The Thai resort of Pattaya that was once teeming with the flags of ever-present Chinese tour groups, Guangzhou natives Huang Hubin and Huang Junjie were enjoying the freedom of their first holiday since China dropped its pandemic travel curbs.
By booking independently, Hubin and Junjie, a marketing manager and a music producer both in their mid-20s, were liberated from the strict schedule of a guided tour, which before the pandemic was the main form of mass tourism from China to Thailand. More than 10 million Chinese tourists visited in 2019.
Younger, armed with apps and with more than enough funds to go it alone after three years at home, so-called free and independent travellers (FITs) like the Huang cousins are back across Southeast Asia, seeking adventure, local food, the chance to hype their social media and take a little risk beyond the confines of a tour.
The largest maze on the coast has opened in the city of Siófok on the southern shore of Lake Balaton. It was built from 200 hay bales and covers an area of 600 square meters
A virtual tour of the ancient Strashnaya Cave, located in the Krasnoshchekovsky district of the Altai Territory, is now available on the "3D Archaeology" website (a project of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences)
A grand journey for Father Frost aboard his magical train will begin this year on November 19th at the Taishet station, lasting for 54 days. During this time, the train will cover nearly 30,000 kilometers
The digital art festival "Miracle of Light" will take place from November 2nd to 4th at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. Bright projections will be accompanied by music, and artists will present unique compositions: they will tell the story of St. Petersburg in their own way and introduce the audience to unusual characters. This was announced on the festival's page on the social network VKontakte
