Search

World’s coolest neighbourhoods ranked

Travelling to a new destination gives us plenty to explore - from the tourist hotspots to the hidden gems found off the beaten track - and it’s these latter spots that have been ranked, with Time Out releasing its <a href="https://www.timeout.com/travel/coolest-neighbourhoods-in-the-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">51 Coolest Neighbourhoods in the World</a> for 2022. The fifth annual listing, created after surveying 20,000 city-dwellers and relying on expert input, is made up of “incredible places to be right now”, according to Time Out editors. While we might not have cracked the top ten, there was still plenty of representation from Australia and New Zealand. Fitzroy, Melbourne, took out the highest spot in 27th place, earning the “distinction of the second coolest street in the world” thanks to the retail stores, galleries, pubs, bars and cafes lining Gertrude Street. Sydney’s Marrickville came in close behind at No. 33, garnering praise for its “healthy dose of creative colour”. Kingsland, Auckland, came in 43rd, followed by Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, which scraped in at No. 47. The top of the list featured spots in Portugal, Cambodia, the US, Japan and Canada, with Colonia Americana, in the western Mexico city of Guadalajara, being crowned the coolest of them all. Time Out travel editor James Manning said Guandalajara is an emerging “must-visit” spot, with Colonia Americana being “the place to be right now”. “It's home to a boundary-pushing creative community, a growing number of amazing places to eat, and some of the best nightlife in the western hemisphere. And the street life is unbeatable,” he said in a statement. Following in second place is Lisbon’s riverside Cais do Sodré, a long-time hub for nightlife that is becoming a foodie hotspot. Third place was claimed by Wat Bo Village in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Following a “serious glow-up” in the surrounding area over the past year, highlights include boutique hotels and the restaurant Tevy’s Place, which slings organic meals and works to empower local women. The first US entry, New York City’s suburb of Ridgewood, took fourth place, followed by Mile End in Montreal, Canada, at No. 5. Dave Calhoun, Time Out’s chief content officer for North America and the UK, said the goal of the annual list was to spotlight areas that aren’t “homogenised, corporate destinations” and have “an independent and welcoming vibe” instead. "You may be able to walk across them in half an hour or less but they are packed with enough experiences to spend days exploring," he said. The top ten list of Time Out’s coolest suburbs in the world are: 1. Colonia Americana - Guadalajara, Mexico 2. Cais do Sodré - Lisbon, Portugal 3. Wat Bo Village - Siem Reap, Cambodia 4. Ridgewood - New York City, USA 5. Mile End - Montreal, Canada 6. Barrio Logan - San Diego, USA 7. Shimokitazawa - Tokyo, Japan 8. Cliftonville - Margate, UK 9. Barrio Yungay - Santiago, Chile 10. Cours Julien - Marseille, France Image: Instagram

Travel

The haunting images of emptied tourist sites amid coronavirus

As more countries established restrictive measures to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, renowned tourist attractions and historical sites across the world have been deserted. The world’s largest art museum, The Louvre closed its doors on March 15. New York City’s Times Square has now become mostly devoid of people as Broadway shows were suspended and entertainment venues, movie theaters and gyms were closed. The Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy was closed on March 10 as the government banned public gatherings across the country. South Korea’s Gyeongbokgung Palace, which normally welcomes thousands of people each day, have seen a large drop in visitors amid the global health crisis. Stockholm Royal Palace, the official residence of the King of Sweden, announced its indefinite closure starting March 21. Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre has asked visitors to maintain a distance of at least two metres from each other as the number of confirmed cases in the country continues to climb. Pariser Platz at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany stood quiet with only a few passersby coming through as the government introduced a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51999080">ban on public gatherings of more than two people</a>.

Travel

Amsterdam considers banning tourists from purchasing cannabis

Amsterdam is looking into banning tourists from cannabis cafes in a bid to combat over-tourism. A survey of visitors commissioned by Mayor Femke Halsema revealed that more than half visited the 850,000-strong city because they wanted to experience a cannabis-vending coffee shop. Most of the respondents (57 per cent) said the Dutch capital’s coffee shops influenced their decision to come, and 11 per cent said they <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/amsterdam-cannabis-tourist-ban">would not return</a> if they could not access the cafes. About 29 per cent said they would seek out other ways to obtain their drug fix, such as getting a resident to make a purchase on their behalf or through street trading. In a letter released in July 2019, ahead of the survey, Halsema suggested that the coffee shops can put “the quality of life in the city center under pressure”. Following the publication of the survey results, Halsema said the city government should work on “<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/amsterdam-tourist-cannabis-usage/index.html">reducing the attraction of cannabis to tourists</a>” and making the Amsterdam cannabis market more transparent. Earlier this month, the city announced that group tours of the main Wallen red-light district and other areas containing sex workers’ windows would be <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/amsterdam-red-light-district-tours-ban">formally outlawed from April 1</a>. Deputy mayor Victor Everhardt said the tours were “disrespectful to see sex workers as a tourist attraction”.

