Meir Alfasi is a rabbi, photographer, and former photojournalist who lives in Israel and has travelled to 80 countries. He spent five days in North Korea, where non-state-sanctioned religion is strictly forbidden. He had some close calls with North Korean officials and told INSIDER he’d “never felt so scared in […]

Akureyri Police Superintendent Johannes Sigfusson said people are paying attention to the sky instead of Iceland’s icy, windy and narrow roads. Of the 18 people who died in traffic accidents in Iceland last year, half of them were foreign nationals. In 2017, more foreign nationals died in traffic accidents than […]

San Marino is the fifth smallest country in the world, yet its tourism industry is growing rapidly. Situated on the northeastern portion of the Italian peninsula, San Marino saw a 31.1% rise in international tourist arrivals between 2016 and 2017, according to data released by the United Nations World Tourism […]

More than 41 million people visited Paris in 2017. While the French capital can be a magical place, some of its most iconic attractions don’t always live up to the hype. From the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre to Montmartre, you might find them to be insanely overcrowded, overrun with […]

Disney World raised its prices twice in 2018 and switched to a dynamic pricing model that charges higher prices during peak summer months and winter holidays. This is the fourth time in park history that annual pass prices were raised twice in the same year. The new model prices out […]

After years of instability, tourists are starting to come back to Egypt, a country that was once one of the premier destinations in the world, with gorgeous beaches, breathtaking desert landscapes, and, arguably, the greatest collection of ruins, temples, and artifacts in the world. I decided to make the trip […]

One of the most decorated luxury hotels in the world, the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, was recently named the “best hotel in the world” by the Ultratravel Awards. The Burj has frequently been called “the world’s first seven-star hotel” and “the most luxurious hotel in the world” by travel […]

Moroccan officials said the four men suspected of killing Louisa Jespersen, 24, of Denmark, and Maren Ueland, 28, of Norway, pledged their allegiance to ISIS before the killings. Abdellah Rami, a Moroccan expert on Islamist movements, told The New York Times, it is “easier for organisations like ISIS to start […]

Fifteen of the 20 most popular cities in the world for tourists are in Asia. That’s according to Euromonitor International’s annual list of the biggest cities for international tourism released last week. The cities were spread out over several countries, including China, India, Thailand, Japan, and Turkey. Asian cities are […]

Venice, Italy, is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, seeing between 26 million and 30 million visitors per year. But the Italian port city has struggled with hordes of tourists, devastating floods, and pollution and accidents involving cruise ships. Last year, the city announced it would gradually […]

The list of the 100 most visited cities in the world includes 12 cities in North America. Cities like Las Vegas, Vancouver, and Mexico City attracted millions of tourists each in 2018. But North America had many fewer tourists than European and Asian cities, the report revealed. Euromonitor International released […]

The list of the most visited cities in the world was released this week by market-research firm Euromonitor International. New York City saw more than 13 million international tourists last year, but it only finished No. 8 on the global list. Asian cities dominated the top 10, with one city […]

The Resort Villa in Thailand offers guests private access to a 150,0000-square-foot property that includes seven villas and a full-time staff of 60 people. The resort was recently dubbed “the world’s best private villa” by the Boutique Hotel Awards. The property is two hours outside of Bangkok – the biggest […]

Once fully self-driving cars are prevalent, the time we used to spend driving can be filled with other activities. Researchers from the Universities of Surrey and Oxford examined their effect on urban tourism and nightlife. Their paper says hotels-by-the-hour could be replaced by self-driving cars, like a roving red-light district. […]

France has been the most-visited country in the world for more than 20 years running. But China is predicted to become the world’s top vacation hotspot by 2030. Thanks to a growing economy and expanding middle class, China is also expected to become the biggest source of tourists in the […]

Think you can't afford to travel? Think again...

