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Tourism
Stories about leisure travel in Hong Kong, China, Asia, and around the world.
Illustration: Huy Truong
Thailand

Rivals, rain and rising costs: Thailand’s tourism crown slips

As a border war with Cambodia flares and Malaysian tourism surges ahead, Thailand battles to save its holiday image.

Italy

Rome to charge tourists to get close to famed Trevi Fountain

Oman

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

New World Development

Rosewood opens French ski resort after sources say hotel brand is not for sale

Luxury hotel group announces Courchevel resort’s opening, just days after sources said the prized brand was not for sale.

General view of the Rosewood Hong Kong hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Dickson Lee
Asia travel

‘Limits’ to hospitality: 10 times Asia overtourism became a problem in 2025

From Japan to Indonesia, excessive tourism has created issues in some of Asia’s travel hubs this year.

The Philippines

Philippines struggles to win back Chinese tourists as regional rivals surge

New data shows Chinese arrivals to the Philippines hit 312,000 last year, only 18 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

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Viral stories

Japan city launches edible-looking boot souvenirs just like Taiwan braised pork rice

‘Mysterious’ footwear fashion item crafted to look identical to iconic dish takes culinary craftsmanship to a new level; includes ‘soft-boiled egg’.

A Japanese city has launched wearable boots which resemble the iconic Taiwan-style braised pork rice dish. Photo: SCMP composite/Taobao/rakuten.co.jp
Pandas

Video | Japan to be without pandas for first time in 50 years

While the twin pandas were born in Japan, they belong to China under a loan agreement and are set to return by February 2026.

Trending in China

China tourist in Japan sends 300 masks during Covid to host after overnight stay

Against backdrop of ongoing political tensions between the two countries, this heartwarming story quickly went viral on social media.

China-Japan relations

Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan lose momentum amid tensions: official data

Mainland visitor numbers rose just 3% in November after flight cuts and travel warnings took effect as diplomatic strains escalated.

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Mainland Chinese tourists visit Sensoji temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Thursday Photo: AP
France

Louvre crisis: why jewel heist, staff unrest push museum to breaking point

A US$102 million jewel heist exposed the Louvre’s security flaws, but strikes and decaying infrastructure threaten the world’s most visited museum.

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Louvre employees hold a banner reading “Louvre museum on strike” as they gather by the closed museum’s glass pyramid to protest working conditions on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong society

Hong Kong scraps New Year’s Eve fireworks, moves countdown to Central

Chief Secretary Eric Chan chairs interdepartmental meeting on arrangements for welcoming visitors over New Year break.

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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.

Hong Kong property

Kai Tak Stadium lifts Hong Kong’s status as major sports and entertainment venue

The 50,000-seat stadium drives repeat tourism, supports retailers and helps prop up retail property landlords, experts say.

An aerial view of Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Eugene Lee
European travel

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.

Knitwear is seen at a shop in Scotland’s Shetland Islands. The Shetlands are famous for knitwear, and people from around the world visit to learn knitting techniques and patterns, exchange ideas with like-minded people, and, of course, to see the Shetland Islands. Photo: Verena Wolff/dpa-tmn
Nepal

Nepal rolls out delayed tourist tracking system to keep tabs on foreign visitors

Starting next year, hotels and travel companies must begin automatically reporting visitor locations to a central government database.

China travel

Why South Korea is becoming China’s new bargain travel hotspot amid Japan spat

A slump in the won is making South Korea increasingly affordable for mainland tourists just as China warns against travel to Japan.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium ranks world’s No 3 in ticket sales in debut year

Venue’s ranking, just nine months after debut, cements city’s status as Asia’s events capital, operator says.

Kai Tak Stadium hosted the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers match between Hong Kong and Bangladesh. Photo: Sam Tsang
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.

Saudi Arabia

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’.

Egypt

Egypt reveals restored colossal statues of prominent pharaoh in Luxor

The giant statues, toppled by an earthquake in about 1200 BC, were meticulously pieced back together in a project that lasted about two decades.

A man takes selfie in front of the two colossal statues. Photo: EPA
Malaysia

Cold spots are hot tickets as southern Chinese head north to ski

Ski resorts record big visitor increases as high-speed rail and flight expansions bring in those who have tried the sport in indoor venues.

Children learn snowboarding at Jiangjunshan International Ski Resort in Altay, in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on December 1, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

‘Didn’t know where to go’: tourists struggle in Japan quake evacuation

Foreign visitors were left scrambling for multilingual information after Monday’s magnitude 7.5 earthquake.

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Indonesia

Airbnb ban in Bali? Indonesia says no, but crackdown on illegal stays looms

Bali’s governor wants to ban the online platform but the island’s problems with illegal rentals go beyond Airbnb, critics say.

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France

Louvre thieves escaped 30 seconds before police arrived: probe

Misdirected police and a lack of control room screens let robbers flee the Paris museum with a US$102 million haul moments before help arrived.

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Apolice car is parked in the courtyard of the Louvre museum on October 26 in Paris, one week after a jewellery heist. Photo: AP
United States

US plans to order foreign tourists to disclose social media histories

The move requires tourists from 42 nations to share five-year social media history, igniting privacy debates and free speech worries.

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View of a giant American flag inside Terminal 1 at JFK airport in New York. Photo: Shutterstock
North Korea

North Korea promotes new beach resort to Chinese tourists in 2026 plan

The Wonsan beach resort and the Pyongyang Marathon highlight plans for Chinese visitors in a post-pandemic tourism push.

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Viral stories

Tourists in disbelief as luggage drifts away during ferry ride in Thailand

Investigations reveal that crew had improperly secured luggage on upper deck, so when ferry hit rough seas, loose bags were tossed overboard.

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