Tag Archives: leisure

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Iconic British travel firm Thomas Cook has failed to find further private investment to stave off collapse and is now relying on an unlikely government bailout, a source close the matter told AFP on Saturday. The operator said Friday that it needed £200 million …

Lucerne, Switzerland | AFP | Switzerland, where gun culture has deep roots, has managed to avoid the charged national debates over firearm ownership that have consumed other countries. But in a state where compulsory military service means many are comfortable around weapons, voters might, in a May referendum, push back …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia plans to start issuing tourist visas “soon”, authorities said Tuesday, as the ultra-conservative kingdom seeks to attract international visitors in a radical overhaul of its oil-dependent economy. Tourism is seen as a major driver of growth as the kingdom attempts to wean itself …

Madrid, Spain | AFP |  International tourist numbers grew 6.4 percent in the first half of 2017, the  strongest half-year figures in seven years, with Mediterranean destinations posting double-digit growth, the UN World Tourism Organisation said Thursday. The number of international tourists surged to around 598 million between January and …

Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda | AFP | Nicaraguan singer Hernaldo Zuniga brought his entire family to trek through the lush forests and mist-shrouded volcanoes of northwestern Rwanda in search of mountain gorillas. He described their encounter with the critically endangered primates as “an almost spiritual” experience, and said it was the …

Fangshan, China | AFP |  The water might be chilly but dozens of naked men happily relax in an outdoor pool in a Beijing suburb making the most of the sunshine. “This is a paradise for Chinese nudists,” says 18-year-old Zhen, displaying a tiger tattoo on his chest. The small …

Gambia: Known until now to tourists mainly for muscular young men selling themselves on beaches to much older women from Europe Serrekunda, Gambia | AFP | For decades, The Gambia has built a reputation as a haven for tourists willing to pay for sun, sand, sea… and sex. But its tourism …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP | The cocktails keep flowing by the pool on the tourist strip, but in The Gambia’s markets many African migrant traders are packing up their businesses and heading home. The international community is piling pressure on President Yahya Jammeh to leave power after 22 years and …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s murder rate increased by 4.9 percent in the last year, official statistics showed Friday, with the police minister admitting the country was struggling with “a prevalent culture of violence”. A total of 18,673 people were killed in the 12 months to March …