Travel
US bars issuing visas to pregnant women in a bid to control ‘birth tourism’
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump opened a new front in his battle against immigration on Thursday, barring the issuing of visas to pregnant women seeking to enter the United States for so-called “birth tourism.” In announcing the move, which takes effect on Friday, the White House said foreigners were using the visas “to secure…
Read MoreVirus-related tourism ban could hurt North Korea’s economy
Monitoring Desk SEOUL: North Korea has temporarily banned foreign tourists in response to the outbreak of a dangerous new virus in neighboring China. Depending on how long the ban lasts, it could hurt North Korea’s economy, which though heavily sanctioned, has received a boost by a recent influx of Chinese tourists. Starting Wednesday, North Korea…
Read MoreKP Tourism department being digitized to facilitate tourists: Atif Khan
F.P. Report PESHAWAR: Senior Minister for Tourism Khyber PakhtunkwaAtif Khan has that tangible measures were being taken to put administrative working of the tourism department on modern lines to facilitate and attract more tourists towards picturesque tourist places in the province. Chairing a high level meeting in Khyber Pakhtukhwa House, the KP tourism minister said…
Read MoreState Department to take aim at ‘birth tourism’ in expected change to visa guidelines
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: An upcoming change to State Department visa guidelines is expected to take aim at birth tourism, the practice of foreign nationals giving birth on US soil to ensure their children become American citizens, according to a State Department official. The State Department official told CNN that the department is amending a regulation…
Read MoreEight Indian tourists die in Nepal
Monitoring Desk KATHMANDU: Eight Indian tourists including four children died of suspected suffocation in a hotel in Nepal on Tuesday, police said, after trying to keep warm by using a gas heater during the night. The victims were staying in Daman, a hill resort south of Kathmandu which is known for its panoramic views of…
Read MoreSpain’s Tourist arrivals hit record high
Monitoring Desk MADRID: The number of international visitors to Spain hit an all-time high of 83.7 million in 2019 in a seventh straight year of records, Industry and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said on Monday, adding that she was optimistic about 2020. Tourist arrivals rose 1 percent last year from a year earlier, Maroto told…
Read MoreAustralia fights fire devastation with multimillion tourism industry boost
Monitoring Desk SYDNEY: Australia’s government hopes to boost its tourism industry with tens of millions of dollars in a bid to combat the damage to infrastructure and the country’s image caused by devastating bushfires. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who faced criticism for taking a holiday to Hawaii as the wildfire crisis unfolded, announced the stimulus…
Read MoreFrom selling boiled eggs to skiing contest, Malam Jabba helping local children
Monitoring Desk MALAM JABBA: Until about a year ago, seven-year-old Zubaida Khan was selling boiled eggs to tourists in her native town to support her family, but she is now a professional athlete who is training to participate in some of the top skiing competitions in the world, a senior official at the Malam Jabba…
Read MoreHow American travelers plan their vacation?
Monitoring Desk Americans take on average 4.4 trips per year. Now imagine what that number could be if they used all of their vacation days instead of accruing unused PTO. According to U.S. Travel, Americans racked up 768 million days of unused PTO in 2018. National Plan for Vacation Day, on January 28, brings this…
Read MoreMaldives desperate for funds as islands risk going under
Monitoring Desk NEW DELHI: The tropical Maldives may lose entire islands unless it can quickly access cheap financing to fight the impact of climate change, its foreign minister said. The archipelago’s former president Mohamed Nasheed famously held a cabinet meeting underwater to draw attention to submerging land and global warming a decade ago. Yet the…
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