Travel

Popular tourist destination to be closed in 2020

Faroe Islands are a beautiful and popular string of islands that are home to a colony of puffins. However, the islands are going to be closed for a portion of 2020 so that the ecosystem can be preserved from the droves of tourists that descend on the shores of the islands. Faroe Islands are located between Iceland and Norway, but if you’re still itching to see the puffin colony that calls the islands home, you can still go to the islands. You just have to volunteer your time to step foot on the islands. 14 tourist sites will be closed for a portion of 2020, but volunteers that help rejuvenate the island are able to stay on the island for free during the maintenance period, which is during the weekend of April 16 – 17 2020. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B37xx4cHMp3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B37xx4cHMp3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Faroe Islands (@faroeislands)</a> on Oct 22, 2019 at 1:33pm PDT </div> </blockquote> Guðrið Højgaard, Director at Visit Faroe Islands, said successful applicants will need to apply quickly as the 2019 program saw thousands reach out to offer their assistance. "For us, tourism is not all about numbers," Højgaard told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel">CNN Travel</a> earlier this year. "We welcome visitors to the islands each year, but we also have a responsibility to our community and to our beautiful environment, and our aim is to preserve and protect the islands, ensuring sustainable and responsible growth." The first batch of volunteers included travellers from Mexico, Australia, China and the United States. The Faroe Islands’ capital of Tórshavn has a population of about 13,000 and visits to the islands have increased by 10 per cent over the last few years.

Travel

Inside the popular island paradise that hides a deadly secret

Sitting among the quiet island of Stromboli, Italy, is a ticking time bomb that has also made the island home. The 300-full time residents are used to the rumbles that frequently disturb the island that’s surrounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea. The rumbles are due to a deadly volcanic mountain that rises 924 metres above sea level and extends more than 1,000 metres below. Earlier this year, the volcano erupted twice, separated by 30 seconds. Residents and tourists were quickly evacuated from the island as lava spat from the active mouths of the mountain. “It was like being in hell because of the rain of fire coming from the sky,” Stromboli priest Giovanni Longo told local media. The explosion killed one hiker and covered the island in ash. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3VDSRiCEmY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3VDSRiCEmY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Italy, together with Iceland, presents the highest concentration of active volcanoes in Europe and is one of the first in the world #volcano #volcanoes #italy #etna #vesuvio #stromboli #vulcano #naples #napoli #catania #pompei #eruption #risk #risks #alerts #eruption #lava #lapilli #island</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/i_love_made_in_italy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> I love made in Italy</a> (@i_love_made_in_italy) on Oct 7, 2019 at 12:35pm PDT </div> </blockquote> After the small town recovered, there was a “high intensity” blast just two months later. No one was injured, but footage emerged of residents fleeing the island in a panic. Experts believe that the volcano on the island has been in nearly continuous eruption for at least 2,000 years, but it’s the unknown that keeps residents and tourists on edge. More and more tourists are heading to the island to witness the powerful experience of a volcanic eruption. “Volcanoes are one of the forces of nature that truly are beyond human power to control: We can’t do anything about eruptions, other than get out of the way,” Amy Donovan, a geographer at the University of Cambridge, wrote for a paper published in December with the Royal Geographical Society.

Travel

Iconic tourist destination slugging visitors with a “tourist tax”

The popular tourist destination of Venice has announced that they are going to start charging day-trippers a new tax from July 1st, 2020. The day-trip tax for tourists was announced about a year ago, but the implementation of the tax has been delayed as authorities argued about how it would be enforced. However, city officials have announced that while they’ll confirm the exact fee closer to the date, they will be charging between 3 and 10 euros ($AUD 4.90 to $16.30) a day for day-trip visitors. Overnight tourists or visitors will be exempt as they already pay tax as a part of their accommodation fees. There are also exemptions to be expected for those visiting Venice to work, study or visit family. As Venice is a canal city that’s been popular amongst tourists, the floating city is struggling under the weight of overtourism. With more than 20 million people visiting the destination each year, this is a far cry of their estimated permanent population of 260,000. Locals have even begun to protest the amount of tourists who come and visit Venice. A Venice local named Tommaso, who attended a <a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/ships-out-of-the-lagoon-locals-march-against-cruise-ships-in-venice/news-story/5d646acacc7f5110c95da8fa069e3f2d">protest at St Mark’s Square in June</a>, said Venice’s lagoon has “never been so full”, leaving the city and locals at the “mercy of mass tourism”.

