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Lana Yang (left), wellness manager at Knai Bang Chatt, and her friend and fellow yoga instructor Aimee Ortagus lead a class during a three-day yoga retreat at the seaside resort. Photo: Cathy Hilborn Feng
Wellness

How this luxury Cambodian resort offers a yoga experience few others can match

Knai Bang Chatt, an eco-friendly seaside resort in Kep, left stressed-out Cathy Hilborn Feng feeling realigned from the inside out.

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Tourism

See dreamlike dunes and meet modern nomads in world’s biggest sand desert

SCMP Highlights

Hong Kong’s festive dining; music cuts dementia risks: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Art

Want to watch Tolkien illustrator John Howe as he works? Now you can

At Howe’s ‘Tower of Fantasy’ studio in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, visitors can watch him as he creates and view hundreds of his illustrations.

Illustrator John Howe poses at La Tour du Fantastique (“The Tower of Fantasy”), a new museum in Neuchâtel, western Switzerland, on December 9, 2025. The 68-year-old is famed for his interpretation of Tolkien’s literary work, which ultimately saw him serve as a concept artist on movie trilogies The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Photo: AFP
Illustrator John Howe poses at La Tour du Fantastique (“The Tower of Fantasy”), a new museum in Neuchâtel, western Switzerland, on December 9, 2025. The 68-year-old is famed for his interpretation of Tolkien’s literary work, which ultimately saw him serve as a concept artist on movie trilogies The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Photo: AFP
Tourism

Why knitters around the world love visiting Scotland’s Shetland Islands

Events like Wool Week and a deep passion for all things knitting make Scotland’s Shetland Islands a paradise for knitters and crafters.

Year of the Horse 2026

Mongolia’s child jockeys are key to its heritage. But are they in danger?

Light and agile, children have long held the reins in Mongolian horse racing. But the hazards of the sport make it anything but child’s play.

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Mainland China

China-led Asia-Pacific lifts global aviation outlook as profits set to soar

Passenger demand from China and India, eased visa rules and freight resilience drive growth as IATA forecasts record airline profits in 2026.

China and India will lead regional growth, fuelled by a rebound in tourism and the expanding middle classes, says IATA. Photo: Xinhua
China and India will lead regional growth, fuelled by a rebound in tourism and the expanding middle classes, says IATA. Photo: Xinhua
Tourism

How Saudi Arabia’s mountains offer authentic delights rarely found elsewhere

Far from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 development projects, the hills of Asir province and its capital Abha offer a place to ‘clear the mind’.

Wellness

She quit her corporate job to walk 5,700km alone across America

Jessica Guo became the first woman to hike a continuous route linking the Continental Divide Trail with the Great Divide Trail.

Food and Drinks

What to eat on Peng Chau, food-filled Hong Kong island great for day trips

Peng Chau is full of spots serving everything from old-school dim sum to pizza. Be sure to visit at weekends when most restaurants are open.

Alex Hung prepares dim sum at Hoi King Seafood, one of Peng Chau’s many popular restaurants. Head to the island at weekends to find delicious treats from Thai food to Hong Kong pineapple buns filled with ice cream. Photo: Kylie Knott
Asia travel

New arts venues in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, including the ‘Airpod building’

The Shenzhen Bay Culture Square and Aranya Art Centre Guangzhou show the Greater Bay Area’s ongoing efforts to become a cultural destination.

Shenzhen Bay Culture Square opened in November 2025, the latest public cultural landmark to open in the Greater Bay Area (Photo: Zhu Yumeng; Courtesy of MAD Architecture Studio)
Shenzhen Bay Culture Square opened in November 2025, the latest public cultural landmark to open in the Greater Bay Area (Photo: Zhu Yumeng; Courtesy of MAD Architecture Studio)
Tourism

This Japanese farm homestay lets you get involved in producing organic food

Part of the global Wwoof programme, the Sho Farm near Tokyo lets visitors get their hands dirty and learn all about organic farming.

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Tourism

Egypt’s Saint Catherine town is getting an overhaul. Not everyone is happy

A US$300 million project is under way to draw tourists to the biblical mountain town, but experts fear more harm is being done than good.

Tourism

11 of the best Unesco World Heritage sites in the US to check out

The US boasts 26 Unesco World Heritage sites, some of which are globally famous, like the Grand Canyon, while others are less well known.

