The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) voted to suspend Russia's membership over its invasion of Ukraine with immediate effect on Wednesday in a largely symbolic move, shortly after Moscow told the agency it had decided to quit. "The message is clear: Actions will always have consequences. Peace is a fundamental human right. Guaranteed to all. Without exception," UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili, a Georgian whose home country was invaded by Russia in 2008, tweeted after the ballot. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), talks during an interview with Reuters in Madrid, Spain, April 26, 2022. REUTERS/Juan Medina More than two-thirds of UNWTO's 160 member states backed the resolution suspending Russia's membersh...
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A superyacht linked to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich left Barcelona on Tuesday where it had been undergoing repairs in a local shipyard, ship-tracking data showed. The 140-metre (460-foot) Solaris, which sails under a Bermuda flag according to monitoring site Marine Traffic, left Spanish company MB92’s Barcelona shipyard just after 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Tuesday, according to the same site. MB92 declined to comment. The superyacht, which was built in a German shipyard and first took to the sea early last year, is one of a string of yachts owned by Abramovich, according to reports in luxury goods publications SuperYachtFan, SuperYacht Times and Forbes. Roman Abramovich's super yacht Solaris is seen at Barcelona Port in Barcelona city, Spain, March 3, 2022. REUTERS/ Albert Gea ...
Read MoreWhen Russian tourist Konstantin Ivanov tried to draw money from his home bank account at a cash machine on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, the transaction was blocked. Unprecedented sanctions against Russia's banks over its invasion of Ukraine are taking a toll on its citizens overseas, who have been left scrambling to find cash or turn to crypto transactions to get by. Visitors are seen inside a cafe frequently visited by the Russians in Badung regency, Bali, Indonesia, March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Sultan Anshori "This has created a huge problem for us. We have been left completely stripped of our finances - its like they have been completely frozen and we cannot use them at all over here,” said Ivanov, 27, adding that he might have to look for a job in Indonesia. The Russian...
Read MoreThousands of tourists from Russia are currently stranded in Thailand, officials said on Tuesday, as unprecedented Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine put a squeeze on Russians struggling to find flights and finances. Flight cancellations, a rouble currency in free-fall and payment problems from Russian banks being cut off from the global SWIFT system has left more than 7,000 Russians in limbo in locations like Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Krabi, Thailand's tourism authority chief said. Russian tourists sit at the beach in Phuket, Thailand March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Jorge Silva "We have to be good hosts and take care of everybody," Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters. "There are still Russian tourists on their way here," he added. Russia's embassy in Bangkok did not imme...
Read MoreIt took one electricity bill to crush Dimitris Diavatis' hopes that his Greek summer resort could bounce back to its pre-pandemic health this year, even with bookings pouring in. The amount was more than double what he paid this time last year when the hotel was not even open. After two sluggish summers, the irony was not lost on him: "We won't make a profit in a good year," he said. "It'll be eaten up by inflation." Greece - like the other tourism-dependent economies on the euro zone's Mediterranean fringe – is seeing signs of a much-needed recovery in visitor numbers in 2022 after two largely lost years. As in Spain, Portugal and Italy, the sector is a huge employer and contributor to state revenues. General view of the schist village of Fajao, Pampilhosa da Serra , Portugal, F...
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