Travel

Famous Czech ossuary to clamp down on tourist photographs

The Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic’s medieval city of Kutna Hora has become the latest tourist attraction to clamp down on photography, with new rules to be enforced starting next year. The chapel, also known as the “Church of Bones”, features bones from nearly 60,000 skeletons as decoration. Some of the most popular include a chandelier made from every bone in the human skeleton. According to the parish director Radka Krejčí, many tourists have removed bones from the walls, kissed skeletons, put hats or sunglasses on skulls for photos or committed other disrespectful acts despite signs in many languages asking guests to be polite and mindful. Under the new rules, visitors will have to request permission to take photos at the parish for at least three days prior to their visit. “We believe that our visitors will respect this decision and at the same time understand the reasons that led us to this step,” Krejčí told news agency <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/photos-famous-czech-site-permission-in-advance">CTK</a>. Krejčí said in 2017 about half a million guests visited the chapel, a number that is expected to keep rising. The nearby Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, both managed by the Sedlec parish, will also be subject to the three-day rule. Some popular sites around the world, such as Mexico’s <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/sedlec-ossuary-selfie-ban-intl-hk/index.html">Casa Azul</a> and <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/famous-mexican-archaeological-site-to-charge-selfie-taking-tourists">Tulum National Park</a>, charge a fee for visitors looking to take a snapshot.

Travel

Local authorities beg tourists not to use Google Maps to find “hidden beaches”

A spike in lost visitors has prompted the local authorities in Sardinia, Italy to warn tourists about using Google Maps to find hidden beaches. The island is famed for its white sand coves and stretches of sand. Local authorities have recently reported a spike in lost tourists who have tried to find the island’s “hidden beaches” but ended up on dangerous cliff edges instead. Emergency services and the fire brigade are regularly called out to rescue tourists who find themselves stuck on dirt tracks. A family who were travelling in a Porsche were forced to abandon the vehicle after nearly falling off a cliff. 144 vehicles have been rescued in two year and authorities are now putting up signs that advise visitors not to use Google Maps on the island. Baunei Mayor Salvatore Corrias told <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/sardinia-google-maps-tourists-lost-baunei/index.html">CNN</a> that the signs are in both English and Italian, warning of the road tracks. He said Google Maps were "misleading" drivers and often took cars on "unpassable tracks". A Google Maps spokesperson told <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/10147431/tourists-google-maps-sardinia-beaches/">Sun Online Travel</a>: "We're aware of an issue in Sardinia where Google Maps is routing some drivers down roads that can be difficult to navigate due to their terrain. "We're currently working with the local government to resolve the issue and are investigating ways we can better alert drivers about these types of roads."

Travel

Hilarious “missing” tourist search goes viral

A tourist has taken the term “self-discovery” to a whole new meaning in a news story that has gone viral on social media sites. In the snippet of the newspaper article, a woman was reported to be missing at Iceland’s Eldgjá canyon in 2012 after she failed to return to her tour bus from her walk. The driver alerted authorities, which soon dispatched search teams around the hillsides for the woman described as about 160cm tall and wearing dark clothes. However, it was later revealed that the woman had been a part of the search party all along. According to the newspaper, the woman “had changed clothes” before getting back on the bus and “joined in the search” because she “didn’t recognise the description of herself”. The search was called off at around 3 am as “it became clear the missing woman was, in fact, accounted for and searching for herself”. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> **HAPPY FRIDAY: "A group of tourists spent hours Saturday night looking for a missing woman in Iceland, only to find her among the search party. The search was called off at 3am when it became clear the missing woman was, in fact, accounted for & searching for herself." <a href="https://twitter.com/OANN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OANN</a> <a href="https://t.co/3uluRJOemu">pic.twitter.com/3uluRJOemu</a> — Patrick Hussion (@PatrickHussion) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatrickHussion/status/1172639952493936640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en"> Aren’t we all, in our own way, this woman. <a href="https://t.co/xNf2HyL77S">pic.twitter.com/xNf2HyL77S</a> — Brian Millar (@arthurascii) <a href="https://twitter.com/arthurascii/status/1172104765230211072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"> Aren’t we all searching for ourselves 🤔 — Jared Son of Jared (@JaredIRoybal) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredIRoybal/status/1171877537565200385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"> I really needed that laugh. Funny because you can actually see that happening 🤣 — Delia Payne🇺🇸 (@meemaw2013) <a href="https://twitter.com/meemaw2013/status/1172643497368850432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2019</a></blockquote> Sveinn Runarsson, the police chief in charge of the rescue, told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/missing-icelandic-tourist-goes-in-search-of-herself-8096831.html" target="_blank">The Independent</a> at the time that “the people on the bus had not been counted correctly”.

