The event is a specific sign of Taiwan’s attempt to present queer-friendly travel as part of ordinary tourism infrastructure rather than as a standalone nightlife product. Taiwan Tourism Administration officials said the LGBTQ+ itinerary was intended to be reflected in accommodation and travel services, not limited to promotional imagery. A report on the event said more than 300 people attended the interactive program.

That positioning matters for travelers interested in Tainan, Taiwan’s historic southern city. Tainan was Taiwan’s former imperial capital and remains known for temple culture, traditional food, compact historic districts and a strong local arts identity. Its queer scene is smaller and less visibly concentrated than Taipei’s, but that can be part of its appeal for visitors who prefer community-oriented spaces to a heavily branded LGBTQ+ tourism district.

A city where history is part of the itinerary

Tainan’s cultural character is not an accessory to a queer trip; it is the setting. Visitors can move from narrow lanes lined with low-rise buildings to centuries-old temples, food stalls and renovated creative spaces within a relatively compact urban area. The city’s identity is especially evident in its food culture, where snack shops and family-run restaurants are integrated into everyday neighborhoods rather than separated into a single visitor zone.

For LGBTQ+ travelers, this creates a different rhythm from a destination built around large Pride events or a concentrated bar district. A day might begin with temple architecture and local breakfast, continue through independent shops and galleries, and end at a queer-friendly café or cocktail bar. The appeal is less about a single “gay area” than about finding welcoming spaces within the city’s broader social fabric.

That quieter profile also explains why Tainan is not typically the first place named in international LGBTQ+ travel coverage. Existing travel guides describe the city as having a small network of gay-owned or gay-friendly cafés, bars and other venues, rather than a dedicated queer district.

The absence of a large district should not be confused with the absence of queer life. It means that visitors may need to plan more carefully, check current opening information and approach local venues respectfully. Because smaller community businesses can change hours or close without extensive international notice, travelers should confirm details directly through official venue pages or current local listings.

Why Taiwan provides an important regional context

Tainan’s welcome exists within Taiwan’s wider legal and social environment. Taiwan became the first jurisdiction in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, with marriage equality taking effect in 2019. The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association describes Taiwan as one of Asia’s more progressive destinations for LGBTQ+ travelers, citing both its legal framework and public acceptance.

That national context does not mean every traveler will have the same experience, nor does it erase the differences between Taipei, Tainan and smaller communities. It does, however, provide a foundation for couples and friends who want to travel openly while engaging with local culture. The legal recognition of same-sex relationships is particularly relevant to visitors considering weddings, honeymoons or travel with a partner whose identity may make safety and recognition important planning considerations.

Travelers should still use ordinary precautions: confirm accommodation policies, protect personal information, monitor local weather and transportation conditions, and avoid assuming that legal protections eliminate the possibility of discrimination. The available sources support Taiwan’s comparatively welcoming national environment, but they do not establish that every business in Tainan is LGBTQ+-friendly.

From promotional campaign to hidden gem

The Bangkok event was paired with a wider commercial campaign. Taiwan Tourism Administration’s Bangkok office and Krungthai Card Public Company Limited launched the 2026 “Unseen Taiwan” campaign, running from 2026-08-01 through 2026-11-30. The campaign offers participating Thai cardholders travel-related discounts, including airline promotions, reductions on activities booked through Traveloka and Klook, and restaurant cashback subject to the campaign’s terms.

“Unseen Taiwan” is not exclusively an LGBTQ+ initiative, but its timing alongside the Bangkok LGBTQ+-friendly travel promotion illustrates how inclusion is being incorporated into broader destination marketing. The strategy presents queer travelers as part of the ordinary international visitor market while also encouraging tourists to explore places beyond the most familiar routes.

For queer travelers, Tainan’s promise is therefore measured rather than theatrical. It offers a chance to experience Taiwanese history, food and neighborhood life in a city whose LGBTQ+ venues are present but not overwhelmingly commercialized. The city’s emerging appeal is supported by Taiwan’s national legal protections, local queer-friendly businesses and a tourism industry increasingly willing to name LGBTQ+ travelers directly.

The caveat is equally important: Tainan should not be marketed as a risk-free or fully documented queer enclave. Information about individual venues and community experiences remains uneven, and several details commonly repeated in travel content require direct confirmation. Still, the August promotion provides a verifiable recent development: Taiwan is actively building LGBTQ+-friendly travel into its regional outreach, and Tainan is a credible candidate for travelers looking for a less expected, culturally substantial base from which to encounter Taiwan.

The opening was first reported by Xtra Magazine in a video news post published on August 20. Xtra described Thunderhead as a space intended to commemorate the hardships, experiences and achievements of queer and trans people in Canada, connecting the monument to the country’s long LGBTQ2S+ rights movement.

