Topic: Travel and Tourism Sector

The Intouchables: movie review

Improbable pairing. You know the rest.

China's standoff with the Philippines heats up with travel warnings, oil drilling

Analysts say the oil-rich waters around Scarborough Shoal and the Paracels are but one factor in the increasingly prickly relations between China and the Philippines.

Top 5 ways to save on your summer vacation

If you're pining for a summer vacation but worried about costs, consider how Wayne and Pat Dunlap of Del Mar, Calif., managed to tour 51 countries over two years, marvel at the Egyptian pyramids, scale a New Zealand glacier, and visit Laotian Buddhist monks all for less than $100 a day. "We often stayed at guesthouses and hostels, ate at local family restaurants, took public transportation, and in some cases, traveled on cruise ships offering reduced rates," says Mr. Dunlap, author of the travel book "Plan Your Escape." This year amid price worries and higher summer airfares, especially to Europe such ingenuity could prove essential. Here are five cost-cutting strategies that can help:

Secret Service scandal sheds light on sex tourism in Latin America

Large events like the Summit of the Americas and upcoming Olympic games in Brazil can drive up the demand for prostitution and sex trafficking.

Six tips for a money-smart road trip

Being rigid in planning a route but flexible in schedule and housing are ways to ensure you get the most bang for your buck on the open road.

Top 10 cities where house prices are rising

House prices continue to fall nationwide, but here and there they’ve begun to turn up as Americans return to the housing market. Which 10 metropolitan areas have seen the biggest increase in the past year? The winners, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), include a state capital, a furniture-making center, and a resort that was once America’s foreclosure capital. Can you guess who they are?  

Crippled Costa cruise ship to reach land Thursday (+video)

Those aboard the Costa Allegra, a sister ship of the cruise liner that capsized off Italy last month, faced more stifling days and nights before the vessel docks in the tropical paradise.

Going green: View my world-class collection of hotel towel cards.

My global collection of towel cards tells guests how to be green (and save the hotel money) in a dozen instructive, chic, bossy, relieving, euphemistic, paranoid, minimalistic, and earnest ways.

Super Bowl tickets, package for sale? Caveat emptor.

Super Bowl tickets, travel packages should be treated with caution, Massachusetts officials warn New England Patriot fans. Advisory says fans should buy Super Bowl tickets only from licensed resellers.

Costa Concordia owners deny knowing about captain's near-shore salutes

A Costa Concordia executive distanced the company from the practice of near-shore salutes. Costa has suspended Capt. Schettino and declared itself an injured party in the tragic cruise ship sinking.

Obama at Disney World: foreign tourists could create 1 million jobs

President Obama paid a visit to Mickey Mouse at his Florida home Thursday to mark the signing of an executive order aimed at facilitating the processing of foreign tourist visas to lure travelers.

Porters are unheralded heroes of Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro

For every foreigner who climbs Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro, at least three Tanzanians swarm up the volcanic slope as porters, carrying 50-pound bags on their heads. Their one complaint: low pay. 

Climbing higher at German wind farm

A German wind farm offers a ropes course at the foot of a towering wind turbine, providing an alternative view of green energy.

After Costa Concordia disaster: 8 safety tips for cruise ship passengers

The recent cruise ship disaster in Italy has prompted travel industry experts to advise the public about safety steps they can take, not only aboard ships but also in hotels. When the Costa Concordia ran aground off the shore of Tuscany on Jan. 13, roughly 160 yards from the shore of Giglio Island, many of the more than 4,200 passengers and crew on board the ship were reportedly unprepared for the crisis and the evacuation that followed.

Nancy Dunnan, publisher of TravelSmart Newsletter, urges cruise ship passengers to take precautions to protect themselves and their belongings. She suggests the following:

Costa Concordia owner offers refunds, but gets low marks for response

Costa Concordia survivors will get full refunds, plus travel and lodging costs covered. But Costa Concordia owner Carnival Corp. faces criticism for its handling of the tragedy.

Two rescued alive aboard cruise ship off coast of Italy

A couple was found alive Saturday aboard the cruise ship Costa Concordia that ran aground off the coast of Italy. The captain of the cruise ship was arrested Saturday in Italy.

A bit late, winter grips Midwest and Northeast

Snowplow drivers were out in force overnight in Chicago, where temperatures plummeted. The storm could drop up to a foot of snow on parts of Ohio along Lake Erie before moving east.

Cruise ship aground: Search for missing off coast of Italy (+video)

Cruise ship aground: At least three died and some 50 people are missing after the Italian Costa Concordia cruise ship hit a sandbar Friday night off Tuscany, Italy.

Microsoft billionaire launches new space venture

Stratolaunch Systems continues a trend for Paul Allen, who has funded several different spaceflight and astronomy efforts over the years.

Six Picks: A british classic, parents' funny texts, Michael Bublé Christmas CD, and more

Smithsonian blog brings history to life, new website showcases humorous examples of parents' technological learning curves, Michael Bublé releases 2011 Christmas CD, and more.

The 'Prius of bicycles' switches gears by reading your mind

The Prius X Parlee bicycle combines light-weight design with brain-control gear shifting.

Hurricane Rina threatens Cancún and the rest of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula

Hurricane Rina, currently a Category 2 storm, could further mar the popular resort region, which has yet to recover from the damage Hurricane Wilma caused six years ago.

Want a space vacation? Russia luxury hotel in orbit will start at $1 million a week

A Russian company says it'll launch a luxury hotel into orbit. The space resort will offer views of Earth, sightseeing flights around the moon, and, of course, zero-gravity cabins.

Google's 16 biggest purchases, and how they worked out

Google's $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola will be its biggest acquisition ever -- more than four times the size of DoubleClick, the previous leader.

But over the last decade, Google has been one of the biggest -- and most successful -- acquirers in the tech industry, and owes a lot of its success to these smart buys.

Its core search advertising platform and most of its biggest new businesses, including Android, YouTube, and display advertising, all come from other companies.

Join us as we count down Google's top 16 acquisitions by value and show what happened to them.