Mexico's hidden 'bat volcano'
Qasa Alom visits a hidden bat volcano, home to three million bats who sustain the local ecosystem.
This video is from The Travel Show, the BBC's flagship travel programme.
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Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
The ‘holiday roulette' proposal is doomed, whichever way you spin it
The year is 2025. The world's surface area is approximately 57.5 million square miles, but for one reason or another, the majority of tourists find themselves fighting for towel space on small stretches of beach, overlooked by locals screaming at them to 'go home'. Last week, the chief executive of the world's biggest hotel-booking firm proposed a novel solution to the thorny state of mass tourism: holiday roulette. Glenn Fogel, from parent company, told the BBC Today programme that visitor numbers to some overcrowded holiday destinations ought to be limited by a combination of 'higher cost and lottery'. Mr Fogel said: 'It's not for us to try to steer somebody somewhere. That's not my job. My job's not to propagandise and try and force somebody to go some place else. 'Look, somebody wants to come to London because that's their dream of their lifetime to visit London. Let's face it, you haven't lived if you haven't been to London. 'Who am I to try and tell them: 'No no no. You don't get to go to London, you only get to go to Birmingham.' 'I like the idea of both higher cost and lottery, so it's not just restricted only to the elite to visit London. I think that would be a bad thing for the world.' The idea of pricing people out of holidays to reduce numbers has been discussed before, and the moral pitfalls of such an argument are fairly obvious. But the notion of a lottery system is more unique. How would it work? Ticket lotteries do already exist in tourism, albeit on smaller scales. At many US national parks, a limited number of permits are issued for certain activities. For example, in the Grand Canyon only 450 people are given permission to raft the Colorado River each year, and in Yosemite National Park a maximum of 300 hikers can embark on the Half Dome Trail per day. In both cases, the tickets are allocated using a randomised lottery system. The Faroe Islands has previously run a volunteer tourism program on a lottery basis. On some Antarctic cruises, there are limits on how many people can go kayaking, camping or snowshoeing, so lottery systems are used to decide who can enjoy the experience. Justin Francis, the chief executive of Responsible Travel, told The Telegraph: 'From Wimbledon to Glastonbury and popular gigs, most of us will be familiar with a lottery ticket system for when demand outstrips supply. 'A lottery system limits numbers through chance rather than price, and that feels fairer. 'I think that when combined with other measures they could be an effective and widely used strategy for managing overtourism.' In Venice, day-tripping visitors already have to pay €5 per day to enter the city. If they are serious about bringing numbers down, why not issue a limited number of tickets via a lottery system? The principle could apply to other destinations. In Dubrovnik, there are three main gates into the city which could easily have turnstiles fitted if the city mayor so desired. Overcrowded islands could easily adopt such a measure, too. Ile-de-Bréhat, off the coast of Brittany in France, already limits daily arrivals to 4,700. Some beaches have imposed a daily capacity too, such as Calanque de Sugiton in France or Praia das Catedrais in Galicia. In all cases, a lottery system might be the fairest solution to distributing spots, if demand becomes untenable. But when you try to apply the principle at a wider scale, the idea quickly falls down. How, for example, would you possibly police a lottery system in a capital city like London, as Mr Fogel suggests? 'Lottery systems only work when you have a barrier or gate to check tickets,' says Justin Francis. 'It might work at the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, but it's hard to see how you would prevent people taking a stroll down Las Ramblas.' Gross simplification There are other pitfalls. An exclusive ticketing system opens itself up to the world of illegal touts, and there is the small matter of coordinating larger groups. What if you wished to meet friends at a destination, or attend a wedding? When you dig down, the suggestion that 'higher cost and lottery' could fix overtourism is a gross simplification of the quite broad issues at hand here. Susan Deer, director of industry relations at ABTA – the travel association, said: 'There isn't going to be a single solution to overtourism as it's a complex issue and not always just about the number of visitors. Destinations are all different and have their own challenges, so any approach needs to be part of a wider destination management strategy to achieve sustainable tourism. 'A lottery-type approach may work for some destinations and attractions in terms of managing visitor flows, but won't address other issues, such as lack of availability of affordable housing for local people.' All credit to Mr Fogel for putting his chips on the table. No idea is a bad idea, and all that. But as a sweeping fix for overtourism, the idea of restricting numbers using a 'holiday roulette' system is a miss, whichever way you spin it.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