Tourists can be the worst. When they’re not destroying precious works of art and historical artifacts or being awful on aeroplanes, they’re… bored and blasé. No one knows this better than Laurence Stephens, a British documentary photographer who turned his lens on the hordes of disinterested tourists he saw on […]

The iconic bay, made famous by the 2000 film “The Beach,” is shutting its doors to tourists indefinitely. Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation announced on Tuesday that it would remain closed. The beach was set to reopen on September 30. The DNP cited environmental destruction by […]

To find the best places to visit in November 2018, Business Insider looked at climate data, cultural calendars, and peak travel times. November is outside peak tourism season for most destinations, meaning you can save a bundle on airfare and hotels and won’t have to battle throngs of tourists. The […]

A rainforest is thriving in one of the most unlikely places: Amazon’s campus in downtown Seattle. It’s called the Spheres, and it’s a trio of massive glass domes that sit amid Amazon’s business center. The Spheres are intended to serve as a space for Amazon employees to work and collaborate […]

On a recent trip to Sri Lanka, I had the opportunity to take in the country’s stunning national parks. While it doesn’t boast Africa’s famous Big Five, Sri Lanka’s Big Four (leopards, elephants, sloth bears, and blue whales) are becoming an increasing draw for nature tourists from around the world. […]

With few vacation days and even fewer funds, you better make every trip count. We’ve done the work for you and put together this epic list of must-sees, updating our original bucket list of travel destinations to include reader suggestions and this year’s travel hotspots. From a beach full of […]

San Marino is a tiny, 24-square-mile country nestled in northern Italy. With a 31.1% year-on-year growth in tourism in 2017, it’s the top-growingtravel destination in Europe. Other countries that made the list of fastest-growing European travel destinations include Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. If you haven’t heard of San […]

Many iconic monuments are worth the trek to see them in your lifetime, but unfortunately a lot of them aren’t. Some of the most famous monuments across the globe are nothing short of disappointing. Whether it’s the crowds, costs, or the monuments themselves, the reality of many popular tourist attractions […]

Mastercard has released its annual Global Destination Cities Index, which measures the rise and fall of travel to and within 162 cities around the world. The ranking measures visitor volume and spend to forecast the growth in visits to those cities in 2018. This year saw Bangkok retain the top […]

Chinese tourists visiting a Swedish hostel in Stockholm sparked an international incident when they appeared on video screaming and crying and accusing local police of trying to murder them. The incident took place early in September, and has brought repeated Chinese demands for Sweden to investigate potential mistreatment of the […]

The Japanese city of Iga has clarified that it is, in fact, not hiring ninjas. News of the ninja shortage was first reported by an NPR podcast and was picked up by world media, including Business Insider. Iga has made clear, however, that it is not hiring ninjas after being […]

The world’s largest aircraft has revealed its interiors – and they’re extremely luxurious. Airlander 10 is a 300-foot hybrid airship that plans to take travellers on three-day excursions. The airship features en-suite bedrooms, a bar, and a lounge area. There’s also glass flooring so people can take in the views […]

Dozens were killed after tourist boats capsized off the southern island of Phuket, Thailand on July 5. Many of the passengers aboard were Chinese tourists. Calls for a boycott of Thailand have broken out in China. Economists say that could cost the Thai tourism industry more than $US1 billion. A […]

The best places to visit in August are already on savvy travellers’ lists. Business Insider looked at airfare trends, climate data, and peak travel times to find the best places to visit in August 2018. They include tropical paradises in the Caribbean and Malaysia, a fudge festival in Michigan, and […]

The Temperate House at Kew Gardens has reopened after a five-year restoration. Built in 1863, the Temperate House contains 10,000 plants, some of which are extinct in the wild. During the restoration process, 15,000 panes of glass were replaced. Kew Gardens has just reopened its Temperate House after a five-year […]

New York City can be overwhelming, and you want to make sure you hit all the right spots on your next visit. After living in New York City for five years, author Adrienne Jordan discovered which places are worth visiting and which you should definitely skip. From active adventures to […]

New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the world, but you don’t have to break the bank when you visit. Many tourist attractions, local hangouts, and not-to-be missed experiences are completely free. Free activities you can do in New York City this summer range from outdoor […]

The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge in China is the longest and highest glass bridge in the world. It gained widespread popularity after opening in 2016 and has been featured in numerous viral videos showing tourists having thrilling and terrifying experiences looking through the glass floor. While the scenery was […]

China is planning to transform an island the size of a small country into a sprawling hub for foreign investment, gambling, tourism, and luxury. Xi Jinping’s government announced its plans for Hainan last month. It said it would encourage the horse racing, gambling, and water sports industries to the island […]

America is home to a wide variety of tourist...

