Tourism
Why so many of Bali’s foreign visitors don’t – or won’t – pay its modest tourist levy
Scepticism of scams, tightness and a sense of entitlement play their part, but that’s not the main problem.
- by Zach Hope and Amilia Rosa
Latest
The Grollos are bullish on Mount Buller, despite the threat of less snow
It’s been a slow start to this year’s ski season in Victoria – and climate change poses an ongoing threat – but business on the slopes is booming.
- by Simon Johanson
Clive Palmer’s previously dumped car museum gets the green light – somewhere else
Vintage cars once owned by royalty are expected to be on display when Australia’s biggest car museum opens, after the idea was ditched in a different south-east Queensland council area.
- by Felicity Caldwell
‘Tourism kills the city’: Protesters soak diners with water pistols
The rise of tourism rental properties in Barcelona is partly blamed for a 61 per cent rise in property prices between 2013 and 2023.
- by James Badcock
French ‘Excalibur’ mysteriously disappears after 1300 years stuck in a rock
Durandal was claimed to be the sword of Roland, a legendary knight and officer of Charlemagne. It was lodged in stone 10 metres above the ground.
- by Henry Samuel
Lone Pine sanctuary in Brisbane bans koala cuddles
The Brisbane koala sanctuary has ended the popular practice at the tourist attraction, citing “increasingly strong” visitor feedback.
- by Cameron Atfield
Updated
Hotels
Hyatt Regency brand to disappear from Perth
The monolithic 1980s brick building represents WA’s aspirations following the 1983 America’s Cup win, Premier Roger Cook has reflected.
- by Peter Milne
What lies beneath: 10 of the world’s most incredible underground structures
Put ordinary buildings underground and they transform into something far more interesting and otherworldly.
- by Brian Johnston
‘Largest problem’: Barcelona plans to ban all holiday apartments by 2028
The boom in short-term rentals in Barcelona, Spain’s most visited city by foreign tourists, means some residents cannot afford an apartment after rents rose 68 per cent in the past 10 years.
- by Joan Faus
Exclusive
Architecture
The spot in Sydney where if you sing to whales, they sing back
Two new lookouts at North Head seem to conjure the whales, and there’s an eerie echo straight out of Finding Nemo.
- by Julie Power
Exclusive
Fishing
Lucky to be alive: a Perth family’s harrowing story of survival at sea
A monster wave turned a fishing holiday into a disaster for a Perth family, who have lost a $170,000 boat – but not their lives, thanks to a lucky break.
- by Claire Ottaviano