Travel

Take me there: Utrecht Why go? What to dovintagebiketours.nl). They also offer gentle city tours on classic Dutch bikes. Alternatively, get a duck’s-eye view of the city by renting a kayak (kanoverhuurutrecht.nl). Utrecht’s canals are surprisingly peaceful and the chances of getting mown down by a motor-cruiser are pleasantly slim. Design aficionados should check out the Rietveld Schröder House, the modernist house built by Gerrit Rietveld, a luminary of the De Stijl movement in the 1920s. The excellent Centraal Museum has his furniture on display and can organise guided tours of the house (centraalmuseum.nl). Where to eatrestaurantblauw.nl). Where to staymarykhotel.com). Insider tipblackbirdcoffee.nl): “The couple who run the place are lovely, the coffee is great and their [juice] bar is awesome. Alongside the coffee they also sell vintage bikes. It’s a nice, tranquil place which you could easily pass, but should definitely visit.” Give me a break … [Read more...] about Travel tips: Utrecht – the laidback alternative to Amsterdam, plus deals of the week

Winning tip: Idyllic camping in the Black Forest Last summer, while travelling around Germany by car, we discovered a real hidden gem – Camping Zur Mühle, near Wolfach in the Black Forest. Our tent was perched high on a hill, with views of grazing deer to accompany the fresh bread delivered each morning. Stunning forest walks straight from the tent and a short drive to Triberg for gushing waterfalls and the original Black Forest gateau. Perfection.• From €8, car and pitch, camping-zur-muehle.dealisonfgill Border town amid the wilderness Bayerisch Eisenstein’s railway station straddles the border with the Czech Republic, with a ticket office in each country. Trains now run between Munich and Prague but the line was disconnected during the cold war, when barbed wire and watchtowers took its place. Nato listening posts lie dormant now, high on the 1,500-metre Großer Arber mountain, near a small memorial to the Sudeten Germans. The town sits next to the … [Read more...] about The best of Germany: readers’ travel tips

But ease of travel and developments in technology also mean there are growing risks when visiting foreign countries. These have been highlighted in a new map that shows where the most dangerous countries in the world are located. The map shows the safest and most dangerous parts around the world when it comes to security.Source:Supplied The interactive Travel Risk Map shows the countries where people are most likely to have trouble when it comes to road safety, security and medical matters. Topping the list for 2020 as the most dangerous place to travel for safety and security includes Libya and Somalia, whereas the safest places to put on your holiday itinerary include Finland, Norway and Iceland. According to Matthew Bradley, regional security director at International SOS, the number one risk for next year is geopolitical shifts. “Civil unrest is generated from inequality and people wanting to have a different situation in their country than they had in the past,” Mr … [Read more...] about What this map says about travel around the world in 2020

Viet Nam may have experienced a tourism boom but one expert has warned the country needs a clear plan for the future. Brian Mtonya (first from left), Senior Economist at World Bank (WB) Viet Nam speaks during the launch of Taking Stock, WB’s bi-annual economic report on Viet Nam, held on Monday in Ha Noi. — VNS Photo Linh Anh While Viet Nam has seen a huge increase in visitors in recent years, a senior economist says unless the growth is not properly managed, it could have an adverse impact on the economy, the environment and peoples’ lives. Brian Mtonya, Senior Economist at World Bank (WB) Viet Nam was speaking during the launch of Taking Stock, WB’s bi-annual economic report on Viet Nam, held on Monday in Ha Noi. “The number of international tourism arrivals to Viet Nam has nearly quadrupled during this period, from 4.2 million in 2008 to 15.5 million in 2018,” Mtonya said. “Domestic tourism, which is significantly greater in volume, … [Read more...] about A boom in tourism poses challenges to sustainable development

The international tourism segment, despite seeing less growth in tourists than the domestic segment, reportedly contributed a larger proportion to the tourism sector’s total revenue. International tourists cross a street in downtown HCMC. The international tourism segment reportedly contributed a larger proportion to the tourism sector’s revenue Last year, the nation welcomed 15.5 million international tourists and served 80 million domestic visitors, according to the latest statistics of the administration. The statistics also show that the country’s tourism sector made VND637 trillion in revenue in 2018, up 17.7% against 2017. Of the figure, international tourists contributed 61.1% of the total tourism revenue, amounting to VND383 trillion, whereas the revenue from the domestic tourist segment made up 39.9% of the total. Visitors from China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the United States, Russia, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand and Great Britain to Vietnam … [Read more...] about Int’l tourists contribute larger proportion to VN tourism revenue