Latest news with #tourists
CBC
8 hours ago
- CBC
Jasper gathers to commemorate 1 year after wildfire
Jasperites gathered to remember and exchange stories, one year after they were forced to flee their homes as a wildfire encroached on the community. Businesses are rebounding and tourists are back but residents are still waiting to rebuild.
New York Times
10 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Hoping to Visit the U.S.? It Might Cost You an Extra $250.
Millions of foreign visitors to the United States, including travelers from Mexico, India, Brazil and China, will be subject to a new $250 visa fee as part of a spate of changes introduced by the Trump administration's recently enacted domestic policy bill. The fee, which may be refundable, will apply to nonimmigrant visa categories, including foreign tourists, business travelers and students. It will not apply to most visitors from Canada or to visitors covered by the United States' visa-waiver program, which includes much of Europe and a handful of countries in the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere. The tourism industry is bracing for the impact of the new fee. Even tourism leaders who supported the bill's aims to shore up U.S. immigration rules balked at the fees as an unnecessary impediment to international travel. Concerns have also proliferated among international soccer fans in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Here's what to know about the new fee. Who will have to pay the $250 fee? The charge, called a 'visa integrity fee,' will apply to any foreign national who requires a nonimmigrant visa to enter the United States. That includes business visitors, vacationers, temporary workers, students and medical tourists, among other categories. The $250 fee will be levied in addition to the $185 cost of the nonimmigrant visa itself. Some 11 million visitors were issued nonimmigrant visas in 2024, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of State. Visitors from countries that participate in the visa-waiver program, which includes most of Europe, as well as Australia, Chile, Israel, Japan, Qatar, South Korea and the United Kingdom, among other countries, will not be subject to the fee. Most Canadian visitors will also be unaffected. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBC
15 hours ago
- CBC
Boating incident keeps Canadian tour operator on land for week
Popular with tourists hoping to see whales, puffins and other marine life, the Sea Watch Tours vessel Day's Catch got stuck Sunday in Black Rock, south of Grand Manan, during a private tour with few passengers aboard.
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Moment vigilante Italian councillor catches female pickpocket in the act in Venice before alerting crowds of tourists
This is the dramatic moment a gang of would-be pickpockets targeting unsuspecting tourists in Venice are caught by a crime fighting councillor. Monica Poli, known as Lady Pickpocket, spends her time touring the piazzas and ferry jetties of the famous lagoon city while keeping an eye out for the crooks. The modern-day Artful Dodgers – made famous in the Charles Dickens classic Oliver Twist – are the scourge of Venice, which sees more than 30 million tourists a year. Although the majority of visitors leave with no issue, so far 900 have been victims to pickpockets. Armed with just her phone Mrs Poli - who is a Northern League councillor - tours Venice and knows the majority of the 'dippers' by sight. When she sees them, she screams out in Italian and English 'Attention Pickpockets', usually sending the would-be thieves running. In one of her most recent videos, Mrs Poli caught a female pickpocket red handed as she targeted an unsuspecting tourist in Venice. Dressed smartly, the young woman easily blends in with other travellers as she follows her target over the famous Rialto Bridge. Using a map as cover the girl manages to unfasten her victim's handbag but is thwarted as the woman quickens her pace. At that moment Mrs Poli confronts her and asks in Italian:'What are you doing ?' before the clip ends with the pickpocket scowling as she tries to hide her face. In another video which Mrs Poli shared with MailOnline, three young girls, who are known pickpockets, can be seen in a square in the centre of Venice, but when they see they are being filmed, they disappear. Another video shows Mrs Poli confronting three men on a jetty while they try to board a crowded boat carrying tourists. One is dressed in a yellow T shirt, bucket hat and carrying a rucksack and as he spots that he is being filmed he darts off into the street as Mrs Poli alerts tourists: 'Pickpocket, watch out thieves.' An accomplice of the man is also seen leaving the jetty after being pointed out and a third tries to blend into the crowd before deciding that he too will make good his escape and run up the street. Shouting at him in Italian she says: 'Off the jetty, thief, get off the jetty,' as he waves his arms in frustration at her while tourists look on and some even applaud her for her quick thinking. Mrs Poli's crime fighting exploits caome as Venice's deputy police chief Gianni Franzoi revealed 900 wallets and purses had been recovered since the start of the year – enough to fill 15 black bin bags. Officials said that 100 pickpockets and bag snatchers had been arrested but they were also fighting a losing battle as gangs were now using children as young as 12 and 13 and so therefore under the age of criminal responsibility. Favoured spots for pickpockets in Venice include crowd boarding ferries, the streets leading to St Mark's Square and the Rialto bridge which are tiny and cramped and so when a pickpocket brushes past the victim and helps themselves, they know nothing. But it's not just tourists who have fallen victim, Diplomats based in the city and an Arab sheikh have also fallen foul of the young pickpockets who even if they are caught are usually released without charge because of their age. Mrs Poli said: 'This is a real problem for us in the city, the age of these criminals because they are so young the police can do nothing but let them go. 