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News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Insane surge of Aussies visiting this location
Australian travellers are embracing Egypt more than ever with the African destination still on everyone's bucket list. While the overall travel advisory from Smarttraveller for Egypt from Australia advises 'exercising a high degree of caution' due to the threat of terrorism, it is still considered safe to travel to many parts of Egypt, particularly tourist areas. According to Intrepid Travel, the destination has seen a 170 per cent increase in new bookings as Aussies chase the warmth this winter. 'We've seen a real shift in the way Aussies are choosing where to travel this winter,' Brett Mitchell, Intrepid Travel ANZ managing director told 'Travellers are looking to avoid crowds and overdone itineraries, and the numbers back that up.' He said a recent survey conducted by the Melbourne-born global travel company revealed more than 70 per cent of Aussies said they'd felt overwhelmed by the number of tourists while travelling, and 74 per cent said overtourism has made them rethink certain destinations. 'As a result, 76 per cent are now finding lesser-known destinations appealing,' Mr Mitchell said. Traditionally, Aussies would escape to Europe in search of warmer weather, but for the first time ever, more Aussies are choosing to travel to Europe during the shoulder season months (April, May, September) to avoid the crowds and heat. 'Even those still heading to Europe in summer are now seeking out alternative destinations – typically cooler, less crowded spots,' Mr Mitchell said. 'We've seen bookings to Iceland rise by 22 per cent and Norway by 30 per cent, highlighting the growing appetite for lesser-known destinations with fewer crowds.' He said bookings for Egypt are also up year-on-year, with travellers drawn to its rich history, culture and warm-weather appeal. 'Major investment in tourism infrastructure by the government as part of its goal of attracting 30 million annual tourists by 2028 has made it more accessible to travellers,' he said. 'New hotel developments, streamlined visa processes and improvements to transport are all helping travellers move more confidently through the country and encouraging more Aussies to visit.' Angus Kidman, travel expert at Finder, said the rise of Aussies visiting Egypt comes as no surprise. 'Pyramids have a pointed appeal, so it's no surprise that Egypt is on a lot of bucket lists,' he told 'With some folks put off by the current US travel crackdown, stricter rules in Bali and no more Jetstar flights to Hawaii, other destinations become more appealing. 'Egypt is also an easy attachment to a European trip.' He warned to ensure you're insured as soon as you book. 'Egypt isn't far from Middle Eastern trouble spots, so issues can arise that disrupt your booking,' he said. 'Travel insurance doesn't have to be expensive – shop around and compare rather than just taking the option offered by your tour operator or airline.' Sydneysider Tsoline Santi just returned from a 10-day trip to Egypt with her husband. She said not only did she feel safe but it was also great not having to dodge tourists constantly. 'I knew Egypt was a country rich in culture and history but I didn't know the extent of it and how beautiful it was,' the 33-year-old told Ms Santi visited Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and Hurghada as part of a Top Deck tour Delve Deep, adding the experience felt 'surreal'. 'Being able to see all the sites we've heard about our whole lives in movies and stories with our own eyes – it felt very surreal – especially the Pyramids and being able to go inside them,' she said. 'Our tour guide was great – he explained everything in detail about where we were going and if there was anything we should be mindful about, especially cultural differences,' she said. 'That definitely put us to ease. I probably wouldn't have felt as safe travelling without a tour group or guide, particularly because of all the police check points in between each city and having the relevant documentation to go through.' According to the TopDeck site, all their Egyptian Topdeck trip leaders are qualified Egyptologists. 'Meaning? You're gonna [sic] have more fact-filled days than you can poke a mummified finger at.' The Australian government's Smartraveller website has a 'do not travel' warning within 40km of Egypt's border with Libya due to the high threat of terrorist attacks, including the Taba-Suez Road. This is not near the hotspots mostly visited by tourists. Bunnik Tours, small group tours designed for Aussie travellers, has also seen a 112 per cent increase in passenger numbers to Egypt in the second half of this year compared to the same period in 2024. The Adelaide-based company said this has prompted a 24 per cent increase in the number of 2026 departures for their most comprehensive itinerary – the 25-day Egypt & Jordan Discovery small group tour. They currently offer seven small group tours to Egypt, with maximum group sizes of 20 people. Ms Santi, who also visited Greece and Italy, said it was refreshing to be in a country that wasn't so packed. 'Egypt was much less crowded which made it a lot more enjoyable to view all the sites,' she said. A recent survey by Global Rescue found that 73 per cent of travellers are worried about overtourism, and more than half are actively avoiding popular destinations like France, Spain, Italy, and Thailand. Anti-tourism protests have also been held across cities in Spain, Italy and Portugal as some locals feel foreigners are turning their cities into playgrounds while they are left behind with a housing crisis, rising rents and environmental impacts. It comes as popular destinations across the world have been desperately trying to find new ways to cope with a massive boom in tourism post-Covid and avoid the trend dubbed 'overtourism'. What other destinations are on the rise Meanwhile, Intrepid has identified other destinations outside of Europe on the rise such as Peru and Ecuador which have seen bookings from Aussie travellers up 83 per cent and 135 per cent year-on-year, respectively. 'Travellers tend to be drawn to South America's unique range of experiences and landscapes, many of which are brought together on our 25-day Ecuador, Galápagos & Peru Explorer, encouraging travellers to slowly explore these wildly different parts of the region,' Mr Mitchell told 'These destinations are still relatively affordable, less saturated with tourists, and include experiences that give people a real sense of connection to culture.'
