Another brick in the wall: Cape Town's controversial plan

Cape Town is one of the glitziest cities in Africa with a beautiful waterfront, a dramatic mountain and a lively vibe.

But it is also a city with many poverty-stricken residents, shanty towns and soaring crime rates.

The city has a controversial plan to build a 3-metre high security wall along the main highway linking Cape Town International Airport to the city.

The highway which has been dubbed “the hell run” after multiple car jackings and violent smash-and-grab attacks along the route.

The highway passes near some of Cape Town's most deprived communities, including the Gugulethu and Nyanga townships and Crossroads and Taiwan "informal settlements".

The wall will ostensibly make it harder for criminals from the townships to access the highway, but create issues for locals going about their legitimate business.

There are also suspicions that the wall is designed to block views of the disadvantaged communities - many of them home to corrugated iron shacks - from visitors arriving in the city, which derives much income from the visitor economy. 

It has been described as "hiding poverty to comfort tourists".

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has said the plan will keep criminals at bay along the N2 highway and the move is described by local authorities as a necessity to curb violent crime. Critics argue that the project risks deepening social divides.

They point out that it will do nothing to improve safety for local communities.

Opponents have highlighted that the wall risks echoing apartheid-era spatial divisions by physically separating poorer townships from wealthier areas and tourist routes.

Image: Gugulethu, thesouthafrican.com   

Australians turning their backs on US travel

Australians are becoming less likely to visit the United States, a new report shows. 

New research from Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) reveals that more than half of Aussies (51%) are now less inclined to visit the US as they become increasingly selective about where they holiday overseas. 

Political stability, cost, and safety are playing important roles in destination decision-making, the Australian Traveller Trends And Insights 2026 report shows.

The data shows more than three in 10 Australians (35%) say there are destinations they are less likely to visit in the next few years. 

Leading the list is the US, followed by the Middle East (36%, although that might rise following weekend events) and China (28%). 

Even traditionally popular holiday destinations, like Indonesia are not immune, with two in 10 Australians saying they are less likely to visit, instead turning to other destinations.

When asked what the biggest deterrents were for avoiding certain destinations, nearly two thirds (63%) cited politics as their main reason. Crime (42%), high costs and health risks (both 32%) and negative word-of-mouth from other travellers (30%) were other common reasons.

When choosing where to travel next, cost (66%) remains the most prominent factor influencing their decision, followed by the political situation of a destination (48%) and reliable, stable weather (44%).

Despite the increase in concerns around overseas travel, culture continues to inspire Aussie wanderlust.

Music is the most common way Australians become interested in another country's culture (58%), followed by TV shows (51%), art (49%) and movies (43%). 

The cost-of-living crisis is another factor that continues to influence how Australians travel. 

Two in three Australians (62%) planning an overseas trip say rising living costs have impacted their plans. To save money, half are avoiding peak travel seasons, while others are opting for low-cost airlines or cheaper airfares (31%) and cutting back on dining and entertainment spend while on holiday (28%).

An amazing 14% of Aussies admitted to travelling overseas without travel insurance in 2025 - a trend more prevalent among younger travellers, with 19% of 18-29 year olds travelling internationally without any insurance cover.

“We're seeing Australians make smart trade-offs to manage rising living costs, while still making the most of their holidays," says Jess Strange, Chief Customer Officer at SCTI. 

"But skipping travel insurance shouldn't be one of them. Medical care, travel cancellations and disruptions can be incredibly costly, and travel insurance remains an useful safeguard for travellers no matter how big or small your trip is.

”Medical issues and simple trips or falls are some of the most common and costly claims we see overseas. 

"What might be a minor incident at home can quickly turn into thousands of dollars in medical bills abroad, particularly in countries like Japan."

Topping the list of destinations that Aussies most want to visit in the next 12 months is Japan (31%),

Europe (27%), New Zealand (22%) and the US (19%) (even though there is a drop off in enthusiasm). 

For more info www.scti.com.au or Download the full report.

New reasons to avoid the United States of Lunacy

The United States is becoming increasingly - and dangerously - unstable.

Emboldened after being given a made-up "peace" award by a corrupt sporting organisation, Mad King Donald - the Titan of Tariffs - becomes crazier by the day.

From blowing up ships he thinks might be transporting drugs, allowing ICE goons to harass US citizens going about their legal business, to threatening to close down media organisations whose views he dislikes, the Trumpster is taking US dangerously close to the brink of dictatorship.

His teams of various drunks, warmongers, genocide enablers and sex pests blatantly ignore international laws and conventions.

This is “the land of the free”, where criminals, conmen, sexists and pardoned drug dealers thrive.

Pardons are dangled in front of would-be donors and jackbooted thugs wearing face masks legally roam the streets.

Oh. And the price gouge is on across the country ahead of the 2026 World Cup - and eyes are firmly fixed on how to get hands on Venezuela's oil riches.

The rest of the world looks on aghast - but too petrified to speak out.

Now Agent Orange’s administration is moving to dramatically expand digital screening for foreign visitors - potentially further damaging an already ailing tourism industry.