Remembering the LGBT Purge

Thunderhead’s central historical reference is the LGBT Purge, a decades-long campaign in which Canadian government institutions investigated, surveilled and removed people suspected of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or otherwise queer. The campaign affected employees and members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the federal public service. The Governor General’s office says the discrimination extended from the 1950s through the 1990s and could hinder or end a person’s career because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The consequences of the purge were not limited to employment. Being identified or suspected as LGBTQ2S+ could produce fear, isolation and pressure to conceal intimate parts of one’s life. For some people, the risk of exposure affected their relationships, professional opportunities and sense of safety. Thunderhead therefore functions not only as a memorial to a government policy but also as a public acknowledgment of the personal costs of enforced secrecy. The monument’s official description presents the site as a place to learn about discrimination while also telling the wider story of LGBTQ2S+ rights in Canada.

The memorial emerged from the LGBT Purge class-action settlement. Reporting on the opening identified a portion of the settlement funds as the source of support for the monument and related memorialization work. The settlement followed a lawsuit brought by survivors who said the Canadian government had harmed them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

A Monument Shaped by Memory

Thunderhead takes its name and visual inspiration from a thunderhead cloud. The Governor General’s office describes the structure as an 11-metre monument whose form evokes both gathering danger and the possibility of transformation. Its surrounding public space is designed to support reflection rather than present history as a finished chapter.

The imagery is significant because LGBTQ2S+ history contains both experiences of state violence and stories of collective survival. A monument focused only on persecution could frame queer and trans people exclusively as victims. Thunderhead instead links remembrance with the achievements of the rights movement, allowing visitors to consider the people who endured institutional discrimination alongside those who organized, testified, provided care and created community.

That balance matters across generations. Older 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians may recognize the monument as an official acknowledgment of experiences that were previously minimized or kept private. Younger visitors may encounter the LGBT Purge as a direct example of how laws, workplaces and public institutions can reinforce discrimination even when individual people are not openly named or targeted in public. The site offers a way to connect those histories to continuing conversations about dignity, safety and equal participation.

Recognition, Access and Responsibility

The public opening also raised questions about who gets to participate in an event created to represent a community. The LGBT Purge Fund said the launch ceremony was invitation-only because of limited site capacity and security measures. Some members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that they were disappointed after being turned away from the ceremony. The fund said the site would be fully open to the public during the week of the opening.

That tension highlights an important distinction between a ceremonial unveiling and a genuinely public memorial. A restricted launch may be necessary for safety, accessibility or crowd management, but a national monument carries a broader obligation to remain reachable to the people whose histories it represents. Public access, clear interpretation and ongoing community involvement will shape whether Thunderhead becomes a living educational site rather than a symbolic structure visited only on official occasions.

The location also carries responsibilities beyond commemorating the LGBT Purge. Canadian Heritage identifies the monument as being on the unceded and traditional territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation, along the Kichi Sibi, or Ottawa River. That acknowledgment places 2SLGBTQ+ remembrance within the wider history of the land and requires visitors to consider how different forms of displacement, colonial power and institutional authority overlap.

For Two-Spirit people in particular, the monument’s national 2SLGBTQI+ designation invites careful attention to the differences between Indigenous understandings of gender and sexuality and colonial categories imposed by Canadian institutions. A complete LGBTQ2S+ history cannot treat “2S” as a decorative addition to an acronym. It must recognize that Two-Spirit identities are rooted in Indigenous communities and traditions, while also acknowledging the effects of colonial law and administration.

Why Thunderhead Matters Now

The opening of Thunderhead does not erase the harm experienced by LGBT Purge survivors, nor does it resolve every present-day concern facing queer and trans communities. Its importance lies in making an official record visible. By placing LGBTQ2S+ history near Parliament and the Ottawa River, Canada has created a public reminder that democratic institutions can cause profound harm—and that accountability must include listening to the people affected.

The monument can also serve as a resource for educators, public servants and visitors who may know little about the LGBT Purge. Its strongest impact will come from the conversations it generates: what happened, who was excluded from official histories, how survivors were supported and what safeguards are needed to prevent similar abuses. Memory becomes meaningful when it informs action.

Thunderhead’s opening is therefore both a commemoration and a responsibility. It honours people whose lives were disrupted by discrimination, recognizes the organizing that brought their experiences into public view and gives future generations a place to encounter that history. For queer, trans and Two-Spirit people, the monument offers a visible statement that their lives belong in Canada’s national story—not at its margins, but within the country’s account of democracy, justice and change.

Hat racks are hard to miss in central Athens this summer. Kiosks and stores keep outdoor stands piled high as more tourists in the Greek capital seek relief from the midday heat.