Travel

Europe’s 10 tourist rules you never realised you had to follow

When travelling to Europe it's easy to let your hair and guard down and accidentally upset the locals. Our guide will help you avoid any embarrassing mistakes. When your entire country can be considered a work of art or priceless history, officials sometimes have to go to extremes to protect their national treasures, leading to some pretty surprising rules that you need to follow when you travel. 1.Don’t sit on the steps in Rome New tourist laws in Rome make it illegal to sit on the city’s famed Spanish Steps. The explanation: The newly renovated stairs are a centuries-old historic monument, not actually seating. The same goes for other historic stairways in the city; you can walk up and down, but don’t get comfortable by grabbing a seat or you can be issued a fine. It’s also against the law to bump your wheeled luggage and baby strollers down ancient stairs since it can destroy the stone. Even though these rules can sound pernickety, it’s become a necessity to protect the ancient highlights of the city since Italy is the country everyone wants to travel to this year. 2.Don’t wear heels in Athens Rome isn’t the only iconic city worried about preserving vintage stone; in Greece, it’s illegal to wear high heels when you’re touring storied monuments like the Parthenon and the Acropolis in Athens, or any other ancient marble and stone historic site. (They’re notoriously slippery, so we wouldn’t recommend it anyway.) 3.Don’t jump in the Canal in Venice It’s never OK to swim, or even dunk your toes, in the famous canals and lagoons in Venice; it’s against the law. Honestly, you shouldn’t even want to, it’s not all that clean. Instead, head to lovely Lido Island for beautiful sandy beaches and clean swimming waters. 4.Fountains are not for swimming Forget what you’ve seen in movies, you’ll be in hot water if you try to splash around in Rome’s Trevi Fountain to cool off, or in any other fountain in Italy. Instead, head to the beautiful beaches of Cinque Terre or the Amalfi Coast to cool off during the summer. 5.Don’t swim in the Blue Grotto Speaking of water in Italy, if you see a sign that prohibits swimming, take it seriously. Heidi Klum and her newly betrothed Tom Kaulitz were recently fined more than $6,000 for leaping into the fabled waters of the Blue Grotto in Capri after they tied the knot on a nearby yacht. 6.Don’t snack on the go Here’s an Italian law that may catch you by surprise: It’s illegal to eat messy food in historic locations in Rome, Florence, and Venice. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your gelato in a park or while you stroll down a quiet street, but you could be fined (or even removed from the city center) if you try to eat a pizza in a historic piazza or drip your ice cream onto the stones of the Coliseum. And in Greece, you can’t bring drinks, food, or gum into any historic sites, either. And please don’t cook your food in a historic site: two German tourists were actually kicked out of Venice for brewing coffee on the famed Rialto Bridge. 7.Keep your shirt on Taking a dip in the sea in Barcelona? Don’t plan on walking around in your bathing suit once you leave the beach; wearing just a bikini or swim trunks on the street is a fineable offence here and also on the popular Spanish island of Mallorca. And men, keep your shirt on when you’re in Rome, too; it’s against the law to walk around bare-chested. Taking your phone? 8.Don’t feed the pigeons Want to toss a few breadcrumbs to the infamous flying residents of San Marco Square in Venice? Not so fast! It’s actually against the law to feed the pesky pigeons. Same goes for the birds in Vienna, Austria, where feeding the pigeons has been a fineable offence since 2014. 9. Keep the noise down If you’re visiting Germany, it’s illegal to make too much noise on a Sunday or holidays. And keep things down when you’re visiting Venice, too; a new law says that making too much noise at night or during siesta time (1 pm to 3 pm), is also forbidden. 10. Don’t put your mouth on the tap in Rome According to Lonely Planet, tourists will need to be especially considerate about how they drink water from Rome’s historic public drinking fountains, known as nasoni. It’s unacceptable to let your mouth touch the metal spout; instead, cup your hands under the spout to get a drink, or bring a reusable water bottle, and skip the issue altogether. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/travel-hints-tips/europes-10-tourist-rules-you-never-realised-you-had-to-follow?slide=all">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA87V">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> <img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" />

Travel

Tourists who buy cheap glasses overseas are putting themselves at risk of eye cancer

