Village of books attracts tourists

Tourists are heading back. It can’t be compared to May two years ago, but Europeans are gearing up for their post lockdown freedom to travel.

India's top tourist attraction the Taj Mahal reopens two months after it was shut when a deadly surge in coronavirus infections swept the country. Cases and deaths in the vast nation of 1.3 billion people soared to record levels in April and May but infections have declined in recent weeks, with major cities including the capital New Delhi and the financial capital Mumbai lifting some curbs on movement and activities.

Visitors are trickling back to the Turkish resort of Bodrum, a lavish holiday destination for celebrities, jetsetters and sun-seeking foreigners, but the number of visitors still pales in comparison to the resort's pre-coronavirus glory.

Lavender, basil or roses: history and aromatic plants are being grafted in Cyprus to broaden its sun-and-sea appeal and regain its lofty status dating back to Roman times.

Since the United States was placed on the European Union's green list in mid-June, American tourists have been making a timid return to Paris after almost a year and a half of absence. With more than 4 million tourists visiting France each year before the health crisis, Americans rank 9th among countries of origin.

56,000 Germans planned vacations in Algarve for this July. That was before the warning. Now, no one knows how many of those holidaymakers will even show up.

The aircraft with 16 people on board crashed into a volcanic lake in Russia's far east. Several remain missing, feared dead.

A retired Boeing passenger jet has been hauled to the top of a seaside cliff in Bali to lure tourists to Indonesia's popular holiday island, which has been hard hit by Covid-19. More than a dozen workers used cranes to assemble parts of a Boeing 737 on a cliff near the Nyang Nyang beach this week. Felix Demin, the plane's new owner, is planning to convert the aircraft into tourist accommodation and expects it will become a popular photography spot.

Peru has the world's highest number of Covid-19 deaths compared to its population. The figures have kept the country's potential tourists at bay for months. But little by little, travellers are starting to return, attracted by iconic sites like Machu Picchu or the former Inca capital Cuzco. Our correspondent Thomas Nicolon reports on how many people working in Peru's tourism industry are finally starting to hope for better days.

The stunning azure waters of the Band-e Amir lakes are once again attracting Afghan tourists, who brave bumpy roads to experience the so-called 'Grand Canyon' of Afghanistan.

It is the first time India has opened its borders to foreign travelers since imposing a strict lockdown in March 2020 to curb the spread of COVID.

New Zealand has opened its borders to tourists for the first time in over two years. Meanwhile, Germany recorded no COVID deaths in a day for the first time since September 2020. DW has the latest.