Europe

Turkey: British Tourist Falls to Death from Parasail in Antalya

Date: August 4th, 2010 |

A British tourist fell 150 feet to his death when his parasailing harness broke at a beach resort in Side, 47 miles from Antalya, July 24. The tragic incident was preceded by another British tourist almost falling from a shredding harness a month earlier when parasailing with the same company, which operates from a beach-side [read more]

Turkey: PKK Threatens to Attack Tourist Areas

Date: July 28th, 2010 |

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The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) threatened to attack urban and tourist areas in western Turkey in retaliation for the Turkish military’s campaign against it in northern Iraq. The separatist group has conducted terrorist attacks on tourist sites in the past, including bombings in Marmaris in 2006 and a suicide bombing on a popular shopping street [read more]

Netherlands: EU Court Supports Maastricht’s Ban on Foreigners in “Coffee Shops”

Date: July 21st, 2010 |

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Maastricht, a town near the borders of Belgium and Germany and not far from France, plans to ban foreigners from its marijuana cafes, better known as “coffee shops,” because of the daily influx of thousands of tourists looking to get high. Some 4,000 drug tourists cross the borders every day with more on weekends, composing [read more]

Greece: 24-Hour Strikes Continue to Disrupt Travel and Transport

Date: June 30th, 2010 |

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More strikes against austerity measures paralyzed Greece June 29, raising the question of whether the almost-weekly 24-hour shutdowns will continue throughout the summer and blow a hole in the country’s tourism industry. Tourism brings in 20 percent of Greece’s national income and the strikes have shut down the port at Piraeus, essentially stopping ferry service [read more]

Italy: Fake Goods Carry Hefty Price; Thuggery on the Rise in Rome

Date: June 9th, 2010 |

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It’s hard to resist a bargain, especially if it strolls right up to you on the beach, but an Austrian tourist discovered the true cost of buying a fake Louis Vuitton purse from a vendor when she was hit with a 1,000 euro ($1,195) fine for buying a $13 knockoff. The beach vendors, often Senegalese [read more]

Greece: More Strikes Make Life Miserable for Greeks, Travelers

Date: July 28th, 2010 |

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More strikes disrupted life and travel across Greece when both air traffic controllers and truckers walked off the job, delaying hundreds of flights and creating gasoline shortages around the country. Air traffic controllers returned to work July 27 and withdrew plans to strike July 31 to give the government time to address their concerns. Truckers [read more]

Vatican City: Guards Turn Back Immodest Dressers

Date: July 28th, 2010 |

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Authorities have begun enforcing a dress code to enter Vatican City that previously applied only to St. Peter’s Basilica. The ban on “immodest clothing” now applies to shorts and “shoulder-revealing” tops. Locals, who are accustomed to treating Vatican City as just another neighborhood in Rome, were surprised by the crackdown, while tourists who were barred [read more]

France: Rent That Paris Vacation Apartment While You Can

Date: July 7th, 2010 |

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It may soon become harder to find a short-term apartment rental in Paris now that the government is enforcing a law passed in 2005 that prohibits renting residential properties for less than a year. By turning their apartments into vacation homes, 0wners can make up to three times the value of an annual lease even [read more]

Greece: Tourism Workers to Strike

Date: June 16th, 2010 |

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After a series of strikes by various unions over the past several weeks, including riots in Athens that depressed tourist numbers, now the country’s major union representing tourism workers plans to strike for four hours June 16 and 24 hours June 30. Union members include hotel and restaurant workers so the likelihood of major disruption [read more]

Iceland: Second Volcano About to Blow?

Date: June 2nd, 2010 |

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Scientists warned that Iceland’s Katla volcano, much larger than Eyjafjallajokull, may be on the verge of eruption. A research paper prepared by the University College of London Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction analyzed the last decade of seismic activity around Katla and found that an eruption soon is a strong possibility. Historically, Katla has [read more]