A new study has found that tourists who buy cheap sunglasses from beach sellers overseas are putting themselves at risk of blindness and eye cancer. A total of 35 per cent of the rip-off of famous brands offer zero protection against UV rays, which means that wearing them in bright sunlight could cause irreversible damage. According to <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/9825387/cheap-sunglasses-blind-eye-cancer-warning/">The Sun</a>, travellers should be hyper aware of cheap fakes, including “Ray-Bon” which are on sale at many international destinations. High UV exposure can cause photokeratitis and photoconjunctivitis — a kind of sunburn to the eyeballs or eyelids, insurance company Direct Line said. It said drivers should always use good eyewear. A survey by insurance company Direct Line found that 18 per cent of those buying sunglasses did not check for UV protection and 11 per cent said they would still purchase the sunglasses even after finding out that they offered no UV protection. An added problem for drivers was that many who normally wear prescription glasses wear non-prescription sunglasses in bright sunshine. Steve Barrett, head of motor insurance at Direct Line, said: “We urge all motorists to wear appropriate eye protection and prescribed lenses including prescription sunglasses while driving. “If people cannot see to drive safely, either through not wearing the correct prescription lenses or sunglasses to protect from glare, they pose a real danger to themselves and everyone else on our roads.”

Travel

Tourists face jail time over sand theft

“Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time” – this often heard phrase has become a rule of thumb while travelling, but some still could not resist the urge to bring a piece of paradise home from the holidays. A French couple had to deal with the consequences as they are facing up to six years in prison for taking 40kg of sand from a beach in the Italian island of Sardinia. 14 plastic bottles containing around 40kg of white sand from a beach in Chia, southern Sardinia were seized from the car during routine checks, police said. The couple, a man and a woman in their 40s, said they wanted to bring the sand home as a “souvenir” and did not realise they were committing a crime. The Italian island’s white sand is protected as a public good, and tourists who remove it from the island are subject to fines of up to €3,000 and possible imprisonment. Residents of the Mediterranean island have been protesting the theft of sand, stones and seashells by tourists, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41031029">BBC</a> reported. “The people of Sardinia are very angry with tourists that steal shells and sand, because it's a theft [from] future generations that also puts at risk a delicate environment,” a police officer told <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/sardinia-sand-theft-arrest-scli-intl/index.html">CNN</a>. According to environmental scientist and Sardinian resident Pierluigi Cocco, there are two threats to the island’s sandy beaches. “One is due to erosion, which is partly natural and partly induced by the increasing sea level due to climate change; the second is sand stealing by tourists,” Cocco told the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49394828">BBC</a>. "Only a fraction of the tourists visiting Sardinia spend their time digging up to 40kg of sand each. But if you multiply half that amount times 5 per cent of the one million tourists per year, in a few years that would contribute significantly to the reduction of beaches – the main reason why tourists are attracted by the island of Sardinia.” In 1994, access to the famous pink beach on Budelli island off Sardinia were restricted over concerns about the degraded environment. In 2016, a woman who took the sand from the beach <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/19/french-tourists-in-hot-water-in-sardinia-over-sand-souvenir">returned it after more than two decades</a>. “I read in some newspapers and heard on the TV what this sand is and how it is made,” she said. “I understood how unique Sardinia is. I felt guilty.”

Travel

Chernobyl to become an official tourist attraction

Chernobyl has become a hot new destination for tourists after the surging popularity of the show of the same name. The destination is infamous for an explosion in 1986 at its atomic plant, which sent clouds of nuclear material across Europe. The blast itself killed 30 people immediately and caused environmental repercussions for years to come. However, the town has carried negative connotations until the popular show, done by HBO, told the story of what happened before and after the explosion. The Ukrainian government has decided to take advantage of the fame and has taken it to the next level by approving upgrades to Chernobyl to make it more tourist friendly. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B01h6HBAYyO/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B01h6HBAYyO/" target="_blank">First trip of 2019 booked: Serbia. Almost a year after Ukraine, which shows I really need to sort my life out and get out more 🗺 . . . . . #kiev #ukraine #travel #travelgram #instatravel #throwback #latergram #yearlatergram #chernobyl #pripyat</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/elizabethkatkin/" target="_blank"> Elizabeth Atkin</a> (@elizabethkatkin) on Aug 6, 2019 at 1:44pm PDT </div> </blockquote> President Volodymyr Zelensky gave the green light for the upgrades, which include new walking trails around the power plant and better phone reception according to <a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/travel/2019/07/11/chernobyl-tourism-visit-upgrades/">The New Daily</a>. “Chernobyl has been a negative part of Ukraine’s brand,” <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48943814">BBC</a> reported Mr Zelensky saying. “The time has come to change this. “We will create a green corridor for tourists. Chernobyl is a unique place on the planet where nature [has been] reborn after a huge man-made disaster. “We have to show this place to the world: to scientists, ecologists, historians [and] tourists.”

