travel

Intercontinental Hotels Group (NYSE:IHG) appointed industry veteran Bob Morse to chief operating officer for the Americas on Wednesday, replacing Angela Brav, who was promoted to president of the company’s Europe division. The management shake-up comes as IHG prepares for the 2012 Olympics in London this summer. More than 100,000 hotel …

Oklahoma family members recently hit the jackpot when they found an impressive diamond at an Arkansas state park this month – with tools they bought at a dollar store. The discovery, made at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, was announced by Arkansas State Parks on Sept. 23. A …

Las Vegas tourism continues to decline as fresh numbers reveal that fewer visitors are traveling to Sin City. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) recently released its numbers for July visitors, noting a 12% drop from last year. There were 3,089,300 visitors this July compared to over 3.5 …

A rare cross was recently uncovered in the United Arab Emirates, shedding light on Christian history during the early Islamic era. The discovery, made at Sir Bani Yas Island in the Persian Gulf, was announced by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism in August. The island contains a variety …

Sweden has launched a novel tourist campaign that urges boosting mind and body by traveling there, yet some are already sharing differing thoughts. The “Prescribe Sweden” campaign has partnered with medical professionals to help people benefit from the country’s “restorative experiences,” as announced by Visit Sweden. Stress management, lifting one’s …

Archaeologists in the United Kingdom recently unearthed ancient relics beneath a bustling marketplace — including the remains of a “vile” dungeon. Announcing the discovery in a Sept. 23 press release, officials at the University of Leicester said the dig yielded “extraordinary evidence of 2,000 years of human activity” in Leicester’s …

A British family uncovered a treasure trove in their own backyard — and now it’s going under the hammer for a whopping six-figure sum. The lot is being sold by coin dealer David Guest Numismatics. It will be auctioned in Zurich, Switzerland, on Nov. 5., and is expected to fetch …

The world-renowned Eiffel Tower in Paris shut its doors on locals and international tourists on Thursday amid a nationwide strike. As crowds of protesters marched from Place d’Italie toward the Eiffel Tower, the tower’s management announced in a statement that the landmark was closed to visitors due to the strike, …

With the increasing interest in “golden” visa programs, Portugal has now become the latest country to hop on the trend by exclusively targeting Americans. The LXL Ventures Fund offers a five-year residence-by-investment program for non-EU nationals. The special visa allows people to live, work and study in Portugal along with …

Researchers recently unveiled the faces of ancient Colombians who lived hundreds of years ago. Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in the United Kingdom announced in an August press release that specialists in its Face Lab were able to digitally extract face masks from corpses found in the Cordillera Oriental region …