North Island

Tourist's keenness to take photos dampened

He may not have the pictures to prove it, but an American tourist will remember his visit to Napier after stepping backward off a wharf while taking a photo.

China

Beijing has water for Olympics - if tourists come

BEIJING - The good news for Beijing's Olympics organizers is that they will have enough water and petrol, but they still need to work on vegetables and tourists.

China

Algae woes hit China’s Olympic sailing host city

BEIJING — To host the Olympic sailing events, the Chinese port city of Qingdao moved a massive boat yard, relocated industries and spent about $850 million on transport links, parks, pollution contr

Venice

Venice urges tourists to drink from fountains

ROME - As summer sets in, tourists visiting Venice will find fountains feature unexpectedly high on this year's sightseeing tours as the city council aims to reduce waste in the world's biggest consumer of mineral water.

A new initiative to cut down on bottled water consumption, called "100% Public" ( read more

Goa

Oil on beaches puts off tourists

PANAJI: The gooey brown stuff that currents are depositing onto Goa’s beaches are turning people away. This could spin off into a major problem for the tourism industry.

"The sea is not fit to go in," said Laxi, a visitor from Bangalore who was at Benaulim. Hotels have been hit and L’Amour in Benaulim has lost five guests in the ... read more

Luxury Cruise Passengers Forced To Wade Through Water

"Who's going to pay for my shoes?"

Passengers enjoying the opulence on one of the world's newest cruise liners were forced to wade across a flooded tarmac of the grain terminal this morning as Cunard's Queen Victoria docked in Brisbane.

One dismayed passenger asked a waiting photographer: "Who's going to pay for my shoes?"

China

Millions in China to greet new year without power

KAILI, China - Trains and planes are starting to return to normal across China, but millions are likely to spend the biggest holiday of the year without power and water in what for some is the coldest winter in a century.