Scams happen around the world – and tourists are an especially vulnerable target. We compiled a list of some of the most popular travel scams. They include dishonest taxi drivers, fake monks, and the classic “lost ring” trick. Tourists are often a scammer’s favourite targets – they’re likely to be […]

Following is a transcript of the video. This library is a book lover’s dream come true. The Tianjin Binhai Library, Tianjin, China. 33,700 square meters. Five levels. Enough shelf space for 1.2 million books. It was completed by Dutch architecture firm MVRDV and local architects from the Tianjin Urban Planning […]

U.S. News & World Report released its rankings for the best countries to invest in this year. Those rankings were determined by 7,000 worldwide business decision makers who scored each country on eight attributes, including entrepreneurship, economic stability, and favourable tax environment. The list differs greatly from last year’s; three […]

The Dead Sea has long been a tourist attraction because of its high salt content and proximity to Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank. However, sinkholes have wrecked havoc on its shores and the Dead Sea’s shoreline continues to get smaller due to drought. One beach, Metzoke Dragot, has remained […]

The US has issued a travel notice for Playa del Carmen after an explosion on a tourist ferry there late last month. The alert comes the same day as more explosives were found on another ferry in the area. The perpetrator remains unknown. A little more than a week after […]

You might not remember it, but at one point Hooters had an airline. Hooters Air launched in 2003, but closed about three years later. The company cited a number of reasons for the airline’s failure, including a $US40 million loss. But in the short time that Hooters Air existed, it […]

Whale watching may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about things to do in Northern California. Touring San Francisco? Definitely. Visiting wine country? Sure. Seeing Apple’s new Spaceship headquarters? Maybe, if you’re a tech geek. But it turns out the area is also a splendid […]

A strong earthquake hit eastern Taiwan on Tuesday night. Another quake hit the island 24 hours later, along with more than 100 aftershocks. Nine people have died and and hundreds more injured. Rescuers fear dozens of people are stuck in collapsed buildings. A powerful, 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan’s east coast […]

A restaurant in Venice charged four tourists €1,100 ($US1,350/£970) for four steaks, fried fish, and water. The news garnered some bad publicity for Venice. Osteria da Luca has since received visits from the police and health and building inspectors, who fined it €14,000. The Venetian Hoteliers Association also offered the […]

A restaurant charged four tourists $A1,690 for a meal. The four Japanese students had four steaks, fried fish, and mineral water at Osteria da Luca. They paid the bill but complained to police in Bologna. Venice’s mayor pledged to look into the case. The mayor of Venice has pledged to […]

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We’ve all been there. You’ve gone to the Eiffel Tower on your first day in Paris. Now you’re three hours deep in queues and your schedule for the rest of the weekend has been thrown off. Then you reach the top of the iconic tower, take in your surroundings, and […]

2017 was Mexico’s most violent year on record, and the US State Department has given “do not travel” notices for five states there. Much of the country has in the past been subject to travel warnings, but these latest advisories are the State Department’s most severe. Many of Mexico’s most […]

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Trips to Iceland and Kenya have taught me a valuable lesson about the point of travel. Instead of risking large sums of money on tourist grabs, the real value comes in the unplanned experiences. I’m more likely to cherish the stories of people I met than the things I saw. […]

We’ve compiled 13 of the best places to visit for your February vacation. The destinations include tropical beaches and winter havens around the world. From extravagant Carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro to Chinese New Year in Beijing, February is one of the best months to explore the world. Business […]

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Until recently, the Empire State Building was considered the best skyscraper in New York from which to view the city’s iconic skyline. That changed in 2014 when One World Trade Center, or the Freedom Tower, opened in Manhattan’s financial district. The 1,776-foot tall tower immediately became the city’s tallest skyscraper. […]

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Despite being created less than 30 years ago, New York’s Charging Bull sculpture has become one of the most visited sites in New York City. On any given day in Manhattan’s financial district, hordes of tourists can be found crowding around the sculpture, taking photos, or rubbing the bull’s nose, […]

San Francisco tourism is in a bit of a slump, though over 25 million people visit every year. Visitors might be drawn to the obvious attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge and the“Full House” home, but San Francisco has more to offer than tourist traps and trolley cars. To help […]

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VIDEO: Cuba may not be ready for American tourists just yet.

VIDEO: In August 2015, Getty Photographer Xiaolu Chu toured inside the walls of North Korea. While in the notoriously secret country, visitors are instructed on what they can and cannot photograph. Custom agents screen any computers, hard drives, cell phones, and memory cards, prior to entering the country. While in the country, Chu was able to secretly take these photographs with his cell phone.