The Acropolis drew about 4.6 million visitors in 2025, a record year for Greek tourism. Many spend hours in mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit) temperatures with little shade. Even a carriage horse at the foot of the ancient monument has joined in, sporting a brown bucket hat with holes cut for its ears.

“You need a hat. I’m already red as it is,” said Jack Yosif, an Australian tourist wearing a black baseball cap. “It’s a bit more of a common thing nowadays, and people are a bit more aware.”

Scorching temperatures didn't deter a record 38 million visitors last year, the most recent for which there is data. The combination of extreme heat and high demand for sites — which means not everyone can visit in the morning — is adding urgency to sun protection.

Greek health campaigners have welcomed a growing awareness of the dangers of ultraviolet exposure and risk of heat stroke. Red Cross volunteers at the Acropolis hand out kits with sunscreen, water, information leaflets and red caps.

On nearby Syntagma Square, kiosk owner Konstantinos Mallios says hat sales have risen in recent years. His stylish and souvenir models run up to 20 euros ($24) while the cheapest costs 6 euros. Available elsewhere is semi-disposable headgear: mass-produced hats made using compressed paper pulp.

And there are more ostentatious options. At her basement workshop, hatmaker Lisa Sarigiannidou turns straw braids into boaters using century-old presses and molds in a matter of minutes. Her hats start at around 50 euros, with elaborate designs costing more than 100 euros.

“People’s attitudes toward hats have changed,” said Sarigiannidou, who was trained by her hatmaker father. “In the past, when a young woman tried on a hat and looked at herself in the mirror, she usually laughed. Now they try them on seriously … and they wear them straight out the door.”

Japan welcomed a record 42.7 million international visitors last year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. As international travel continues to grow, more travelers look past the country's best-known cities, drawn by regional food cultures, local traditions, rural towns and experiences that lie outside the traditional tourist circuit.

The growing interest is more than a desire to escape the crowds; it also opens the door to a broader view of Japan, where lesser-known regions offer a slower pace. A more thoughtful itinerary can reveal a side of the country that tourists previously missed while creating a more balanced experience for both visitors and residents.

Overcrowding the hotspots has caused Japan a problem

Japan's tourism boom continues to draw visitors from around the world. In May this year alone, 3.56 million foreign visitors arrived in Japan. The biggest strain falls on a handful of destinations that attract visitors for the same iconic sights, often during the same peak travel periods. Kyoto, Mount Fuji and popular spots around Tokyo have all faced growing pressure as visitor numbers rise.

Fujiyoshida, a city near Mount Fuji, offers a recent example: the town has struggled with a surge of visitors drawn to the iconic mountain views, and local officials cite congestion, litter and other problems linked to the influx. In February, the city canceled its annual cherry blossom festival at Arakurayama Sengen Park, a popular Mount Fuji viewpoint, due to concerns about overcrowding and visitor behavior.

In response, the national government now supports local projects that focus on spreading visitor demand, managing crowds through reservations and real-time congestion information, improving transportation and addressing litter and other nuisance behavior. Meanwhile, Kyoto continues to pursue measures that balance tourism with residents' daily lives, which include efforts to disperse visitors and encourage more considerate behavior.

Rethink the classic Japan itinerary

For years, the classic Golden Route influenced how many first-time visitors experienced Japan. It links Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, often with stops at Mount Fuji, Nara or Hiroshima. This itinerary remains one of the country's most popular ways to see its biggest landmarks.

However, more travelers now realize that the journey does not have to end there. Japan's tourism story is beginning to extend beyond Tokyo and Kyoto. As visitor numbers reach record highs, Japan's tourism strategy increasingly focuses on encouraging travel to regional destinations. Local governments invest in food tourism, outdoor recreation and cultural experiences that spread visitors more evenly across the country.

Traveling through Japan's eight regions highlights destinations where visitors can explore volcanic coastlines, alpine villages, remote islands and historic castle towns that rarely appear on first-time itineraries. For example, an itinerary that centers on Far East Hokkaido showcases the region's dramatic landscapes and local food, which offer a completely different experience from the usual. If you're a photographer, the iconic Meoto Iwa at Futami Okitama Shrine is another that most travelers miss.

The broader approach also leads to a more personal experience. Instead of treating Japan as a checklist of famous landmarks, travelers can choose a region based on their interests, whether that means food, nature, history or outdoor adventure.

Travel Japan with more intention

If touring Japan's most famous attractions is a must, visit during off-peak hours, on weekdays or in shoulder seasons. Arrive at popular attractions early, or keep your plans flexible so you can easily change course when a destination gets busy. This method lets you enjoy popular sights without adding to the crowds at their busiest.

