Luxury travel
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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International visitors pour into Japan — to the delight and dismay of its ski towns
In spring, they come for the cherry blossoms. In fall, for the foliage tours. Now, more travelers are booking winter trips to Japan, as the country’s reputation as a world-class skiing destination continues to lure visitors from Asia-Pacific and beyond. Foreign visitors to Japan rose 33% this past winter from pre-pandemic levels. Some 10.5 million […]
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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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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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