tourists

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Iranian TV: Captured US Hikers Are CIA Spies

(Newser) - The three American hikers nabbed by Iranian authorities after allegedly crossing the border from Iraq were actually spies, an Iranian TV report claims. The Tehran-based station quotes an Iraqi policeman as saying the three were “working with the CIA.” Hillary Clinton meanwhile asked the Iranian government today for...

Family Confirms US Hiker's Arrest in Iran

(Newser) - The mother of one of the three Americans detained while hiking near the Iran-Iraq border confirmed that her son has been arrested by Iranian security forces, reports CNN. Joshua Fattal of Pennsylvania and two friends, who were warned by Iraqi police not to hike in the border region, were seized...

Iran Seizes 3 US Tourists
 Iran Seizes 3 US Tourists 

Iran Seizes 3 US Tourists

(Newser) - Iran has arrested three American tourists who were hiking near the border in Iraq's Kurdistan region, the BBC reports. Kurdish officials believe the hikers were seized after accidentally straying into Iranian territory. State Department officials say they are investigating and taking the matter very seriously. "It looks like the...

Reality TV Puts LA Tourism on Map

Who cares about Grauman's Chinese Theatre when you can shop near Paris Hilton?

(Newser) - Gone are the days when tourists came to Hollywood to gawk at the stars on the Walk of Fame. The new hot attractions are reality TV locales. And Los Angeles—hurting for visitors, with hotel occupancy rates down 14%—welcomes the attention: “It’s a new element that we...

French Are World's Worst Tourists: Survey

Poll of 40,000 hotels ranks visitors on politeness, generosity

(Newser) - The French are the world’s worst tourists, AFP reports. A global survey asked staff at 40,000 hotels to rate tourists on categories ranging from politeness to generosity to willingness to learn local languages—and the French finished last in several categories. Japanese tourists took honors in just as...

Al-Qaeda Murders British Hostage Held in Mali

(Newser) - A British hostage held in Mali has been killed by his al-Qaeda captors, the terror group announced on a website. Prime Minister Gordon Brown condemned the murder as an "appalling and barbaric act of terrorism," reports the BBC. Edwin Dyer was kidnapped in Niger in January with a...

Mexico Devotes $92M to Luring Back Visitors

Prez urges citizens to shake off swine flu, travel domestically

(Newser) - Mexico’s tourism board is taking a trickle-down approach to luring vacationers back after the swine flu outbreak, Advertising Age reports. It’s kicking off a $92 million campaign by urging Mexicans to counteract the negative perceptions and show visitors “that Mexico is not only a beautiful country but...

Saucy Brits in Nun Garb Freed From Greek Jail

Charges against 'naughty nun' stag party dropped

(Newser) - A Greek court has freed 17 British men arrested while carousing dressed in nun's habits with lacy lingerie beneath, the BBC reports. Charges of offensive behavior were dropped against the men—who spent a night in jail and appeared in court still in costume—after no one showed up to...

At Least 4 Dead in Calif. Bus Crash

(Newser) - A bus carrying French tourists overturned in central California, killing at least four and injuring scores more, reports KSBW-TV. The bus was carrying about 50 tourists from San Francisco to Santa Maria when it flipped over and skidded into a guardrail near Soledad. The cause is unclear. "I personally...

Mexico's Ailing Tourism Hit by Swine Flu

Outbreak whacks industry already reeling from drug violence

(Newser) - The swine flu outbreak is wreaking havoc on Mexico's tourism industry, already severely weakened by a worsening drug war. Tourism dropped 20% over the weekend, the head of a hotel association tells the New York Times. With most attractions closed, tourists already in the capital were seen in masks as...

Tourists Return to Iraq
 Tourists Return to Iraq 

Tourists Return to Iraq

First group of Western tourists since invasion arrive in Baghdad

(Newser) - The first package tourists since the days of Saddam Hussein have arrived in Baghdad, the Guardian reports. The group—four Brits, two Americans, a Russian, and a Canadian—are on a 17-day tour of the country, taking in the sights of ancient Mesopotamia in a journey that would have been...

Cairo Blast Kills French Teen, Injures 17 Schoolmates

Tourists targeted in possible Gaza retaliation

(Newser) - A French teenager was killed and 17 others in her visiting school group were injured when a bomb tucked beneath a bench exploded in a bustling Cairo bazaar last night, the Times of London reports. Police later dismantled a second device in a souvenir market. Three suspects are in custody....

Panda Bites Beijing Zoo Visitor, Again

Man jumped barrier to Gu Gu's enclosure to retrieve son's toy

(Newser) - Gu Gu the panda has struck again, biting a third visitor at the Beijing zoo. A Chinese tourist went over a 4-foot barrier surrounding the panda's outdoor exercise area yesterday to get a toy dropped by his son; the 240-pound Gu Gu bit his legs and refused to let go...

Sour Notes Fade for Real Von Trapps

Family, now Vermont innkeepers, comes to terms with Sound of Music

(Newser) - Being part of the family made famous by The Sound of Music hasn’t always had Johannes von Trapp, now 69, singing a happy tune, the New York Times reports, but passing the torch to a new generation has given him some peace. His son Sam is taking over the...

25 Dead in Israel Bus Crash
 25 Dead in Israel Bus Crash 

25 Dead in Israel Bus Crash

Russian tourists among victims of accident

(Newser) - At least 25 people were killed when a bus full of Russian tourists plunged into a ravine in Israel today, Haaretz reports. At least 12 more are in serious condition. The bus contained roughly 60 passengers traveling from St. Petersburg to the Red Sea resort of Eilat. The incident is...

$621M Hill Visitor Center Opens

Building will accommodate tourists visiting Capitol

(Newser) - Congressional leaders spoke today at the opening of the Capitol Visitor Center, the Hill reports. The center, which was heavily delayed throughout its 6 years construction and cost a well-over-budget $621 million, will be the first stop for visitors to the Capitol, who previously had to wait in long lines...

Venice Flooding Hits 20-Year High

Water up 5 ft. from normal in city of canals; tourists waved away

(Newser) - The Queen of the Seas is wetter than usual these days, as seasonal flooding has hit a 20-year high, submerging Venice's streets in up to 5 feet of water, BBC reports. The city of canals is now a veritable lake, and the mayor has warned citizens not to go out...

Thai Protesters Let Empty Planes Leave Airport

But vow to remain as 100,000 stranded tourists scramble to get home

(Newser) - Thai protesters allowed 37 empty planes to be flown today from Bangkok's main airport after European nations announced they would charter flights to evacuate nationals trapped there. The planes flew to a naval base, where travelers can try to arrange to catch flights home, CNN reports. Protesters will allow another...

Barenaked Brit Skinny-Dips at Tokyo Palace

Tourist arrested after climbing royal wall during hour-long chase

(Newser) - A naked Westerner jumped into the moat surrounding Japan’s fortified imperial palace today, Reuters reports, climbing its walls during a chase that lasted more than an hour. Onlookers giggled and snapped photos of the 40-year-old bald man, who claimed to be a British tourist from Spain. He was captured...

Egypt Frees 19 Tourists, Kills Kidnappers

European safari-goers released after gun battle, no ransom paid

(Newser) - The European tour group kidnapped in Egypt more than a week ago has been freed, according to official reports, after a gun battle between Sudanese troops and the kidnappers. Sudanese officials said yesterday that they’d killed the leader of the kidnappers and five other bandits in a shootout. Though...

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