Respect also matters, as Japan's most photographed places sit within communities where people live and work, so travelers should keep noise low on public transportation, follow photography rules, respect private property and learn local customs. Awareness of what visitors get wrong about traveling in Japan helps new travelers avoid cultural missteps and show greater consideration for the people who call these places home.

Food offers another reason to look beyond the country's busiest sightseeing routes. Offerings vary per region, so a trip built around local specialties can naturally lead travelers toward smaller cities, markets and restaurants. Instead of chasing the same viral food trend that appears across social media, eat locally to help spread tourism spending while creating a more meaningful connection to each destination.

Experience Japan beyond the crowds

Japan's best-known cities will always deserve a place on many itineraries, but they tell only part of the country's story. Choosing a lesser-known region over a repeat trip to Kyoto or Tokyo not only helps ease pressure on the country's busiest destinations, but also creates richer, more memorable experiences that extend far beyond the familiar postcard views.

Will is the content creator behind Going Awesome Places, an award-winning travel brand that focuses on outdoor adventure and experiential travel through his website, YouTube channel and social media. Best known for his detailed itineraries and travel guides, his content has been trusted by travelers for over 15 years.

The new deployment reads less like a routine schedule update and more like a statement of ambition; Celebrity is sending four of its Edge Series ships to Europe for the first time. "We're delighted to give our guests more ways than ever to experience the world's most extraordinary destinations in 2028 and 2029," said Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises. "From the breathtaking fjords of Norway to the untouched beauty of Antarctica, these itineraries offer endless opportunities to explore."

That reach shows up in specifics. Celebrity Apex will make the line's first-ever visit to Galway, Ireland, as part of new British Isles sailings. Celebrity Constellation and Celebrity Infinity will return to Bari, Italy, for the first time since 2014. Together with a renewed Celebrity Solstice sailing a full Japan season for the first time, the moves indicate a season built around expansion into new territory.

Europe carries much of that weight: Four Edge Series ships, Celebrity Beyond, Celebrity Xcel, Celebrity Ascent and Celebrity Apex, will sail the region, marking Celebrity's most extensive Northern Europe program to date. Celebrity Beyond returns to Europe for the first time since 2023, bringing two new dining spaces: the Mediterranean restaurant Bora and the Celebrity Pool Club, with Orange Peel Bar & Grille and Tacos del Sol. Celebrity Apex adds the Galway stop within new 12-night British Isles sailings, while Celebrity Constellation and Celebrity Infinity return to Bari after more than a decade away.

New territory opens up in Alaska and Hawaii, too. Celebrity Equinox will sail Alaska for the first time, with seven-night open-jaw sailings between Vancouver and Seward, plus a land-based Cruisetour through Anchorage, Talkeetna and Denali. The same ship will also offer new round-trip sailings to Hawaii from Los Angeles, giving guests a warm-weather option alongside the glacier routes.

Japan gets its fullest treatment yet, with the renewed Celebrity Solstice sailing a complete season in the country for the first time. The cruise runs April through October 2028, with stops built around Tokyo, Mount Fuji and overnight stays in Kyoto and Aomori. Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Millennium will also expand their reach into Okinawa, with 17 combined visits to the island in the new deployment.

The schedule also brings back Australia and New Zealand. Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Solstice will offer 23 sailings from Sydney and Auckland, ranging from four-night escapes to 14-night journeys that pair Australia's wine country with New Zealand's fjords. Celebrity Solstice will also sail South Pacific routes to Tauranga, New Zealand, along with Lifou in the Loyalty Islands and Mystery Island in Vanuatu. Winter sailings on Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Millennium extend into Southeast Asia, with overnight stops in Bangkok, Phuket, Bali, Hanoi, Hong Kong and Penang.

South America and Antarctica round out the push, with Celebrity Equinox offering an extended South America season. The cruise will offer 12- to 16-night itineraries touching five countries, and a return to Antarctica that includes a 16-night sailing over the New Year.

The East Coast gets its own moment: Celebrity Summit will sail seven-night trips from Cape Liberty, New Jersey, to Bermuda in May 2028, with two overnight stays built in for scuba diving, golf and time on the island's pink-sand beaches. Come fall, Celebrity Summit shifts to 12-night sailings from Boston through Canada and New England, with an overnight stop in Quebec City timed to the region's coastal foliage season.

Taken together, the deployment points to a line betting that guests want more than familiar routes. First-time stops, restored ports and full seasons in destinations Celebrity has only sampled before suggest a premium cruise line stretching its geographic footprint rather than deepening its presence in a handful of well-worn regions.

Where Celebrity goes next may say as much about the direction of premium cruising as it does about the line itself. Guests who've been waiting for Japan, Ireland or a longer look at Antarctica now have a season built around exactly that.