Travel

Terrifying moment angry elephant charges at Aussie tourists during South African safari

A jeep full of tourists got more than they bargained for as they’ve filmed the moment an adult elephant charged towards their car. The footage posted to YouTube shows the vehicle reversing at high speed to escape the irritated animal that’s chasing the vehicle. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ksMwL-w45cw"></iframe></div> The elephant appears to ram the front of the vehicle in the video and makes trumpeting noises while flapping its ears while chasing the vehicle. Some of the passengers used their phones to film the ordeal, while the driver desperately tried to lose the elephant. The driver is seen reversing at high speeds to outpace the elephant, who isn’t happy at all with the intruders. People were quick to comment on the nerve-wracking encounter. “Not even a full grown male. Wouldn’t have ended well with that happening,” someone said. Others were quick to point out the car full of people filming the event. “Getting attacked by an elephant? Get the Snapchat ready,” one person wrote. “Quick the elephant trying to kill us, grab [your] phone,” another added. The average African elephant will grow between 2.5 to 4 metres from shoulder to toe and weigh between 2268kgs to 6350kgs, according to the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/a/african-elephant/">National Geographic</a>. They are known as the largest animals on Earth and are also known to defend their territory with the same gusto seen in the video.

Travel

Rome introduces new rules to curb unruly tourist behaviour

Rome has introduced a slew of new rules and regulations in the city to crack down on unruly tourist behaviour. Visitors are now banned from carrying out a range of activities, including eating messily around monuments, touching lips on public fountains and dragging wheeled suitcases down historic steps. Locals who dress up as Roman legionnaires with breastplates and swords to demand money from tourists from photos are also banned along with public transport buskers and illegal street-traders and ticket-touters outside tourist sights. Fines will also apply for tourists who attach “<a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2019/06/12/rome-new-tourist-rules/">love padlocks</a>” to monuments and men who walk around the city bare-chested. The new rules, which are part of the updates and expansions on the statute since 1946, are aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour and managing tourist strains on Rome’s historic sites. “Old regulations have been updated to adapt to the needs of a modern society,” said Marco Cardilli, deputy chief of staff and security delegate at the city’s council. Virginia Raggi, the mayor of Rome, said <a href="http://www.traveller.com.au/rome-new-rules-for-tourists-ban-on-bare-chests-sucking-on-drinking-fountains-and-eating-in-public-h1f7vc">she would write to foreign embassies</a> to raise awareness of the new regulations. “Rome is, and always will be, welcoming, but that does not mean tolerating bad behaviour and damage being done to our city,” she said. “The Rome city centre is an area protected by UNESCO, so clearly our centre is our business ticket. For sure there will be zero tolerance for those marring our city.” While it remains unclear how these new rules will be enforced, it has been announced that the police will be patrolling historic sites for any infractions.

Travel

Why tourists are flocking to Chernobyl

Tourists have flocked to the scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in droves after the release of a new hit TV show. The new HBO miniseries Chernobyl has attracted travellers to Pripyat, the Ukrainian ghost city that was evacuated after one of the Chernobyl power plant’s reactors exploded, releasing radiation across a large part of Europe. Since the show went on air in May, travel interest in the infamous Ukrainian site has surged, according to local travel operators. Reports say demand for tours in the area have increased by up to 40 per cent. “Most of the people say they decided to book after seeing this show,” Victor Korol, director of tour company SoloEast told <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/chernobyl-tv-tourist-attraction/index.html">CNN</a>. “It’s almost as though they watch it and then jump on a plane over.” The five-part HBO show focuses on the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear incident, along with the cleanup efforts and the inquiry that followed. Last April marked the 33rd anniversary of the blast, whose radiation fallout was estimated to affect <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20403-how-many-died-because-of-the-chernobyl-disaster-we-dont-really-know/">thousands of people</a>. However, Korol said Chernobyl is now safe to visit. “It’s the most popular question visitors ask,” said Korol, who has been taking up to 200 visitors to the area on the weekends since the series hit screens. “But it’s absolutely safe. The government would never allow tourists to come otherwise. The radiation [visitors] are exposed to on a tour is less than on an intercontinental flight.” According to tour guide Victoria Brozhko, the amount of radiation visitors can expect to get from their excursion to the Chernobyl exclusion zone is similar to the level they would get from “staying at home for 24 hours”. Craig Mazin, the creator of the Chernobyl series has described his visit to the place as a “religious” experience. “I’m not a religious man, but that’s as religious as I’ll ever feel,” Mazin told an HBO podcast. “To walk where they walked felt so strange, and also being under that same piece of sky you start to feel a little closer, in a sense, to who they were.” However, the behaviour of some other visitors has been met with criticism following the surge of photographs on social media showing tourists posing inappropriately among the ruins. In one picture, a woman could be seen posing on top of an abandoned building in her underwear. Mazin has urged travellers to behave “with respect” in a Twitter post. “It’s wonderful that #ChernobylHBO has inspired a wave of tourism to the Zone of Exclusion. But yes, I’ve seen the photos going around,” he wrote. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> It's wonderful that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChernobylHBO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChernobylHBO</a> has inspired a wave of tourism to the Zone of Exclusion. But yes, I've seen the photos going around. If you visit, please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there. Comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed. — Craig Mazin (@clmazin) <a href="https://twitter.com/clmazin/status/1138576162781683712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2019</a></blockquote> “If you visit, please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there. Comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed.”

