Business travel
Mongolia’s ‘ambitious’ plan could boost tourism to 10% of GDP by 2030, says minister
Tourism could comprise 10% of Mongolia’s gross domestic product if the country can attract 2 million annual tourists by 2030, the country’s tourism minister told CNBC Wednesday. “We have a big, ambitious kind of goal, which is about 2 million tourists by 2030, which will be around a $4 billion contribution towards our GDP,” […]
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Indian airlines can’t fly over Pakistan. Here’s how that is affecting flights
Pakistan’s closure of its airspace to Indian airlines Thursday is forcing carriers to alter some routes that link India to Europe, North America, Central Asia and the Middle East. Indian carriers — including Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air and SpiceJet — must now fly longer, and thus costlier, flights on some westbound routes. The detour […]
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How does an island with high prices and few beaches attract tourists? Singapore lays out a plan
Inexpensive hotels and swaying palm trees have long attracted travelers to Southeast Asia, but Singapore is doubling down on a different strategy — focusing on increasing tourism receipts instead of traveler arrivals. Officials on Friday outlined a plan to increase tourism revenue in the city-state from a record-breaking $29.8 million in 2024 to $47 million-$50 […]
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Is it safe to travel to Thailand right now? Thai officials say yes
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is expecting that country’s upcoming Songkran festival will generate more tourism revenue than it did last year, despite projections that the March 28 earthquake has dampened tourist arrivals to the kingdom. The 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which epicentered in neighboring Myanmar, caused a building under construction near Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak market to […]
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The most powerful passports of 2025 — a new country tops the list
Ireland has the strongest passport in the world, according to the Nomad Passport Index 2025. It’s the first time that the northern European country has held the solo No. 1 spot in the annual ranking from Nomad Capitalist, a tax and immigration consultancy. Ireland did, however, come close in 2020, when it tied for the […]
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Britain’s Heathrow Airport closes Friday after large fire causes ‘significant power outage’
A plane taking off from Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom. Tim Ireland | Xinhua | Getty Images Britain’s Heathrow Airport closed on Friday after a fire at a nearby electrical substation caused a power outage, airport officials said. “Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at […]
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People are selling Singapore Airlines miles online. Here’s what the airline says about that
When Tracy Ren decided to go to the 2024 Summer Olympics, she booked her flight to Paris on Singapore Airlines using miles. But she didn’t earn them — she bought them. Rather than purchasing miles directly from the airline, which sells 1,000 miles for around $40, Ren turned to Carousell, a popular online marketplace in […]
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Singapore is more expensive than regional peers. So it’s using a different playbook to attract visitors
British national Tony Cross first set foot in Singapore in 1992, when the city-state’s main draws were its glitzy malls, the pulsating Zouk nightclub and the renowned Singapore Zoo. Today, shopping has taken a backseat, as prices for goods have climbed alongside commercial rents in a city where space is scarce. And, Singapore’s once-thriving clubbing […]
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The 6 most annoying types of air travelers — and how to rethink interactions with them
Plane etiquette seems so simple — be spatially aware, don’t bother other passengers and follow the instructions of the air crew. But campaigns and crackdown efforts to quell disruptive behavior suggest it persists. At first glance, a new book — “How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes: Survival Guide for the Frequent Business Traveler” — seems […]
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‘The Sound of Music’ turns 60 this year. Salzburg has plenty in store for fans
In Salzburg, Austria last spring, I skipped around the fountain outside Mirabell Palace. Others did too. Some 60 years earlier, Maria and the von Trapp children danced around the palace’s Pegasus Fountain, singing “Do-Re-Mi,” one of most famous songs from “The Sound of Music.” The movie recounts the story of the von Trapp family, and […]
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