News.com.au
4 days ago
- News.com.au
Phones ‘bugged': Inside North Korea's new beach resort where tourists are followed everywhere
North Korea has welcomed its first tourists to its ghostly new 'Benidorm' beach resort. But the initial batch of visitors have reported that they are followed everywhere and their phones are likely bugged. The newly built resort, called Wonsanâ€'Kalma, has opened for Russian tourists on package tours. It features a giant artificial white sand beach – once a missile test site – on the Sea of Japan, and was opened by dictator Kim Jong Un himself. But Russian guests say the experience is very different inside a state even more repressive than their own. 'You are accompanied everywhere … even on the beach someone walked with us,' according to blogger Daria Zubkova. Yet this was as 'sweet concern' for guests rather than more ominous snooping, she added. 'They are walking [with you]. '[If] you want, they chat with you, [if not] they just walk behind you.' Daria added that the minders 'argue that they worry about us getting lost or something else'. But the veterinary therapist added: 'What many people are afraid of ….is some kind of wire-tapping everywhere and so on. 'Most likely, I think that there is probably all of this, but we just weren't afraid, because we have nothing to say that would make someone scold us for it.' The resort can accommodate up to 20,000 people, according to reports, and has jetskis. Russian tourists holidaying there must make their own way to the eastern city of Vladivostok. From there they are flown into North Korea – to the capital city of Pyongyang. But once in the country, the group of 13 inaugural guests had their short flight from Pyongyang to Wonsan was suddenly cancelled – and a train arranged instead. 'An entire train for just 13 people is simply unthinkable,' said Daria. 'It was new, very comfortable, with airconditioning.' She added: 'I saw villages [from the windows of the train]….people are working in the fields, not very rich people.' Another tourist Lyudmila said: 'I was even interested in riding the train, because for the first time I saw that the mountains they paint in their pictures really exist. 'It is also very interesting to see the country from the train.' But once they got to Wonsan, their hotel was full with visiting officials and journalists accompanying Putin's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. The tourists were then moved to inferior accommodation. Tourists were also told that sending emails cost 1.65 pounds each ($A3.38) each. The tour company made clear that the secret police would have the opportunity to monitor their messages. 'Please note that the email will be sent from the hotel's email box, not yours. 'Therefore, to make it easier to find a reply addressed to you, we recommend that you include your room number in the subject line.' Tourists were also told in advance: 'We recommend taking tea, coffee, sugar with you!!! Fruits are not served.' But Daria added: 'There were a lot of types of meat, duck, rabbit, different types of fish. They really tried to please us.' The basic cost of this tour for Russians is 1,360 pounds ($A2,778) – once they have made their way to Vladivostok. All but 325 pounds ($A665) of this has to be paid in cash. 'We like everything,' said tourist Pavla Gambal. 'The sea is warm, the beach is clean, they keep order. 'The territory is well-kept. The food is very tasty, you can eat it.' It comes at a time when North Korea has sent soldiers to die for 'ally' Vladimir Putin, along with ship loads of military equipment and ammunition.
