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Tourists have been returning to Maine with cash to spare since the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world, keeping people at home and cutting off traditional spending avenues, creating unprecedented levels of pent-up consumer demand. Slightly fewer tourists visited the state last year than in 2022 (15.3 million vs. 15.9 million), but those visitors spent more ($9.1 million vs. $8.6 billion). With the official start of the peak summer season fast approaching, there’s no reason to expect this year will be no different and those in the industry are optimistic. According to the Maine Tourism Office, 15.6 million tourists visited…

Sign up for Simon Calder’s free travel emails for expert advice and great dealsGet Simon Calder travel emailsThousands of people have protested in Spain’s Balearic islands amid growing anger over mass tourism.”SOS for residents” and “Enough with mass tourism” were read on posters as protesters marched through Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the Balearic island. A police spokesman said about 10,000 people were taking part.Hundreds of protesters also took part in protests in Menorca, while around 1,000 protesters took part in demonstrations on Ibiza, one of the Balearic islands’ most popular, on Friday.Tourism generates 45 percent of the island’s…

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer tourist season, but it could pose a threat to one of San Francisco’s biggest attractions: boat tours to Alcatraz Island. Boat tours of Alcatraz draw more than 1.5 million tourists to the island each year, but on Saturday morning, striking cruise ship workers picketed at Pier 33 in San Francisco, halting boat tours for four hours. The union strike forced Alcatraz City Cruises to evacuate its ships until the strike was over. San Francisco Board of Supervisors Chairman Aaron Peskin was there to voice support for union members who say…

Colorado Springs tourism industry leaders are optimistic the Pikes Peak region will enjoy robust visitor spending during the summer tourism season that begins with this weekend’s Memorial Day holiday, despite a slow start for some attractions this spring.Stable gas prices, a surprisingly robust national economy, surging passenger traffic at the Colorado Springs Airport and a few new and expanded tourist attractions are expected to fuel another strong tourism season even as some economists warn of a potential slowdown in consumer spending. While most industry leaders expect a small increase in visitor numbers, some hope for even more as marketing efforts…

Here, city leaders from Florence share their thoughts on bringing Buc-ee’s to their neighborhood, as well as the challenges and impacts the megastore has brought. The Buc-ee’s store in Florence, South Carolina, is currently the closest to our neighborhood. “I’m going in soon, I’ve heard so much about it, I want to see what it’s like,” says Lucy Franks of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “I’m right by the bakery because I have to get one more lemon bar before I leave,” says Erin Berek of Delaware. “My favorite thing about Buc-ee’s is the whole store. There’s so much cool stuff,…

By Amyra Prasanga and Ganeshan Wignarajah International tourism is once again in controversy, this time due to visitors running businesses in developing Asian countries on tourist visas. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sri Lanka has waived visa fees for Russians and Ukrainians to boost tourism. Sri Lanka, struggling with a foreign currency shortage after its sovereign debt default in 2022, has turned a blind eye to some of these visitors running businesses. In 2023, 197,498 Russians and 5,082 Ukrainians visited Sri Lanka, making up 13.6% of the total tourist arrivals. However, data is lacking on how many overstayed…

Tourists line up to take photos in front of the Mount Qomolangma elevation survey monument in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region on May 24, 2024. Qomolangma National Park is in the peak tourist season. About 136,000 tourists visited the Qomolangma scenic spot from Jan. 1 to May 20 this year. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)Tourists take photos in front of the Mount Qomolangma elevation survey monument in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region on May 24, 2024. Qomolangma National Park has reached the peak of its tourist season. About 136,000 tourists visited the Qomolangma scenic spot from Jan. 1 to May 20 this year.…

Australia and New Zealand had already begun repatriating their citizens on Tuesday. (File)The first plane to evacuate tourists stranded in France’s Pacific territory of New Caledonia took off on Saturday, the islands’ high commissioner’s office said, as President Emmanuel Macron’s government tries to ease the crisis.The international airport in the capital, Noumea, has remained closed for more than a week, with all commercial flights cancelled until at least Tuesday because of the unrest.”The measures to repatriate foreign nationals and French tourists will continue,” the high commission representing the French state said in a statement.The tourists departed on Saturday from Noumea’s…

Sign up for Simon Calder’s free travel emails for expert advice and great dealsGet Simon Calder travel emails A small island off the northeast coast of Japan has an unlikely guardian angel: cats.There are more animals than people on Tashirojima, and there is even a “Cat Shrine” that celebrates the presence of cats.Legend has it that the island was once famous for silk farming, and farmers kept cats to scare off rats and guard the silkworm cocoons.More than 100 cats live on Tashirojima Island. (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)The island’s fishermen have traditionally believed that cats bring…

Sign up for Simon Calder’s free travel emails for expert advice and great dealsGet Simon Calder travel emailsThousands of people have protested in Spain’s Balearic islands amid growing anger over mass tourism.”SOS for residents” and “Enough with mass tourism” were read on posters as protesters marched through Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the Balearic island. A police spokesman said about 10,000 people were taking part.Hundreds of protesters also took part in protests in Menorca, while around 1,000 protesters took part in demonstrations on Ibiza, one of the Balearic islands’ most popular, on Friday.Tourism generates 45 percent of the island’s…