall and met for the first time in what would become the Channel Tunnel, linking continental Europe with the U.K. via a land route.
While the idea to do the same between Africa and Europe isn't new, there is a new momentum that it could be done, linking both continents using a high-speed rail link, by 2030.
It's a spectacular proposition for both tourists and business. The U.K.'s Independent reports that the plan could link the high-speed rail network of Spain with the Moroccan 200mph Al Boraq rail route that opened in 2018. It's a journey that could take tourists from the Spanish capital, Madrid, south to Algeciras—crucially passing underneath the Strait of Gibraltar, a stretch of water measuring 17 miles—before passing through Tangier, Rabat and finally reaching Casablanca.
The idea first started in the 1970s, was seriously kicked around in the 1980s but then fell apart officially when the financial crisis hit. It was restarted by a $2.5 million feasibility study by the Spanish government in 2023, paid for by a share of European funding that explored EU economic recovery, post pandemic.
It's believed the line might cost about $6.5 billion but the actual issues involved in such an engineering feat could complicate things, and not just financially, because at its deepest point, the Gibraltar Strait is 2,950ft (900m) deep and there is regular seismic activity on the Azores–Gibraltar geologic fault.
If possible, it makes sense though for tourism though. Morocco is by far one of the most visited countries by Europeans to Africa, party due to its proximity to European shores, and tourism brings in 9% of Morocco's GDP. 2024 data by Statista shows that Morocco ranked in second place as the most visited African country for international arrivals in 2022 (behind Egypt, and ahead of Tunisia and South Africa) with 10.9 million arrivals.
It's also currently a great destination for anyone looking for value—Lonely Planet named Morocco on its 'Best In Travel' list for 2024 because of how it's found its place on the global surfing circuit, as well as naming its spectacular visitor attractions, such as Jebel Toubkal, North Africa's tallest mountain, situated in Morocco's High Atlas mountains and camel trekking across the Erg Chebbi dunes in the Merzouga Desert.
The Times names Morocco as one of the best value holiday destinations for 2024 listing Marrakesh as the cheapest all-inclusive destination outside Europe in 2023 and The Telegraph rates its excellent train network, advocating using beachside Agadir as a base to investigate the surrounding area for just $22 per day.
According to one report, up to 12.8 million passengers could
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It’s already shaping up to be a busy summer travel season in the United States. On the Friday before Memorial Day, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened 2.95 million airline passengers, the highest number ever recorded in a single day. And Airlines for America, a trade group representing major U.S. airlines, has estimated a 6.3 percent increase in fliers this summer over the last. While airports are certainly going to be more crowded, one carrier is trying to make the in-flight experience a little roomier for some lucky fliers.
Trek Travel, a leader in cycling tours for more than two decades, has announced that it will offer new Hiking and Walking Tours as of the fall of 2024. Long established as one of the best biking tour companies in the world and lauded for creating memorable cycling vacations, Trek Travel is a subsidiary of Trek Bicycle Corporation, which has been around since the mid-1970s.
Halifax is a harbor town. A narrow neck opens up to the protected waters of Bedford Basin, making it ideal as a naval and shipping port. Before Europeans arrived, this body of water was a sanctuary and home to Indigenous Mi’kmaq for millennia.
Located in a historic property in the heart of the Finnish capital, the new NH Collection Helsinki Grand Hansa offers a unique blend of rich heritage and modern hospitality.
Snälltåget has initiated a new long-distance daytime rail service between Copenhagen and Stockholm, operated as an Open Access service, independent of taxpayer funding.
When the subject of Türkiye's culinary richness comes to the fore, the variety of cheese (peynir) in the country is surprisingly not mentioned much. However, as an indispensable part of breakfast tables, a key ingredient of pastries such as börek and pide, and the surprise ingredient of some desserts, cheese is a prominent feature of the country's deep-rooted culinary wealth. In this article, you will learn about – and crave – some of the nearly 200 types of Turkish cheeses, region by region.
Icelandic budget carrier Play is observing Memorial Day with a special flash sale, which offers travelers the chance to book one-way flights to Europe for as low as $99. This promotion, which ends at 12:00 a.m. ET on May 27, covers travel dates from August through December 2024. It also extends to some of the Continent’s most sought-after destinations, including such as France, England, Iceland, Ireland, Germany, Greece and others.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, which secured access for everyone to some of our wildest and most beautiful places. There are now 15 national parks across the UK, covering a staggering variety of landscapes, from the heather-clad uplands of the Cairngorms in Scotland to the chalky grasslands of the South Downs, England’s newest national park. We’d love to hear about your favourite beauty spots and outdoor activities, whether it be paddling the tranquil waterways of the Norfolk Broads or birdwatching on the craggy Pembrokeshire coast.