Tourism

Japan’s Cherry Blossom Under Tourism Threat: Will a New Tourist Tax Curb the Surge?

Japan’s tourism hits record highs with over 36.8M visitors and ¥8.1T spent, prompting new tourist taxes to curb overtourism in 2025.

Europe’s Real Problem is Housing, Not Airbnb

Barcelona plans to eliminate 10,000 tourist apartments by 2028. Rents continue to climb anyway. Who benefits: the landlord, tenant, or the Airbnb host?

Celebrities, Crime, and Politics: Lavish Plans to France Under Fire

French celebrity robberies expose security gaps; lenient Kardashian verdict and Joelle Mardinian’s ordeal fuel political battles in France.

Oktoberfest: A Festival Without the Fest-ivities

Oktoberfest’s strict new rules on smoking, alcohol, and behavior spark tourist backlash, risking the festival’s traditional charm.

The Outlander Effect: How the Show Put Scotland on the Map?

Outlander transformed Scotland into a tourism hotspot, boosting castles, villages, and local economies while reviving Scottish culture.

Popular

LVMH, War and the Luxury of Trees

As war dents luxury sales and Europe's tree cover grows more unequal, an old truth is returning: comfort is becoming easier to buy than to share.

UAE Quits OPEC to Define New Energy Order

After missile strikes on Gulf ports and thousands of flight cancellations, the UAE's exit from OPEC shatters the old oil order, exposing a ruthless energy future.

After the Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting, Trump Changes Tone

After gunfire erupted at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this weekend, Donald Trump responded with less fury than after earlier political attacks, and that change matters.

West Overlooks Russian Grain and Borders in Ukraine

As stolen grain enters Israeli docks and Berlin hints at regional trade-offs, a quiet consensus forms around the permanence of Russia's seized Ukrainian areas.

Deraa First Trial Puts Syrian Justice on the Stand

This week's public trial of Atef Najib returned Deraa to the centre of Syrian politics, with the first courtroom reckoning for the crackdown that helped ignite the uprising.