'They should be at school or playing with their friends not out stealing wallets and purses for Mr Bigs – it really is like something from Oliver Twist and the bad guys are just like Mafias.' Mrs Poli – who also runs a campaign group called Non Distratti (don't get distracted) – has been fighting for years to tackle the problem and regularly posts on social media clips of herself confronting pickpockets. One video has amassed an amazing two million clicks as she confronted one pickpocket who took flight – but not before spitting at her as he fled the pontoon jetty. Both Mrs Poli and Mr Franzoi highlighted how a law change in 2022 has also made it more difficult for pickpockets to be convicted even if they are caught and charged. Known as the Cartabia reform after former Italian MP and justice minister Marta Cartabia introduced it, the measure changed the way in how minor crimes were handled by the country's justice system in an attempt to speed up cases and clear backlogs. With regard to pickpockets it meant the victim had to make a formal complaint and then also turn up at trial and if they didn't the charge was annulled – but as both Mr Franzoi and Mrs Poli pointed out many victims are 'overseas tourists' and simply don't bother. Mr Franzoi added: 'We have been tasked with tackling pickpockets since the 1990s and we have a dedicated squad but over the years the number of incidents has increased considerably. 'In the early 2000s it was mainly Romani men and women but in recent years it's younger people and especially girls, mainly children who live in camps outside Venice and they are all part of organised gangs. 'They are very accomplished and know that they can act with impunity because of their age and all we can do is give then a sheet of paper telling them to leave the city limits which they do but then they just come back. 'The Cartabia reform has really made it difficult for us to secure prosecutions because it needs the victim to make a complaint and turn up for the trial but a foreign tourist is not coming back for a trial over a stolen wallet or purse.' Mrs Poli added:' The city of Venice is a labyrinth of alleys and side-streets and by the time you call the police and they arrive the pickpockets have gone but they all know me, and I know have to be very careful. 'I've been threatened and spat at but I am not going to back down and will carry on, what really upsets me is when I see old people and disabled people being pick-pocketed, that makes me so angry and makes me want to fight on.' Mrs Poli also shared her tips for not being pick-pocketed in Venice and did say the chances were small but advised: 'Keep your bag in front of you with the zip shut and put your hands over it if you can. 'Be careful in crowds especially in the streets and if someone brushes past you double check to make sure you have your wallet or purse – the problem is pickpockets dress just like you and me in Venice. 'A lot of it is common sense, don't keep important documents with your credit cards, keep them separate and if you have a bag make sure it has an inside zip pocket.'
France 24
18 hours ago
- Climate
- France 24
Heat forces new Acropolis closure amid fiery temperatures
Temperatures were predicted to rise above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) along the Turkish coast and in North Macedonia, where authorities urged people to stay at home as much as possible. Greek weather experts said the heatwave would intensify until Sunday with temperatures surpassing 43C in Greece. The thermometer hit 42.9C in the town of Sparta on Tuesday, according to the national observatory. The Acropolis, one of the world's most popular museums with up to 23,000 visitors a day, would close on Tuesday and Wednesday during the hottest hours between midday and 5.00 pm (1400 GMT), the culture ministry said. The decision was taken "for the safety of employees and visitors", the ministry said. The Acropolis, sitting on a rocky hill overlooking Athens and which has a priceless collection of artifacts, was also partly closed on July 8-9 and has seen similar measures in the past two summers because of the heat. Too hot About a dozen mostly foreign tourists were gathered around the closed gates of the landmark as the heat intensified. "It's too hot to be in Athens. The heat is slowing me down very much. And it's just very uncomfortable," said Chris, a 48-year-old American tourist, who explained that he had missed a flight to one of the Greek islands and would be stuck in the Greek capital until Thursday. "I don't want to be in Athens," he declared. Christina, a 49-year-old Italian visiting Athens with her mother and 10-year-old daughter, said her family was used to the searing heat because of conditions in her home country. "Now I think we will have lunch. We will find a restaurant with AC," she said. The Athens region could see temperatures reach 43C on Saturday, according to the weather site which warned of "the risk of negative effects on health". The labour ministry suspended outdoor work between midday and 5.00 pm in several regions as part of emergency measures to help workers cope with the heatwave. Some cities opened up air-conditioned public rooms. With scientists warning that rising temperatures would cause more frequent and more extreme heatwaves and other freak weather conditions, Greece and other Mediterranean countries have been through a growing number of ultra-hot summers. Authorities said that 2024 was the hottest summer ever recorded in Greece. In neighbouring Turkey, temperatures that are above the seasonal average are expected to last until the end of July, according to the MGM national meteorological service. Temperatures have been about 35C in Istanbul and Ankara since the weekend and in the western resort of Izmir was predicted to reach 42C on Wednesday, according to the MGM. In North Macedonia, which has been battling a number of forest fires, authorities said temperatures would only reach a peak at the end of the week. High temperatures have also been predicted for Albania, where a number of forest fires raged on Monday, and in northern Bosnia as much of the Balkans sweltered in intense heat.
