Souvenirs on show
THE old tradition of keeping souvenirs as historical mementos is the focus of a new exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. The Telegraph reports that “Souvenir Nation” has opened at the Smithsonian Castle. Items on view include a brick from US President George Washington’s childhood home, a fragment of Plymouth Rock chiselled off by a 19th-century tourist, pieces of the Berlin Wall and a napkin that once belonged to Napoleon. The exhibition runs until August 2014.
THE CHINA SYNDROME
AIR POLLUTION has been blamed for a decline in tourists visiting China. Since January, when levels of smog reached new heights, the number of overseas visitors has declined.
From January to June, the total number of foreign visitors entering China declined by 5% to just under 13 million compared with the same period last year, according to the China National Tourism Administration.
The decline could be long-term if the government fails to make visible progress in dealing with pollution, experts say.
AEROFLOT GOES CHEAP
RUSSIAN airline Aeroflot plans to launch a low-cost subsidiary as soon as next year, according to a report in the Russian newspaper Vedomosti. It is expected to be based at Moscow’s secondary airport, initially linking St Petersburg and the capital with cities in the south of the country.
The Telegraph reports that Aeroflot has been involved in hundreds of fatal accidents, but it has made great strides to improve its reputation in recent years.
PARIS: NO-ONE LIVES HERE ANYMORE
PARIS risks turning into a Venice-style city devoid of real inhabitants, the city’s deputy mayor has warned.
The Telegraph reports that demand for small rooms in the city has led to a booming short-term rental market, with around 30 000 flats currently being illegally rented to tourists at above-market rates.
Said Jean-Yves Mano, deputy mayor in charge of housing: “We don’t want to become like Venice, a city devoid of inhabitants due to tourism.”
It is legal for Parisians to rent out their main residence while on holiday as long as they declare the rent to the tax authorities.
NEW TO CRUISE
THE launch of Emerald Waterways in Europe’s river-cruise business is set to challenge Viking River Cruises’ dominance of the four-star river-cruise sector.
Emerald Waterways will start sailing next April on the Rhine, Moselle and Danube with new vessel Emerald Sky to be joined in June by a sister ship, Emerald Star.
HAWAII STUBS IT
BARACK Obama’s home state of Hawaii will ban smoking on all its beaches as of January 2014. Lighting up in parks, at pools and bus stops will also be outlawed and offenders will face a fine of $100.
According to The Telegraph, the Hawaii Tourist Board said the move would allow holidaymakers to “truly relax in a healthy and beautiful smoke-free environment”. It will also reduce the number of cigarette butts left on the beaches.
NAKED, NOT SEXY
FRANCE’S nudist federation has started a drive to clean up the image of naturism, the Telegraph reports.
“Nudism, which is above all a philosophy of life in harmony with nature, suffers from a tarnished image, with some people wrongly associating nudity with sexual practices,” said spokesperson Armand Jamier. “Many people have the enduring feeling that [nudism] only interests the aged, whereas in the past five years, nudism has been attracting more and more families.”