In 2024, I showed Oscar from Denver, Colorado the highlights of London. It was his first time in England. In contrast, Thanh and I have been to the capital of the United Kingdom many times. During the weekend of Pentecost 2026, we went together for a weekend of museums, food, and a concert.
Tag: COVID-19
Belgium tourism reaches new heights as record visitor numbers underline the country’s growing appeal
Today is the National Holiday of Belgium. On 21 July 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha took the constitutional oath to become King of the Belgians.
Tortola at the centre of a record tourism boom in the British Virgin Islands
Tourism in Tortola has entered a new phase of expansion, following a record-breaking year for the wider British Virgin Islands in 2025. The figures underline both the resilience of the destination after years of disruption and the structural importance of tourism to the islands’ economy, with Tortola at the centre of this recovery.
Dominican Republic welcomed 11.6 million international visitors in 2025
Tourism in the Dominican Republic is not only breaking records, it is evolving into one of the most diversified and structurally important visitor economies in the Americas. The latest figures confirm a sector that has moved well beyond its traditional reliance on beach resorts, combining scale with increasing sophistication.
France’s Intercités: a long-awaited renewal for the ‘forgotten’ rail network
For decades, France’s Trains d’Équilibre du Territoire – commercially branded as Intercités – have played second fiddle to the high-speed TGV and regional TER networks. These conventional long-distance services, encompassing both day and night trains, were established in 2011 to consolidate routes previously operated under brands like Corail Téoz, Lunéa, and Interregional.
European airport passenger traffic dips for first time since COVID recovery as disruptions mount
For the first time since Europe’s air travel rebound began in April 2021, passenger traffic at European airports fell by 0.7% in April compared to last year, according to Airport Council International Europe (ACI Europe)’s latest report. The decline, though small, underscores growing challenges for travellers, from geopolitical tensions to industrial action and border control…
8.7 billion rail trips in Europe in 2024 as Switzerland is best of class and Belgium’s data remain unavailable
In 2024, Europe’s rail networks experienced unprecedented demand, with passengers embarking on 8.7 billion trips, accumulating a total of 444.5 billion passenger-kilometres. This surge marked a new record, eclipsing the previous peak of 400 billion passenger-kilometres set in 2019.
NETHERLANDS | Rising international visitor numbers, domestic travel showed signs of stagnation in 2025
Tourism in the Netherlands continued to grow in 2025, driven almost entirely by rising international demand, even as domestic travel showed signs of stagnation.
REVIEW | Pullman Tokyo Tamachi
Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and…
REVIEW | Jettime for SAS – Copenhagen of Brussels – economy – Boeing 737-800
Easter 2025. I’m visiting my uncle and aunt in Leland, North Carolina. It’s my first trip of two to the United States in 2025. I haven’t seen them live since February 2020 just before the first lockdown and I haven’t travelled to this area since 2019. I’m flying with SAS and Delta. The itinerary: Brussels…