We haven’t travelled to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg since 2018 and 2019, but in January 2025 we returned to get a taste of the Alstom Coradia Stream HC which the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) runs under the name Série 2400. The Coradia Stream HC was a candidate to become NMBS…
Tag: COVID-19
Travel in 2024: Spain, France, USA, China, Mexico lose ground and Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, UAE to grow market share
In 2024, Google and consultancy giant Deloitte wrote the paper ‘NextGen Travellers and Destinations‘, studying the the before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, the paper was written before 2025, which has proven to be a year of turmoil the world hasn’t experienced in many decades.
France welcomed 100 million international visitors in 2024
Driven by the Olympic and Paralympic Games and cultural events, France is consolidating its position as the world’s leading tourist destination in 2024 with 100 million international visitors. The French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty is delighted.
Darklands organiser calls out unnecessary rules other events aren’t subjected to
Darklands 2025 is over and will be renamed Beyond Darklands Festival Antwerp for 2026. In a reel published on social media, the Antwerp kink and fetish festival for men who have sex with men, Darklands organiser Jeroen Van Lievenoogen points to challenging times to organise the event.
Madrid – Lisbon night train set to return in 2025 ahead of AVE
The governments of Spain and Portugal are advancing negotiations to reactivate the Lusitânia night train, which will reconnect capitals Madrid and Lisbon before the long-awaited AVE high-speed rail.
SPAIN | 94 million international visitors and €108.7 billion tourism income in 2024
Spain‘s tourism industry experienced an unprecedented year in 2024, breaking records with 94 million international visitors. The country is a prime example of an area struggling with overtourism. Vilified by citizens, but a major pillar of the economy and the welfare and prosperity of the kingdom.
UN WORLD TOURISM BAROMETER | International tourism recovers pre-pandemic levels in 2024
With 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals recorded globally, 2024 marked the recovery of international tourism from the worst crisis in the sector’s history. A majority of destinations welcomed more international tourists in 2024 than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, while visitor spending also continued to grow strongly. For 2025, more growth is predicted.
AUSTRIA | Tourism hotspot Tyrol
Frustrated by the Dinner Train debacle in May 2024, Sam, Danny and I looked for an alternative activity. As Sam is water baby, we and we don’t object to swimming pools, whirlpools and wellness facilities either, we booked three nights and two days in August 2024 at Aqua Dome – Tirol Therme Längenfeld. This ‘Signature…
GAY ANTWERP | Darklands 2026 changes name and concept, but keeps Waagnatie as venue
From Tuesday 25 February to Monday 3 March 2025, Darklands takes over Gay Antwerp. For the fifteenth edition, this kink and fetish festival mostly but not exclusively geared towards men having sex with men will take over the Antwerp venue of Waagnatie. It will be the last time Darklands will take place at Scheldt-side events…
UNITED STATES | From New Orleans to New York on Amtrak’s Crescent
June 2024. For our first visit to the United States of America since the COVID-19 pandemic, we flew to New Orleans via London Heathrow with British Airways. After two days of exploring NOLA, Amtrak‘s Crescent overnight train brought us from Louisiana to New York, where we we stayed one night only before flying home.