Drawn by crews that know passengers' names, less-crowded ports and slower itineraries, cruisers will spend more to get to know a place more deeply. Nowhere is this more evident than in Croatia, where large ships hit only the major cities of Dubrovnik and Split before moving on, leaving secluded coves and tiny towns to smaller vessels.

The same study notes that average per-person revenue increased by 64% among the passengers who traded floating cities for yachts. Hospitality brands respond with new options that invite experienced and first-time cruisers to the water in new ways.

Small ships go big time

A main topic in travel this year is the entrance of luxury brands into cruising. Companies like Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Orient Express and Aman all made or will make their debuts on the water with vessels holding 94 to 452 passengers.

Industry-wide, a shift is underway. Cruise lines invest more in both their largest and smallest ships, leaving the middle-size vessels to shrink from 57% to 34.6% of the worldwide fleet by 2037. The largest vessels will increase their share from 19.5% to 31.8% in that time. Similarly, vessels that accommodate 1,000 or fewer passengers will go from a 23.5% share in 2018 to 33.6% in 2037, effectively splitting the fleet into equal thirds.

In the megaship market, customers benefit from an endless choice of amenities and options. For some cruisers, though, the trade-off in amenities on a small ship is worth it for unparalleled access and attentive service.

A taste of yacht life

The MS My Wish from Cruise Croatia holds just 36 passengers. It doesn't have a casino or a pool. What it does have for big-ship converts is a different version of cruising altogether: stand-up paddleboards for daily swim stops, a modest open-air gym and a crew that knows every passenger's preferences.

Daily life onboard follows a familiar pattern. The day starts with a buffet breakfast as the ship leaves port. Mid-morning sees the ship drop anchor at a deserted stretch of coastline, where a chorus of cicadas and the scent of lavender entice guests into the impossibly clear water. On a small ship, " sea day " means something very different from what it's known for on a big cruise liner.

The ship pulls into port in the mid-afternoon, in small towns that don't make the news, like Rab, Krk and Primošten. It takes just an hour or two to explore the pedestrian-only old towns, leaving plenty of time for dinner at a traditional "konoba," or family-run tavern, before returning to the ship for a nightcap on the top deck with new friends.

Croatian cuisine shines in small ports

There is a brilliance to arriving in port in the late afternoon and staying until morning, especially in the heat of summer. Rather than sightsee in the hottest part of the day, small-ship cruisers spend this time refreshing in the water. Then, when the sun is less intense, they leave the ship to explore both the local area and arguably the most important part of culture: the food.

When cruising through Dalmatia, plan ahead and preorder a peka for an in-port evening. Croatia's version of the Sunday roast, "peka," cooks for hours under a bell-shaped terra cotta lid, slow-roasting lamb or octopus with root vegetables over coals for a deep, rich flavor.

On Rab Island, stop at the Kuća Rabske Torte Museum, which shares the story of the island's famous almond cake through a hands-on demonstration and tasting session. Throughout the country, don't miss the opportunity to enjoy fresh, spicy olive oil and decadent honey, washed down with a glass of minerally Pošip or crisp Malvazija wine.

The antidote to overtourism

Tourism to Croatia has been on a tear for over a decade, with set-jetters flocking to Dubrovnik, an important filming location for "Game of Thrones." In addition to individual visitors, Dubrovnik hosts more than 600 cruise ships annually carrying nearly 900,000 passengers to the city.

All that popularity led to overcrowding and a hollowing-out of Dubrovnik's Old Town residents. More than 50% of locals have left in recent years, leaving a 27:1 tourist-to-resident ratio. To combat the challenges, Dubrovnik instituted strict sustainability measures that limit the number of people in the Old Town at once, increase fees for accessing cultural landmarks and cap the number of cruise ships in port per day.

Foreign visitor numbers country-wide in the first five months of 2026 still increased by 5.9% over 2025, which was a record-breaking year. Though Dubrovnik continues to tighten its visitor policies, the city saw 50.3% of all cruise arrivals in the country through May 2026. The next highest city, Split, saw just 24.6% of arrivals.

Up north in the Kvarner region, small ships like the My Wish dock three-abreast in ancient port towns. Shallower waters and limited infrastructure keep big ships away, but the Old-World charm is as strong as in any Dalmatian coast city.

Once there, passengers mostly have the towns to themselves, even in peak summer months. Walking into a Michelin-starred restaurant in July is unheard-of just about anywhere, but it was possible at Restaurant Alfred Keller in Mali Lošinj.

What travelers want

Travel advisors, and the clients they serve, see small ships meeting a need that larger ships can't. The biggest benefits are less-crowded ports and more personalized service.