'I've travelled alone for 25 years - this is how I got over my fear of solo holidays'
Tracee Ellis Ross, 52, has been solo travelling since her early 20s and now the Black-ish actress is sharing her top tips for those looking to dip their feet into the exciting world of solo travel. Actress Tracee Ellis Ross, 52, has been solo travelling around the globe since her early 20s, and now she's sharing pearls of wisdom about the experiences and lessons she's gained along the way with the world. In fact, the Girlfriends actress is so passionate about the concept, she's now the host of her very own travel show — a docuseries titled Solo Travelling with Tracee Ellis Ross, which premiered on The Roku Channel on July 25. Spread over three episodes, Tracee's travel docuseries follows the Black-ish actress as she jet sets off to Marbella (Spain), Cancún (Mexico), and Marrakech (Morocco) under the watchful eye of cameras. It comes after a warning to Brit tourists planning all-inclusive holidays to Spain. Sunbed wars see Brits forced to queue for 'over an hour' just to get to the pool Speaking to the BBC, Tracee shared: 'I've been solo travelling since I was, like, 24 or 25. And I think my first solo trip went so well that it just… stuck. 'Some people solo travel for adventure. Some people solo travel to meet people. Some people solo travel to get away from their families and their lives… I solo travel as a way to be with myself out in the world.' So what does the actress, producer, and beauty brand CEO do during her travels? 'I decompress. [I] let the dust settle... I learn a lot about myself but mostly I gain this emotional muscle of how to hold space for myself even when things don't go according to plan. I can do uncomfortable things and find joy.' Appearing on the TODAY Show, Tracee shared some tips for those contemplating dipping their feet into the solo travel game, advising: 'If you've never solo travelled you might be afraid, the first thing to do is see if you can go to dinner by yourself. Start with a Tuesday night at 6pm when the restaurant opens. If you can do that, move to a Friday or Saturday at 8pm. For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror's Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox. 'If you can do that and you still feel nervous about checking out a trip, go to someplace that you've been with other people — but go by yourself, and then you can start adventuring.' In a conversation with The Associated Press (AP), Tracee also advised solo travellers to ask themselves: 'Are you going on a solo trip because you're single and want to meet other people? Are you going on a solo trip because your life is overwhelmed with your children, your dogs, your cats, your job, your life, your survival, all the things, and you're going to have a moment to sort of recharge and get away by yourself? Or are you going for an adventure?' Upon deciding the kind of experience you're seeking out of your solo trip — that's when you can begin carving realistic plans to achieve your travel goals safely. The Reed Between the Lines star also encourages due diligence and caution. During her TODAY Show appearance, Tracee advised: 'This is really important for solo travelling in terms of safety. Some of the things that we have of ourselves that are the most empowered, beautiful, special parts of ourselves and our identity — we need to ask ourselves the question: are those things going to leave me vulnerable out in the world?" Tracee tells AP: 'You might not feel vulnerable, but depending on where you're going, it might leave you vulnerable. That's a very specific distinction and something to plan for in order to have a good experience.' And social media users can't agree more, with one Redditor commenting on Tracee's solo travel tips and writing: 'Everything she said here is 100% on point. I frequently travel by myself and LOVE traveling by myself. I'm not waiting for my bf or bffs to travel with me if they can't do it. I have things to see and experience. It was an easy thing for me to begin doing because I have always done things by myself, such as going to the movies or eating out by myself.' Another user shared: 'As someone with anxiety, this is GREAT advice. I've been doing more and more stuff solo and it's absolutely helped my confidence and self-esteem'. While a third Redditor couldn't stop gushing over the actress: 'Tracee Elis Ross is literally the pied piper of 'you don't need a man or kids to make your life meaningful.' I wish I could personally thank her for being the spokesperson for this movement.' Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you!
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
I couldn't shake my bad feeling about our luxury vacation. 24 hours later I was screaming over my husband's floating dead body
Bridget Hillsberg had an uneasy feeling from the moment she arrived at the Nobu Hotel Los Cabos in Mexico. She and her husband, Dave, had planned the trip for months - a joyous getaway with 28 close friends and relatives to celebrate Hillsberg's 40th birthday.
