A plane spotter photographs a Cathay Pacific cargo aircraft as it takes off from Hong Kong International Airport. Aircraft enthusiasts from the city and beyond talk about the best ways to watch airliners in action. Photo: AFP

How to be a plane spotter in Hong Kong – the best airport vantage points

Plane spotters reveal where they go to get the best shots of airliners landing and taking off at Hong Kong’s airport, the joys of plane spotting in Japan, and the aircraft that excite them most.

46 minutes ago

Beach resorts without beaches? Why US casino city is begging for sand

Beach erosion has seen three major casinos in Atlantic City pressing the federal and state governments to expedite a sand replenishment project that was supposed to have been undertaken in 2023.

Beach erosion has seen three major casinos in Atlantic City pressing the federal and state governments to expedite a sand replenishment project that was supposed to have been undertaken in 2023.

3 hours ago

Travel influencer couple on horror India gang rape and Taliban interrogation

Travel influencers Fernanda and Vicente open up about Fernanda being gang-raped in India earlier in March and their Taliban interrogation while on an epic six-year motorbike trip.

Travel influencers Fernanda and Vicente open up about Fernanda being gang-raped in India earlier in March and their Taliban interrogation while on an epic six-year motorbike trip.

4 hours ago

Unspoilt bay in Sri Lanka aims to stay that way with tourism set to boom

Once a sleepy fishing community, Mawella in southern Sri Lanka is becoming a tourist hotspot. Native villagers and newer residents have teamed up to protect their ‘virgin beach’.

Once a sleepy fishing community, Mawella in southern Sri Lanka is becoming a tourist hotspot. Native villagers and newer residents have teamed up to protect their ‘virgin beach’.

18 Mar 2024 - 4:01PM

Things to see in Florence: Uffizi Gallery, Michelangelo, Ferragamo’s shoes

Come for the fashion, stay for the art: a visit to Florence to attend the Pitti Uomo menswear shows is an opportunity to see the best of the Italian Renaissance city, including Michelangelo’s David.

Come for the fashion, stay for the art: a visit to Florence to attend the Pitti Uomo menswear shows is an opportunity to see the best of the Italian Renaissance city, including Michelangelo’s David.

17 Mar 2024 - 5:15PM

Opinion

Visits to see London’s skyline, while impressive, don’t compare to Hong Kong’s stunning array of buildings and lights. It’s one of things I miss most about the city, and one of its biggest assets.

10 Mar 2024 - 7:17PM
8 Mar 2024 - 3:17PM
22 Feb 2024 - 5:02PM

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Tourists riding elephants at the Maetaeng Elephant Park, in Chiang Mai province, Thailand.  Separated from their mothers, jabbed with metal hooks, and sometimes deprived of food, Thai elephants are tamed by force. Up to 5.5 billion wild animals are being farmed globally in terrible conditions and exploited for tourism. Photo: AFP

How wildlife farming exploits up to 5.5 billion animals for profit

Up to 5.5 billion wild animals are being farmed in terrible conditions and exploited for tourism, and for their fur, feathers, meat, or bile in the case of bears, according to a World Animal Protection report.

13 Mar 2024 - 4:15PM

Angkor Wat alternative Koh Ker has ‘magnificent’ temples without the crowds

For tourists to Cambodia looking for a quieter alternative to Angkor Wat, Koh Ker, a Unesco-recognised Khmer temple complex in the jungle, offers impressive tiered temples and ‘magnificent’ artefacts.

For tourists to Cambodia looking for a quieter alternative to Angkor Wat, Koh Ker, a Unesco-recognised Khmer temple complex in the jungle, offers impressive tiered temples and ‘magnificent’ artefacts.

13 Mar 2024 - 2:27PM

How to avoid the crowds in Malacca, with its mix of cultures and cuisines

Malacca presents a kaleidoscope of 600 years of culture and architecture. Avoid the weekend crowds in the Malaysian town by planning a weekday visit – and follow our footsteps off the beaten track.

Malacca presents a kaleidoscope of 600 years of culture and architecture. Avoid the weekend crowds in the Malaysian town by planning a weekday visit – and follow our footsteps off the beaten track.

12 Mar 2024 - 12:45PM

Enjoy chills and thrills at Japan’s latest theme park, Immersive Fort Tokyo

Immersive Fort Tokyo puts visitors at the heart of the action, from the streets of Victorian London, with Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to a walk-through Hansel and Gretel experience.

Immersive Fort Tokyo puts visitors at the heart of the action, from the streets of Victorian London, with Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to a walk-through Hansel and Gretel experience.

11 Mar 2024 - 5:22PM

Inside Japan’s vice clubs, Taiwan’s forgotten disco era: 6 weekend reads

From the Japanese vice clubs tricking women into sex work to why 2024 could be Southeast Asia’s year for tourism, here are stories you may have missed over the weekend.