"One of the biggest advantages of a small-ship cruise is the access it provides," said Karee Blunt, a frequent traveler. "Instead of spending the day navigating crowded water slides and endless buffets, I spent mine kayaking and exploring secluded areas larger ships couldn't access. The smaller passenger count also made it easy to get to know both the crew and fellow travelers, creating a much more personal experience."

Jess Masters, a Bristol-based travel advisor, agreed. "The cruise market is booming, but we're seeing demand rising for calling into smaller ports where large cruise ships simply cannot enter," she said.

"Small-ship cruising shares the comfort and lifestyle of sailing on a yacht with a broader audience. Clients want to feel welcomed like a family member coming home, not an ID badge being scanned on entry," Masters added.

Good things in small packages

Small ships offer a compelling alternative to the rise of megaships. Passengers increasingly choose them to sidestep overcrowded ports, experience destinations in a more authentic way and enjoy personalized service from a small but dedicated crew.

Reaching Marrakech from a U.S. airport used to mean a European layover, landing in Paris, Madrid or Lisbon first and losing the better part of a day. Royal Air Maroc, the national carrier, had long flown from a few U.S. cities to Casablanca, but the red city itself sat behind Europe.

Two U.S. carriers fly into Marrakech now. United was the first to try it and has since put more seats on the route. Delta added Atlanta last fall, and in June, Royal Air Maroc opened Los Angeles to Casablanca, the first nonstop link between the American West Coast and the African continent.

Morocco ranked among the trending summer destinations in this year's U.S. search data, and the interest reads less like a cheaper stand-in for Europe than like an appetite for the food and the history.

5 of the Middle East and North Africa's best restaurants are here

Five Marrakech restaurants made this year's 50 best list, more than Cairo, Abu Dhabi or Beirut, and only Dubai placed more. The ranking is voted for by an academy of 250 chefs, critics and writers spread across 19 countries. La Grande Table Marocaine at the Royal Mansour came in at 19th place and took the year's hospitality award, and its team spends part of every year traveling the country to track down old palace recipes and family cooking, then puts them on the menu.

Three of the five sit in Guéliz, the modern quarter north of the medina walls, and they are less interested in old recipes than in building something new. Farmers placed 49th and won the sustainability prize, cooking since 2024 out of a converted Art Deco gallery and sourcing from a permaculture farm on the city's edge. Chef-owner Erwann Lance runs Le Petit Cornichon at 21st place, and +61, an Australian-style bistro named after the country's dialing code, took the 31st spot.

2 medina riads and a mountain kasbah

In the Marrakech medina, Le Farnatchi is a 10-suite riad that British hotelier Jonathan Wix built from several old houses two decades ago and his son James now runs. It is expanding to 15 rooms, and its restaurant, Le Trou au Mur, cooks the traditional dishes that had fallen off Marrakech menus, the home food a local family would recognize.

Also in the medina, Palais Beit Al Noor opened at the end of 2025 inside a restored 18th-century residence, the newest of the three. Its Franco-Lebanese owners rebuilt it around three courtyards as a private home rather than a hotel, with 12 rooms each named after a Lebanese cultural figure. The chef works an open kitchen that serves guests only, and the tagines coming out of it are artichoke or quince, not the version on the tourist menu.

Less than an hour from Marrakech, Kasbah Bab Ourika sits on a hilltop at the head of the Ourika Valley. It is the one property here that is not historic, built from scratch in the 2000s to resemble an old kasbah, using pise, the rammed-earth technique Berber builders have worked in for centuries. Its kitchen uses produce from the property's organic gardens, with a menu that changes daily and seasonally.

More US gateways, and a farm hotel taking bookings next month

Visitors are also spending more per head than they used to. Morocco's tourism receipts reached 53.8 billion dirhams, about $5.8 billion, by the end of May, growing faster than arrivals and working out at roughly $743 per visitor.

For now, the nonstop map is narrow: United and Delta fly to Marrakech from Newark and Atlanta, and Royal Air Maroc reaches Casablanca from New York, Washington, Miami and, since June, Los Angeles. Much of that demand runs on diaspora travel and Morocco's build-up to co-hosting the 2030 World Cup rather than food tourism alone. The effect for an American planning a trip is the same: the European connection is now optional.

Virgin Limited Edition is putting a 37-suite hotel on a working farm 25 minutes from Marrakech, with three restaurants fed by its own citrus groves and vegetable gardens. Reservations open next month, with the first 22 suites due early in 2027 and the rest a year later.

Morocco set itself a target of 26 million visitors by 2030 and now looks likely to hit it two years early, with a draft roadmap for 2027 to 2030 reaching for 30 million instead. More visitors means more competition for them, and the kitchens that stand out will be the ones cooking something a traveler cannot order at home.

