Notre Dame reopening in Paris. After the devastating fire in 2019, the famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris will reopen December 8, 2024!
Las Vegas Sphere news. You might have heard about The Sphere in Las Vegas. Well, they’re going to build another one – in Abu Dhabi. No word yet on when it will be finished, but it will be about the same size as the one in Vegas, which seats about 20,000 people.
Universal Epic Universe opening in Orlando. This new theme park will open May 22, 2025 with a new Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Super Nintendo World, and a Dark Universe land, as well as a new Loews Hotel. Tickets are already on sale.
New Greenland airports. Greenland’s capital of Nuuk will open a new international airport at the end of November, which will allow larger planes to land. Two more airports in the country are planned to boost tourism.
Higher Venice tourist tax. From Fridays through Sundays and on holidays starting from April 18th and ending July 27th, you’ll pay a 10 Euro tax if you enter Venice without making reservations four days in advance. That’s a 5 Euro increase. The tax is only in force during peak hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Three-minute hugs at airport drop-off? I was amused to read that Dunedin Airport in New Zealand is now restricting goodbye hugs in its drop-off zone to three minutes. As a New Yorker, where goodbye hugs are barely allowed for three seconds, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Biden Administration investigating air travel competition. The antitrust division of the U.S. Justice Department and the Department of Transportation are looking into the effects of mergers and joint ventures between airlines. Good!
American Airlines fined. Speaking of the Department of Transportation, it has fined American Airlines $50 million for mistreating disabled passengers and damaging mobility devices. American has the worst record among the few remaining U.S. airlines.
Phone calls and Zoom meetings on your flight? Well, that’s the way it is now on Qatar Airlines. Sounds like a nightmare, if you ask me. I hope other airlines don’t follow suit.
New DOT rule now in effect. In the U.S., the Department of Transportation rule is now in effect which gets airline customers a refund if their flight is cancelled or significantly changed.
JetBlue status match. They have now added Southwest, Spirit, and Frontier to their list, which already included United, Delta, Alaska, and American Airlines. If you already have status with one of these other airlines, see if you can get a match with JetBlue.
Italy building a bridge to Sicily! This is exciting. Italy is hoping to spend nearly 5 billion Euros (with some help from the EU) to finally build a bridge across the Messina Strait between the mainland and Sicily. It will be the longest suspension bridge in the world and will be for both cars and trains. As of now, you can get to Sicily by boat, plane, or a train that travels across the water via ferry. No word yet as to when construction might start or how long it will take to construct, although I’m assuming it will take years.
Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, New York Travel Writers Association, and International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 43 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.
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