The truth behind America's cruise obsession: 'They don't want to see anything that's real'

Tech Insider : Travel, Economy
Collage of images highlighting Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas cruise ship alongside a standard cruise ship, with passengers engaging in various cruise life activities such as enjoying drinks, sightseeing, and leisurely walks along the beach
The Icon of the Seas sets sail on January 27. But what is it an icon of?

Royal Caribbean International; Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI

Bethlehem, which relies heavily on tourism during Christmas, is a ghost town

Tech Insider : Travel
Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
A priest walks by the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023. Bethlehem is having a subdued Christmas after officials in Jesus' traditional birthplace decided to forgo celebrations due to the Israel-Hamas war.

(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

New York City needs China's economy to bounce back

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy
Tourists take a selfie near Rockefeller Christmas tree.
Tourists take a selfie near the Rockefeller Christmas tree.

NOAM GALAI/Getty Images

Japan has a glut of 8.5 million akiya, empty 'ghost houses' left to rot. Now Airbnb wants to fill them with tourists.

Tech Insider
Old Japanese house and garden in Genemongama factory, Kyushu region, Arita, Japan on August 23, 2023 in Arita, Japan.
Old Japanese house and garden in Genemongama factory, Kyushu region, Arita, Japan on August 23, 2023 in Arita, Japan.

Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images

The verdict is in on how much Texas' heat wave clobbered its economy this summer

Tech Insider : Economy
A fire fighter in Texas drinks water in the heat.
A fire fighter in Texas drinks water in the heat.

BRANDON BELL/Getty Images

You can now book an Uber hot-air balloon in Turkey for $159

Tech Insider : Travel, Technology
Uber Balloon
Uber Balloon.

Uber

Tourists are still not returning to China and that's not good for anybody

Tech Insider : Economy, Travel, Economy
Great Wall of China.
Fewer people are visiting the Great Wall of China.

Suphanat Wongsanuphat/Getty Images

Maui business owners need tourism to survive, but say visitors should rethink how they use resources: 'It's not Disneyland'

Tech Insider : Economy, Travel
Maui business owners Kyle Kawakami and Garrett Marrero
Maui business owners Kyle Kawakami and Garrett Marrero are helping out with the wildfire recovery while also trying to run businesses that rely on tourism.

Courtesy Kyle Kawakami and Garrett Marrero

A Maui restaurant owner is 'praying visitors will start to come back soon'

Tech Insider
An aerial view of buildings and cars exposed to fire.
The Maui wildfires killed more than 100 people.

Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources/Handout via Reuters

The PR manager for Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok on the downsides of the job, why backpackers are the bane of his existence, and how 'The White Lotus' changed his workday

Tech Insider
Dan Schacter, regional director of public relations for the Four Seasons Thailand
Dan Schacter.

Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River

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