On the 10th floor of the Gale Miami Hotel & Residences, the last stop in the circuit is a bath of ice water. Three days before that, and a few miles east, Hard Rock Stadium hosted the last of Miami's seven World Cup matches. The tournament filled Miami's summer, and the cold plunge is what hotels are counting on to finish it.

Shifting the goal posts

Hotel desks that spent June fielding requests for match-day suites are now booking recovery massages. August is the hottest month in Miami, and it can be hard to attract tourists. That's where Spa Months Come in. More than 30 spas across the county cut their treatment menus to fixed prices through Aug. 31.

Miami Spa Months records those prices at $109, $159 and $199, depending on the tier and the property. Hoteliers lean on the program to hold guests through the softest weeks of the calendar. The category reached $6.8 trillion globally in 2024 and is projected to hit $9.8 trillion by 2029.

For travelers, rituals normally priced as special occasions briefly become ordinary purchases. At Gale Wellness Spa, an 80-minute hammam that lists at $350 is going for $199, and two shorter treatments run $159 apiece. Across the causeway, the largest wellness spa on the Eastern Seaboard appears on the same list, as does Tierra Santa at Faena, which blends South American ritual with biohacking.

A softer summer than the scoreboard suggested

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau reported $22.7 billion in direct visitor spending for 2025, a record year; up 4.1% from 2024. Marcus & Millichap's Miami-Dade forecast expects hotel demand to grow 4.6% by year-end.

The World Cup was supposed to extend that run. Miami hosted seven matches, including the Bronze Final on July 18, and drew the strongest hotel bookings of any U.S. host city. Even so, 45% of local hotels projected a shortfall against forecast, and match-day occupancy across the market averaged just 24%.

What follows the tournament is the stretch of the year hoteliers here quietly dread. It is hot, humid, hurricane-adjacent and short on the conference business that props up the shoulder seasons. The county has spent decades discounting its way through it, and this year the discount comes attached to a category with real momentum.

Hotels have noticed. What was once an amenity is being rebuilt into a reason to book the room. A treatment room and a menu of Swedish massages no longer count as an offer.

Inside the Gale's 10th-floor circuit

Geography is the first thing worth noting about the Gale Miami Hotel & Residences, which sits downtown rather than on the beachfront. Wellness in Miami has long been a Miami Beach story, told through resorts with ocean-facing cabanas and price tags to match. This 51-story tower stands in the Worldcenter district, directly across from Kaseya Center and 6 miles from the sand.

Gale Wellness Spa occupies 18,000 square feet of the 10th floor, which is less a spa than a floor built around one. Five treatment rooms include a dedicated Vichy shower suite. Past them sit a yoga studio, an outdoor fitness terrace, private training rooms and a children's playroom. Guests are meant to spend the day, not the hour.

"At Gale Miami, wellness is an essential part of the guest experience, not just an amenity," said James D'Agostino, complex general manager for Gale Hotels. The offerings were designed, he said, so guests could "slow down, disconnect from the pace of the city, and leave feeling refreshed."

The heat circuit rewards anyone who works through it in order. A hammam holds a medium, humid warmth that loosens the shoulders first. A dry sauna follows, then a steam room, both warming from the inside out. By the end, the skyline beyond the glass fades into the background.

Then comes the cold plunge, and there is no graceful way to enter it. The ice bath is positioned as the closer for a reason; it resets everything the heat has just softened. It is 10 seconds of protest followed by roughly an hour of feeling genuinely excellent.

For Spa Months, the property runs three treatments rather than a single discounted massage. The 80-minute Gale Signature Hammam is $199, down from a standard rate of $350, while two 50-minute treatments, the Dead Sea Salt Escape and the Skyline Recovery Ritual, are $159 each against a regular price of $265. Guests can expect mineral-rich exfoliation, aromatherapy and cold plunge therapy.

Notably, nothing here lands in the $109 tier. That is a useful reminder of how the program actually works: the entry price can be found at smaller Brickell and Miami Beach studios, while the hotel spas cluster in the upper brackets, where a 40% discount off a $350 ritual is the real proposition.

Off-program, the standard menu starts with a Swedish massage, with a deep tissue upgrade available for an additional $36. It is the rare hotel upsell that changes the product rather than the packaging. Anyone who books here outside the promotional window should assume the upgrade is included in the price.

Bright, modern and understated, the building offers a calm contrast to Miami's more extravagant hotels. Casa Gianna, the main house restaurant, is Italian, working a high-heat oven that turns out properly blistered pizzas. Its starters are more inventive than you might expect. Cafe Gianna handles the rest, a streetside ventanita built on the Cuban window-cafe model, pouring espresso and Italian pastries from morning through lunch.