News.com.au
5 days ago
- News.com.au
Bali doubles down on demolishing hotspot
As one of Bali's most iconic surf and tourist hotspots undergoes demolition, authorities have hinted at what might replace the more than 40 businesses along the famous Bingin Beach in Uluwatu. What was constructed over five decades will soon be no longer as construction begins to tear down buildings that have been deemed 'illegal'. Viral footage shows authorities destroying bars with hammers and breaking through locked doors – the home and workplace of more than 300 locals. The hotspot has also been the go-to location for Aussie surfers and backpackers aware some Aussie travellers have had their bookings voided as the demolition begins. It comes as Indonesian authorities deemed the buildings to be illegal and in violation of planning laws, environmental regulations and to be encroaching onto state-owned land. 'The buildings for tourism businesses here are illegal — that's it,' Bali's governor, I Wayan Koster told reporters last week. 'We should not let this practice continue. If we let this go on, Bali will be damaged.' He said after the demolition, they will assess 'what we can do there'. 'Bingin Beach is a prime beach. I'm sure that once it's renovated, it will become an attraction, whether it attracts surfers or something else,' Mr Koster said. 'At the very least, tourists will want to come, and it will contribute to the wellbeing of the local community.' Widespread speculation suggests the removals may be linked to plans for luxury beach club development, similar to those popping up throughout the Uluwatu area in recent years, though this is denied by authorities. @ 😢 end of an era.. goodbye Bingin Beach. Many iconic venues are now being torn down. Was this the best solution? #bingin #binginbeach #bali ♬ lucid - zensei ゼンセー Footage shows Mr Koster wielding a sledgehammer outside the luxury Morabito Art Cliff boutique hotel as he took the first ceremonial swing in the government-issued demolition. Condemned buildings include timber warungs (food sellers), bars with distinctive Javanese joglo-style roofs, and more contemporary accommodations, built into the escarpment on the Bukit Peninsula. Local workers can be seen crying as dozens of officials get to work dismantling the properties. Ombak Warung Bingin, a small, family-owned business, argued authorities 'destroyed hundreds of people' and have left them unemployed. 'Why the rush? Why couldn't you have given us more time? Intimidation, pressure while we try to pack up,' they said in an Instagram post. 'Local, Families, Generations are affected. Tourists came for the Warungs and this unique beach. Where is the JUSTICE! 'Why couldn't there have been a better solution we are all Human and who decides what is right and wrong. Where is the Concrete going to go?' @ pemerintah kabupaten Badung bersama pemprov Bali, membongkar sejumlah vila dan restoran tak berizin di pantai Bingin, desa Pecatu, kecamatan, Kuta Selatan, pada, Senin, 21/7/2025. #SaveBingin #LawEnforcement #PantaiUntukRakyat #BaliBerdaulat #TolakPerusakAlam #TertibkanBali #SaveBingin #beachbingin #bali ♬ Shadows of Us - Gustavo Iltemberg Business owners – including Australian expats – argue the structures predate planning laws, many constructed under the island's traditional adat laws, which give control to the village. One Australian owner, who was warned that foreigners could be deported or jailed for joining protests against the demolitions, admitted the legitimacy of rental agreements was always in question, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported. 'We always knew Bingin could be taken away – that's part of what kept it humble. But we didn't think it would happen so quickly,' said the owner, who asked to remain anonymous. Some of the more than 300 locals affected filed a lawsuit against the Badung Regency government. According to the AFR, those bringing the case argue that priority should be given to Balinese adat law, under which many Bingin business owners were granted informal approval or written permission to operate. After weeks of back-and-forth negotiations with desperate business owners attempting to halt the demolition orders, authorities put their foot down. 'It is true that we have received a warrant for the demolition of the violating building at Bingin Beach,' head of the Badung PP Police, I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara, told reporters, as per the Bali Sun. 'We immediately sent a notification letter to the owners of the building in question, stating that the demolition will begin on July 21, 2025, and continue until it is completed.' Uluwatu's Bingin Beach has been a pilgrimage site for surfers since the late 1970s, with Australians making up a significant chunk of repeat visitors, and even expats. The beach's world-class barrelling lefts and laid-back atmosphere have made it a go-to within the global surf community, with the breaks Impossibles and Bingin. The demolition notices, issued via letter, posters, and WhatsApp messages, affect 45 buildings, including villas, homestays, restaurants, and other tourist facilities. 'We did this notification in various ways, in order to minimise the reason for ignorance during the execution process,' Head of Investigation Ida Bagus Ratu told local media. Regent of Badung Adi Arnawa said authorities will follow through on the mandate by the Bali Provincial Government despite widespread public outcry. 'Our community in Pecatu is very aware that they carry out activities on the land. So I hope no one comes to say this and that, pretending to be a saviour, to be a hero. People are aware when building on land that does not belong to them, so it is natural for them to leave the land,' Regent Arnawa stated, according to the Bali Sun. Eleven-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater is among those voicing concern on social media. 'Awful to hear and see that the beachfront at Bingin in Bali has been bought up and all the local (eateries) and other businesses will be demolished to make room for some kind of beach club and not sure what else?' he said. 'Bali has been completely mishandled and ruined by foreign interests in recent years. 'I hope something can be done to retain the culture and beauty of what attracted everyone there in the first place.' Bingin Beach is only reachable via steep staircases weaved through the cliffside buildings marked for demolition and the state of future beach access is unclear.