From the Japanese vice clubs tricking women into sex work to why 2024 could be Southeast Asia’s year for tourism, here are stories you may have missed over the weekend.

11 Mar 2024 - 12:00PM

Beach clubs in Bali: from ‘a little slice of heaven’ to big business

Bali has taken from Ibiza, Spain, the title of beach-club capital of the world. However, the Indonesian holiday island is not the only place in Southeast Asia with a thriving beach-club scene.

Bali has taken from Ibiza, Spain, the title of beach-club capital of the world. However, the Indonesian holiday island is not the only place in Southeast Asia with a thriving beach-club scene.

11 Mar 2024 - 3:43PM

China leads the charge on EVs, yet holiday drivers left with flat batteries

China’s rising number of electric car owners, a shortage of charging stations and other issues caused long queues and left some drivers stranded when millions took to the roads at Lunar New Year.

China’s rising number of electric car owners, a shortage of charging stations and other issues caused long queues and left some drivers stranded when millions took to the roads at Lunar New Year.

8 Mar 2024 - 7:15PM

Pakistan’s Karakoram Highway: an unforgettable road trip with downsides

A road trip along Pakistan’s 1,300km-long Karakoram Highway promises mind-bending mountain scenery and warm hospitality. But there’s instability here, and not just of the kind that leads to falling rocks.

A road trip along Pakistan’s 1,300km-long Karakoram Highway promises mind-bending mountain scenery and warm hospitality. But there’s instability here, and not just of the kind that leads to falling rocks.

16 Mar 2024 - 9:02AM

When Donald Trump tried to sell a US$30 million yacht for US$115 million

Ship brokers warned potential buyers off sinking their money into the Trump Princess when the future US president tried to offload in Hong Kong the yacht he’d bought from the Sultan of Brunei in 1987.

Ship brokers warned potential buyers off sinking their money into the Trump Princess when the future US president tried to offload in Hong Kong the yacht he’d bought from the Sultan of Brunei in 1987.

9 Mar 2024 - 7:53PM

Why Miami Beach is ‘breaking up’ with spring break college student partying

A history of crime during the spring break holiday for US college students has led Miami Beach, Florida, to announce curbs ahead of 2024’s festivities. But there’s a backlash, and not just from revellers.

A history of crime during the spring break holiday for US college students has led Miami Beach, Florida, to announce curbs ahead of 2024’s festivities. But there’s a backlash, and not just from revellers.

7 Mar 2024 - 8:05AM

Cambodia defends family relocations for tourism around Angkor Wat

After Amnesty International claimed families living for generations around the famed Angkor temple ruins had been relocated, UN agency Unesco demanded Cambodia respond. It claims removals are voluntary.

After Amnesty International claimed families living for generations around the famed Angkor temple ruins had been relocated, UN agency Unesco demanded Cambodia respond. It claims removals are voluntary.

5 Mar 2024 - 1:15PM

How the quieter end of Singapore’s main shopping street is getting louder

Orchard Road’s western end is more laid-back than the rest of Singapore’s most famous shopping street, but new hotels and rejuvenated malls are bringing a new vibe to the area.

Orchard Road’s western end is more laid-back than the rest of Singapore’s most famous shopping street, but new hotels and rejuvenated malls are bringing a new vibe to the area.

5 Mar 2024 - 7:21AM

The ultimate US ghost towns: exploring ancient Native American settlements

A wealth of Ancestral Puebloan Native American ghost towns and rock art await those who travel across the Four Corners region in the US, where the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico meet.

A wealth of Ancestral Puebloan Native American ghost towns and rock art await those who travel across the Four Corners region in the US, where the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico meet.

5 Mar 2024 - 12:07AM

‘It is an adventure’: desert camping takes off in Iraq during stable period

Desert camping is becoming popular in Iraq as the country experiences a period of relative stability, and young men looking for a ‘safe’ adventure swap city life for serenity among the sand dunes.

Desert camping is becoming popular in Iraq as the country experiences a period of relative stability, and young men looking for a ‘safe’ adventure swap city life for serenity among the sand dunes.

4 Mar 2024 - 4:21PM

How Paris’ ‘Chinese Chinatown’, Belleville, has much to offer tourists

Paris has one Chinatown, but another is fast rising in bustling Belleville. As the city gears up to host the 2024 Olympics, visitors should consider including the neighbourhood in their itineraries.

Paris has one Chinatown, but another is fast rising in bustling Belleville. As the city gears up to host the 2024 Olympics, visitors should consider including the neighbourhood in their itineraries.

5 Mar 2024 - 11:33AM