Travel

5 tourist attractions you didn’t know were illegal to photograph

Many people while travelling like to take photos of their trips so they can go back and look at it later once they’re home. Although you might see something interesting on your travels, make sure that before you take that snap that you’re not breaking local law. Here are five places you can’t take photos of. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLOuXvSA3rt/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLOuXvSA3rt/" target="_blank">Hats I don't hate</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/harleyvnewton/" target="_blank"> Harley Viera-Newton</a> (@harleyvnewton) on Oct 6, 2016 at 10:36am PDT </div> </blockquote> 1. The Crown Jewels at the Tower of London In the area inside the Tower of London where the Crown Jewels are kept, cameras are strictly forbidden, and visitors are not allowed to take pictures. The jewels themselves are protected by bombproof glass and there are more than 100 security cameras in the room where the jewels are kept. Couldn’t take a photo if you tried. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsLgLFmg3a6/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsLgLFmg3a6/" target="_blank">¿Quién visitará ésta maravilla en 2019? . . #india #tajmahal #wonders #travel #leisure</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/travelleisuremx/" target="_blank"> Travel+Leisure México</a> (@travelleisuremx) on Jan 3, 2019 at 8:50am PST </div> </blockquote> 2. Inside the Taj Mahal, India As the Taj Mahal is a place of worship, photography is forbidden in certain areas inside. You’re able to take photos of the outside, but there are strict rules dictating what you can and can’t take photos of once you’re inside. There are guards to make sure you’re not taking photos inside the building as well. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxvGctZHqZs/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxvGctZHqZs/" target="_blank">Enquanto na China fomos até Chendgu e aproveitámos para ir ao Chengu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding! Situado a 10 km do centro de Chendgu é facimente acessível e barato chegar lá através do Didi Chuxing (Uber Chinês) por cerca de 4€. A base está aberta todos os dias das 7h30 às 18h e a entrada custa cerca de 7€. Dica extra: levem comida, lá dentro é tudo caro e foi provavelmente a comida mais picante que provámos... e nós gostamos de picante!!! Foi um dia bem passado até Base fechar. E vocês, gostam de pandas???</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/viagensbarataspt/" target="_blank"> Viagens Baratas</a> (@viagensbarataspt) on May 21, 2019 at 12:15pm PDT </div> </blockquote> 3. Pandas in China Due to new rules introduced in 2018, forestry authorities issued a notice banning visitors from getting too close to the giant pandas, which includes taking photos with them. The notice was enforced to protect the animals from being introduced to new diseases. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxwTC9BAi52/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxwTC9BAi52/" target="_blank">#katadjuta #theolgas #desert #sun #nature #mirror #water</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/amel.glnd/" target="_blank"> Amélie Galand</a> (@amel.glnd) on May 21, 2019 at 11:24pm PDT </div> </blockquote> 4. Uluru at Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia You’re not allowed to take photographs of Uluru, despite it being one of Australia’s most famous landmarks. According to <a href="https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/about/faq/">Parks Australia</a>, you need a photography permit to take photos for commercial purposes, which can include social media. The Anangu, who are the traditional Aboriginal owners of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta land, believe that their culture is degraded if images of sacred sites are <a href="https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/discover/culture/respecting-culture/">captured or displayed</a>. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxwR7E0oQ1J/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxwR7E0oQ1J/" target="_blank">Beau Paris ❤! #paris #city #citytrip #cityphotography #eiffeltower #eiffelturm #travel #travellove #photography #cloudysky #beautifullife #cityoflove #villedamour #love #lovethesecity #loveparis</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/starry_sky24/" target="_blank"> Bärbel Riemenschneider</a> (@starry_sky24) on May 21, 2019 at 11:14pm PDT </div> </blockquote> 5. The Eiffel tower at night in Paris, France You’re not allowed to take photos of this historic landmark in France as it’s regarded as an artistic work. In 1985, 20,000 lights and 280 projectors were installed at the Eiffel Tower by Pierre Bideau. Because of this installation, it’s regarded as an artistic work and according to the <a href="https://www.toureiffel.paris/fr/entreprise/utiliser-image-tour-eiffel">Societe d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel</a> (SETE), you could be charged a fee if you take a photo of it. The site reads: "The various lights of the Eiffel Tower (golden illumination, flicker, lighthouse and event lighting) are protected. The exploitation of the image of the Eiffel tower at night is subject to prior authorisation from the SETE. This exploitation is subject to fees payment, the amount of which depends on the intended use, of the media plan."