The Trumpian administration this week proposed a new rule that would require virtually all tourists entering the United States to disclose five years of social media activity, along with extensive personal and family information.

The plan, published in a Federal Register notice by the increasingly emboldened US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), would apply to arrivals from every country.

This would then include those currently eligible to enter without a visa through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

Among nations benefiting of the ESTA are Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, most European Union countries and the UK.

Traditionallly allies, in other words.

Under the proposal, applicants would be required to submit usernames associated with all social media platforms used in the past five years, as well as all phone numbers and email addresses from the same period.

CBP also seeks to collect detailed information about close family members, including names, birth dates, birthplaces, addresses, and phone numbers.

The disclosures, described in the notice as “mandatory,” would mark a major expansion of digital vetting for tens of millions of travelers from countries.

Heaven forbid if you should be critical of a US politician. 

The (US) public has until February 9 to submit comments about the proposals. The rest of us should shut up. America First. 

The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the proposal when asked by various media outlets.

But the move comes amid a sweeping hard-line turn on immigration and border controls since the tanned/sleepy one took over the US presidency last January.

Tourism industry officials have warned the latest measures could deliver another blow to an already weakened sector.

International travel to the US has fallen sharply since early 2025. It is no mystery as to why.

Visiting this country? Be very afraid

The US Department of State issues travel advisories for its citizens visiting destinations around the globe.

Its website has several warnings for one particular country that "terrorists have targeted, and could continue to target".

Visitors should "remain vigilant toward their personal security and exercise caution".

They should be "aware that robberies, burglaries, assault, and auto theft are common in larger cities and that foreign visitors in popular tourist areas are targets for pickpockets, purse-snatchers, and petty thieves."

Night-time is particularly dangerous. 

"Be careful when visiting bars or clubs in the entertainment areas of major cities, as “bar brawls” and other assaults sometimes occur. You should watch out for drink spiking when consuming alcohol with unfamiliar people".

Which country are are our trigger happy US "friends and allies" talking about? Australia, of course.

Check out the dangers here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Australia.html

Note: As of March 31, a total of 208 people had been killed and 419 people had been wounded in 125 shootings in the US this year. In Australia there has been one mass killing in 2024, in which seven people died.

Image: Juli Bell, Scop.io 

Tourists detained for failing to buy in shop

You know when you are on an organised tour and have been deposited at a shop where you have zero intention of buying. 

The shop sells tat, or you have no interest in a carpet. Or an elephant carving.

What if you were then held against your will until you purchased something?

Don't laugh. It's not fanciful/ It actually happened to a tour group in China recently, Travel Mole reports.

This tour group was detained in a bedding shop for hours after refusing to buy goods, during a tour in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province, the South China Morning Post reported.

Video posted online showed staff at the shop guarding the exit doors and refusing to let the tourists leave unless they made purchases.

The tour group was reportedly detained there for several hours.

The tour was organised by Liaoning Youde International Travel Service and conducted by a local tour operator. Maybe an operator to avoid.

One of the tour guests reportedly complained they had been duped as there had been no sightseeing visits but only stops for shopping

“I hadn’t expected that all of our activities in Xishuangbanna would be about shopping,” the tour guest told the SCMP.

The Xishuangbanna Market Supervision and Administration Bureau said the bedding shop was ordered to cease operations. And the local tour guide, who was not licensed, was fined.

Here's the link: https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3257202/china-tourists-held-captive-mattress-shop-not-buying-turn-new-spotlight-forced-shopping-problem

Image: Rob Sexton, Scop.io

The resort paradise that is also a violent crime hotspot

The Mexican resort of Cancun has a global reputation as a beach paradise.

Just recently, however, it has become a dangerous crime hotspot.

Travel Mole reports that police have recently found eight bodies dumped in two different locations in the resort region, believed to be victims of drug cartel violence.

The US State Department has issued a level 2 advisory for Americans, recommending travellers exercise increased caution while in the local Quintana Roo region, due to crime and kidnapping concerns.

The Canadian Government travel website warns "theere are high rates of violent crime, such as homicides, kidnappings, carjacking and assaults, including in popular tourist destinations such as the Mayan Riviera (Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos and Tulum), and Acapulco.

"Criminal groups and drug cartels are present in tourist areas. Inter-gang and cartel fighting has taken place in restaurants, hotels and nightclubs frequented by tourists.

"Innocent bystanders have been injured or killed. You may be in the wrong place at the wrong time and become a victim of violent crime."

The Australian Government's Smartraveller website says: "Exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico overall due to high levels of violent crime".

So consider yourself warned.

In Cancun, state authorities have urged people "not to share on social networks false news that only damages the image of Quintana Roo".

Over 100,000 people have been reported missing in Mexico, Travel Mole says.

Five bodies were found in an abandoned building and three in a wooded area outside the resort area.

Earlier this month, Four men were killed in the main resort area after a gang dispute.

Four Americans were also kidnapped and two of them were killed.