TOURISM NEWS

Malaysia has secured the right to host the International Congress of Parasitology and Therapy (ICOPA) 2030 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) in Sarawak from 18 to 23 August 2030 — the first time in the congress's history that the quadrennial global scientific gathering will be held in Malaysia or anywhere in Southeast Asia — with approximately 2,500 delegates expected from the international parasitology and tropical medicine community.

Mexico's most photographed landmarks — Chichén Itzá, Tulum, Hierve el Agua, El Arco, and Peña de Bernal — are drawing millions of visitors in 2026, but the villages, cenotes, mezcal routes, marine ecosystems, and wine regions surrounding each site are reshaping how travelers are choosing to spend their time in the country.

FLY91 has launched Tirupati as its 13th network destination, connecting the Andhra Pradesh pilgrimage city to Hyderabad on a daily basis, to Vijayawada four days a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and to Rajahmundry on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — making FLY91 the only regional carrier operating three destinations in Andhra Pradesh, with bookings open at fly91.in and through the airline's travel agency network.

Dubai Airports has launched a collection of hospitality activations across Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport (DXB) running throughout August 2026, spanning live music performances by local artists, a Make Your Welcome Home Sign station, complimentary refreshments and chilled towels in Dubai Taxi, a transit-area refreshment programme supported by Project Chaiwala, Mirzam, Emirati District, and Garrett Popcorn, and an I Heart DXB interactive installation near Gate B28 where passengers upload selfies into a collective digital portrait displayed in UAE flag colours.

China's National Cultural Heritage Administration has issued an urgent summer safety directive requiring museums nationwide to conduct electrical inspections, strengthen crowd management, and update emergency response plans, with the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an — which received 531,175 visitors during the 2026 Spring Festival alone — identified as among the sites where the operational stakes are highest.

Canada's Travel Advice and Advisories platform has issued updated safety warnings for Tanzania, Peru, Kenya, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Zimbabwe, citing violent crime, terrorism threats, ATM fraud, cybercrime, and ferry safety risks that travellers must assess before departure.

Cafayate, a wine-producing town in Argentina's Salta province set within the Calchaquí Valleys, is drawing increasing international attention in 2026 as travelers seek alternatives to the country's major urban centers — offering a concentrated itinerary that combines the Quebrada de las Conchas Natural Reserve's geological formations, a wine route through some of the world's highest-altitude vineyards, the Museum of Grapevine and Wine, and direct access to the indigenous communities and agricultural traditions of northern Argentina.

Azerbaijan has announced plans to develop three new tourism and recreation zones between 2027 and 2030 as part of its national 2026-2030 tourism development plan, with each zone to include at least three fully equipped tourism centres, state-owned highway connections, and a public-private partnership framework coordinated by the State Tourism Agency across multiple government bodies.

Altınbeşik Cave National Park in Mediterranean Türkiye, home to the country's largest underground lake and ranked among the world's most significant subterranean lake systems, is attracting growing international interest in 2026 as community-led conservation models and slow-travel demand combine to redirect visitors from Türkiye's crowded coastal resorts toward the cave's silent karst chambers, accessible only by boat guided into the darkness along an underground river.

Albania, Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro are transforming into Europe's most compelling cultural destinations in 2026, drawing travelers away from overcrowded hotspots with UNESCO heritage towns, Ottoman architecture, and multi-civilisation archaeological sites across the Balkan corridor.

AIM Experience Group has launched two new structured membership tiers — AIM Explorer for individual travelers and AIM Collective for corporate organizations — offering curated experiences for intimate groups of 8 to 18 guests, with itineraries ranging from a private helicopter flight with the Die Another Day stunt pilot in Iceland and sunrise access to the Giza Plateau before public opening to a Formula Renault track day at the private Anneau du Rhin circuit across Switzerland, Germany, and France.

The permanent Russian National Pavilion opens in Navi Mumbai on August 21, 2026, offering Indian buyers direct access to Russian goods.