Even visitors who aren't staying overnight can enjoy the amenities. One floor below the spa, a 16,000-square-foot pool deck runs as the Gale Swim Club, with a bar and skyline views. An $80 day pass covers the pool, the fitness center and the bar. Food runs until 5 p.m., with happy hour until 8 p.m. That turns the wellness offering into as much a local business as a hotel one. It matters more in August than it does in February, when the rooms fill themselves.

The heavyweight on the beach

If the Gale is the challenger, Carillon Miami Wellness Resort is the veteran, and the difference in scale is immediately obvious. Its spa runs 70,000 square feet, the largest wellness facility on the Eastern Seaboard, and it operates a medical wellness division that pushes well past the massage-and-facial vocabulary. Cryotherapy, IV therapy and salt bath treatments all sit on the menu.

Carillon saw an opportunity in the World Cup, and launched a "Champion's Getaway" recovery package for the tournament. The package says a great deal about the resort's strategy. Rather than treating wellness as an amenity, Carillon positions it as a product that can be tailored to major events.

The property has been at this since before wellness became a boardroom term, and The Spa at Carillon Miami appears on this year's Spa Months roster alongside the newer entrants. Nearly every hotel in the county is now installing a cold plunge. Carillon has operated one long enough to know which treatments guests actually rebook.

Ritual meets biohacking at Faena

Tierra Santa Healing House at Faena Hotel Miami Beach makes the third case, which is that wellness does not have to look clinical or minimalist to work. The 22,000-square-foot space blends South American healing traditions with contemporary biohacking, a combination that sounds unlikely but works surprisingly well. The design maximalism Faena is known for runs through the whole space rather than stopping at the spa door.

Faena's participation is the quietly significant part. A property positioned at the very top of the market putting treatments into a countywide discount program reflects the realities of the season rather than the property itself. Even Collins Avenue is not immune to August's seasonal slowdown.

New money follows the trend

Perhaps the clearest sign that Miami's wellness shift is here to stay is the number of new wellness-focused developments now taking shape. Aman Miami Beach has opened on the site of the former Versailles Hotel, bringing a brand whose entire identity is wellness-first luxury into South Beach. Aman does not enter markets speculatively and cheaply.

Anantara Miami Resort & Residences reflects the same long-term outlook. It is Minor Hotels' U.S. debut for the Anantara brand, pairing a hotel with 100 branded residences and marketing what the company describes as vitality and longevity amenities. Branded residences are a long-horizon product, and attaching longevity programming to them is a wager that the buyer who wants a cold plunge in 2026 will still want one in 2040.

Together, the projects reinforce a broader shift already underway. Existing hotels are expanding their wellness offerings, new developments are placing wellness at the center of their identity and Miami's tourism industry is increasingly promoting the destination through that lens. More importantly, they show an industry betting that wellness will remain central to Miami's tourism and real estate markets long after the World Cup crowds have gone home.

The math behind the discount

The numbers help explain why wellness has become such a priority. A $6.8 trillion category growing toward $9.8 trillion is real money. Miami is better positioned than most American cities to take a share of it, with a dense supply of high-end hotels, a climate that cooperates year-round and an existing reputation for the body-conscious end of leisure travel.

Selling it at a discount is the harder part. Cutting a $350 treatment to $199 fills the table, but at 40% less, and Miami just spent four months leading the country in room rates. Trading price for volume in the weakest month of the year makes sense right up until it becomes the habit. Hotels here also compete with the islands a short flight away, which picked up nonstop service from Miami International this year. The Miami properties that come out ahead will be the ones turning a cheap treatment into something more durable: a room night, a dinner reservation, an $80 day pass.

Consider what the county is working with. Miami-Dade welcomed 28.3 million visitors in 2025 and generated $32.2 billion in economic impact, ranking it among the strongest destinations in the country, and very few of those visitors came in August. That gap is the entire reason a $350 ritual costs $199 right now. Tourism remains "a driving force behind opportunity and quality of life" across the county, GMCVB President and CEO David Whitaker said in reporting those figures, which is why a two-month discount aimed partly at residents is worth running at all.

Weather is the one variable nobody here controls, and after this summer the industry has learned it cannot count on a tournament either. What the county can offer instead is a reason to be indoors, horizontal and briefly, bracingly cold.

Plan your Spa Months visit

Miami Spa Months runs July 1 through Aug. 31, with treatments fixed at $109, $159 and $199 depending on the tier and the property. More than 30 spas participate, and a handful offer treatments priced above those tiers.

Booking directly with each hotel tends to be faster than working through promotional listings, particularly for weekend slots at the larger resorts. Beachfront properties fill first in August, while downtown availability holds longer. Budget for upgrades, which is where most of the real spending happens.

Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International both serve the county, and August airfares run among the lowest of the year. Rooms are cheap for the same reason the treatments are, and the plunge is bracing regardless of the season.