Travel

No tourists allowed: Komodo Island implements tourist ban

The Indonesian island inhabited by endangered Komodo dragons will be closed to tourists starting 2020 following reports of rampant smuggling of the lizards. According to <a href="https://en.tempo.co/read/1190397/komodo-island-off-limits-for-tourism-in-2020-says-govt">Tempo</a>, the government will close the Komodo National Island indefinitely starting January next year, with the reopening date still pending. The announcement came after authorities busted a smuggling ring which had sold 41 Komodo dragons abroad for up to Rp500 million (AU$49,570) each. Spokesman for the East Nusa Tenggara government Marius Jelamu said authorities will focus on conservation efforts during the closure, including examining the lizards’ food supply and preserving the island’s natural environment. The closure will only apply to the Komodo National Park, meaning that visitors may still see Komodo dragons at other conservation areas such as Flores, Rinca and Gili Motong islands. According to the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), there are approximately 6,000 Komodo dragons left on earth, most of which are concentrated on the island. In 1991, the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site to protect the giant lizard population. This is not the first time that a popular tourist destination had to be shut down for conservation purposes. The famous Maya Bay in Thailand has been off-limits to tourists since June last year due to extensive environmental damage from tourists and boats. The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/03/thailand-bay-made-famous-by-the-beach-closed-indefinitely">Guardian</a> reported that 80 per cent of the coral around the bay, which was featured in Leonardo DiCaprio’s film The Beach, has been destroyed.

Travel

Over 60

News

Property

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Information

Keep up to date

Search

World’s coolest neighbourhoods ranked

The haunting images of emptied tourist sites amid coronavirus

Amsterdam considers banning tourists from purchasing cannabis

Popular tourist destination to be closed in 2020

Inside the popular island paradise that hides a deadly secret

Iconic tourist destination slugging visitors with a “tourist tax”

Famous Czech ossuary to clamp down on tourist photographs

Local authorities beg tourists not to use Google Maps to find “hidden beaches”

Hilarious “missing” tourist search goes viral

Europe’s 10 tourist rules you never realised you had to follow

Tourists who buy cheap glasses overseas are putting themselves at risk of eye cancer

Tourists face jail time over sand theft

Chernobyl to become an official tourist attraction

Terrifying moment angry elephant charges at Aussie tourists during South African safari

Rome introduces new rules to curb unruly tourist behaviour

Why tourists are flocking to Chernobyl

5 tourist attractions you didn’t know were illegal to photograph

No tourists allowed: Komodo Island implements tourist ban

News

Property

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Information

Keep up to date

Search

World’s coolest neighbourhoods ranked

The haunting images of emptied tourist sites amid coronavirus

Amsterdam considers banning tourists from purchasing cannabis

Popular tourist destination to be closed in 2020

Inside the popular island paradise that hides a deadly secret

Iconic tourist destination slugging visitors with a “tourist tax”

Famous Czech ossuary to clamp down on tourist photographs

Local authorities beg tourists not to use Google Maps to find “hidden beaches”

Hilarious “missing” tourist search goes viral

Europe’s 10 tourist rules you never realised you had to follow

Tourists who buy cheap glasses overseas are putting themselves at risk of eye cancer

Tourists face jail time over sand theft

Chernobyl to become an official tourist attraction

Terrifying moment angry elephant charges at Aussie tourists during South African safari

Rome introduces new rules to curb unruly tourist behaviour

Why tourists are flocking to Chernobyl

5 tourist attractions you didn’t know were illegal to photograph

No tourists allowed: Komodo Island implements tourist ban

Join Over60