Luxury travel
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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From sneakers to luxury handbags, hotels are providing more so you can pack less
Many people love to travel. But few like to pack. But travelers are getting help from an unlikely source — hotels. “Hotels [are] making it easier for guests to jump into their favorite activities without packing or planning in advance,” said Henley Vazquez, founder of the New York-based travel agency Fora. Some hotels have been […]
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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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The world’s most powerful passport has a clear winner this year — in 2024 it was a six-way tie
Singapore has the world’s most powerful passport, according to the 2025 Henley Passport Index. The nation-state was one of six countries which tied for the top spot in 2024 in the list produced by the migration consultancy Henley & Partners, which ranks passports by the number of destinations that holders can access without needing a […]
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‘Unprecedented’: The most punctual global airline last year was ‘absolutely’ a surprise, analytics firm CEO says
Aeromexico was the most punctual global airline in 2024, according to a report published by aviation analytics company Cirium. Some 86.7% of its tracked flights arrived “on-time,” defined as arriving within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival times. This result was “absolutely” a surprise, Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen told “Squawk Box Asia” Friday. “They’ve had a […]
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The world’s top hotels and restaurants are changing how they serve water
You can ask for a bottle of Evian or San Pellegrino at Singapore’s three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Zen. But you won’t get one. The restaurant, which charges nearly $500 per person for dinner, only serves water from the Swedish company Nordaq, said Executive Chef Martin Öfner. Dishes and drinks at the restaurant are made from the […]
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‘Noctourism’ is expected to be a big travel trend in 2025
Rebecca Douglas has been to Iceland 29 times. And she’s already booked her 30th trip. The goal of every trip is the same: photographing the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. Douglas has been photographing this spectacular phenomenon since 2010. It’s colors — which can paint the sky a dazzling array of green, purple, yellow and […]
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‘One of the best experiences I’ve had as a parent.’ The benefits of father-daughter trips
I work shifts, four days on four days off, as a firefighter. This gives me a huge advantage in terms of time I have with my daughter. Together, we’ve attended play dates, and craft and toy sharing sessions — and despite online portrayals of a more equal world, I am usually the only dad present. […]
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Macao is becoming a city of sports and entertainment, Sands China CEO says, as President Xi urges diversification
Sands China CEO and President Grant Chum said Macao was diversifying its economy away from gaming to become “a city of sports and … a city of entertainment,” during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the city that concluded Friday. In an interview on “Squawk Box Asia,” Chum cited a deal announced in early December […]
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Luxury safaris are changing — here’s what affluent travelers want now
Luxury safari-goers were once all about spotting lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos — albeit while staying in nicer tents and dining on gourmet food. But that’s changing. “Safaris are not just about the ‘Big Five’ anymore,” said Lori Cohen, a writer who covers luxury safaris. “People have got limited time off in their lives, […]
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