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Nearly 18 months since the Chinese tourism market reopened to Australia, annual visitor numbers to Queensland’s Gold Coast remain down by almost 75 per cent compared with pre-COVID figures.
Safer community 'should be teenagers' legacy' after waterfall deaths
It has been a deadly summer near inland waterways across Queensland. After more deaths this week, community leaders say opportunities have been missed that could keep swimmers safer.
Photo shows An aerial image of a waterfall and waterhole surrounded by rainforest.A 'Russian village' at the centre of backlash in Bali has now been shut down
Balinese authorities have finally had enough and sent hundreds of police to shut down a luxury villa complex known to locals as the "Russian village" after years of simmering tension and suspicion about building permit violations.
Photo shows An aerial shot shows the PARQ Ubud complex under construction in the middle of rice fields and verdant strips of trees.Cat forgotten in plane cargo hold reunited with Melbourne family
Mittens, 8, was booked for one-way travel with her family from Christchurch to their new home in Melbourne.
Photo shows Margo Neas is relieved to have her cat home with her in Melbourne.Meet the Australian Adventurer of the Year who's on a 30,000km walk
Lucy Barnard has received an Australian Geographic award part-way through her mission to become the first woman to walk from the southernmost tip of South America to the top of North America.
Photo shows Lucy Barnard with her dog, stands near the edge of a lake ringed by brown hillsHMAS Protector, bought for just 10 pounds, now a marine paradise off Heron Island
HMAS Protector, crumbling offshore of Heron Island, played an important part in Australia's naval history and is now a marine paradise providing security for fish, turtles, rays, and sharks.
Photo shows A rusted out shipwreck in the ocean with a small island in the backgroundIs WA's electric vehicle charging network fit for purpose?
WA's emerging EV charging system saw the state named one of "52 Places To Go This Year", but enthusiasts say the network is far from up to scratch.
Photo shows A picture of the Collie electric vehicle charging station in Western AustraliaLove grows among the weeds for ecotourism devotees
Ecotourism is drawing travellers across Australia, including on remote Lord Howe Island where Ian Sinclair and John Pemble got married after a morning spent pulling weeds.
Photo shows A rugged mountainous island, viewed from the air.Nearly 1 million Australians visited Japan last year
Nearly 1 million Australians visited Japan last year, up more than 300,000 from 2023.
Photo shows Tourists flocking at a train station in JapanHalls Gap bliss turns business misery as insurers deny bushfire coverage
Asip Memishi's family pleaded with him to leave as he prepared to defend his pub from bushfire in Victoria's Grampians. He knew if it burned, he wouldn't be able to rebuild.
Photo shows A balding man stands in the restaurant of his hotel, he stares, stern-faced, down the barrel of the cameraFull but not occupied: Ghost camping rears its head in Tasmania
"Ghost camping", the practice of leaving an unoccupied tent or caravan on a campsite to reserve it, is again frustrating holiday-makers in Tasmania. Could a campsite booking system be a solution?
Photo shows Tent at beachside camping area.Calls to close major WA tourism attraction to save 'hounded' penguins
Conservationists want Western Australia's Penguin Island to be shut off to tourists, in order to protect its dwindling population.
Has Video Duration: 1 minute 51 seconds.Calls to close major WA tourism attraction to save 'hounded' penguins
Conservationists are calling for Penguin Island to be closed to visitors to allow the dwindling little penguin population to recover, but the state government insists the decline is due to climate change and not tourism.
Photo shows Aerial shot of Penguin Island.Celebrity dolphin may have been friend's 'wingman'
In rare evidence for alliance-forming behaviour beyond humans, a famous Queensland dolphin may have formed a "wingman" relationship with a friend.
Photo shows A dolphin with its nose sticking out of the waterSnow-clearing for cafe to impact world series cross-country ski marathon
A decision to allow the redevelopment of an old shed in Falls Creek to accommodate a new cafe could put a world series ski marathon and Winter Olympic qualifying events at risk.
Photo shows A cross country skier approaching a cleared asphalt roadIs it time to draw a line in the sand on beach cabanas?
Tourism Australia's beach ambassador Brad Farmer believes the time has come for regulations amid a cabana takeover on Australian beaches.
Photo shows Two women under a cabanaPolice probe illegal campfire behind Otway bushfire
Investigators are searching for those responsible for an unattended campfire that turned into a major blaze in Victoria's south-west.
Photo shows a woman smiles next to trucks'One single, giant complex': North Korea to open 'tourist city' once taken over by homeless
North Korea is set to open a long-awaited beachfront "tourist city" later this year as the "first big step" to developing the country's tourism industry.
Photo shows Kim Jong Un and Kim Ju Ae walk along a beach with a city in the backgrounds.Businesses plead for visitors as Halls Gap reopens after Grampians fire
The popular tourist town has been closed for 18 days as fire ripped through 76,000 hectares of national park and farmland, costing businesses $1.9 million per day.
Photo shows A group of people at a zoo entrance holding animalsHighly infectious measles cases are surging in Vietnam and Thailand
Health professionals fear vaccine conspiracies and COVID-19 disruptions could be partly responsible for a spike in measles cases in countries including Vietnam and Thailand.
Photo shows A woman in a protective mask looks into a white device.Travellers will soon have to pay to enter the UK. What you need to know
Planning to head to the UK in 2025? Here's what you need to know about a new digital travel permit.
Photo shows A woman uses a selfie stick to take a photo of her and Big Ben