The Grand Canyon in Arizona was recognised as a Unesco World Heritage site in 1979, and is known for its breathtaking vistas and geological significance. Photo: Shutterstock
Asia travel

Top 10 travel trends for Hongkongers in 2026, from road trips to ‘romantasy’

Booking.com’s ‘Travel Predictions 2026’ survey also finds Hongkongers are seeking nature, thinking of their skin and open to robot help.

Road trips that embrace spontaneity and discovery will be popular among Hongkongers in 2026, according to a travel survey by Booking.com. Photo: Sinclair Communications
Road trips that embrace spontaneity and discovery will be popular among Hongkongers in 2026, according to a travel survey by Booking.com. Photo: Sinclair Communications
Asia travel

Meet the quokka, the ‘world’s happiest animal’. Just don’t touch them, please

Famed for their perpetual smiles, quokkas are found on Australia’s Rottnest Island. But if you’re going there for a selfie, follow the rules.

Tourism

‘Hawaii of Europe’: how Madeira’s hiking trails offer movie-set-worthy scenery

Hiking is a huge draw to Madeira, where Earth’s largest surviving expanse of laurel forest is inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage site.

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Asia travel

Chinese cruise ship to Japan diverts to South Korea amid China-Japan spat

Chinese cruise operators are looking to avoid Japanese ports amid rising tensions, which is expected to spur tourism demand for South Korea.

Adora Cruises’ Adora Magic City is pictured in Shanghai in 2024. The Chinese cruise ship has changed its schedule for December to avoid stopping at the Japanese ports of Fukuoka, Sasebo and Nagasaki as planned, according to a notice posted on the government website of South Korea’s Jeju province. Photo: Future Publishing via Getty Images
Adora Cruises’ Adora Magic City is pictured in Shanghai in 2024. The Chinese cruise ship has changed its schedule for December to avoid stopping at the Japanese ports of Fukuoka, Sasebo and Nagasaki as planned, according to a notice posted on the government website of South Korea’s Jeju province. Photo: Future Publishing via Getty Images
Tourism

Interactive museum dedicated to the Shroud of Turin opens in the US

US$5 million museum features 360-degree projection rooms, Shroud of Turin replicas, interactive kiosks and a life-size sculpture of Christ.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Sandy Lam, Placido Domingo: 5 China Greater Bay Area music shows in December

See opera legend Placido Domingo in Guangzhou, catch Sandy Lam’s New Year’s Eve show in Shenzhen, watch a Russian classical quartet and more.

Tourism

Whisky, wool and Andy Murray’s luxury estate on a journey across Scotland

A trip from the Isle of Arran off western Scotland to Stirlingshire on its east coast takes in a land of natural beauty and friendly locals.

Cashmere goats are fed at Lunan Bay Farm in Angus, Scotland, which has the largest remaining farmed herd of cashmere in the UK and is the only farm of its kind in Scotland. Photo: TNS
Tourism

What are the food and wine wonders of Italy’s Liguria and Piedmont regions?

The neighbouring regions in northwest Italy are between them home to pesto, great wines, white truffles and more. Here’s what to enjoy there.

The Piedmont commune of Serralunga d’Alba, from which the two-Michelin-star La Rei Natura is about 3km away. Photo: dpa
The Piedmont commune of Serralunga d’Alba, from which the two-Michelin-star La Rei Natura is about 3km away. Photo: dpa
China travel

491,000 Japan-bound air tickets cancelled as China warns people to avoid travel

Lost ticket revenue could be in the billions of yuan, analyst says, as carriers brace for short-term capacity shifts if diplomatic tensions fail to ease.

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Food and Drinks

2025 or 1625? Diners at new Beijing restaurant ‘time travel’ to ancient China

Yan Wai Yan dishes up an eight-act period performance with an eight-course meal and provides hanfu clothing for those wishing to dress up.

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Tourism

Entrepreneur Lin Xiangxiong’s Penang art museum aims to ‘bridge cultures’

The mining boss and artist shares how his soon-to-open Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery will help make George Town a centre for cultural dialogue.

Construction workers at the Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery. The museum, dedicated to “Art for Peace”, is set to open in George Town, the capital of the Malaysian state of Penang, in December. Photo: Lisa Cam
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