Tourism is as much a political terrain as a cultural practice. It has been promoted as a route to economic development for poor nations and wielded as an instrument of political leverage between nations--as the U.S. embargo against travel to Cuba or the recent easing of tourist-visa requirements between Russia and Brazil demonstrate.

Cooking classes are increasingly popular among travelers to Morocco, offering a chance to work with local cooks on delicacies from one of the world's great cuisines, creating delicately spiced tajines, hearty couscous or perfumed date and honey pastries.

Ukrainians will be able to visit Israel without visas beginning on February 9, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Dikusarov told journalists that all citizens with a passport will be able to visit Israel for 90 days without a visa. Israelis will enjoy the same visa-free travel privileges to Ukraine.

Eco-travel, though lagging behind that of other countries, is picking up steam in the Jewish state.

A Madagascar-based consultant said the country’s bourgeoning tourism businesses has been adversely affected following Wednesday’s attempted coup d’état that led to a renewed political crisis in the southern African island nation.

The local tourism industry appeared unimpressed with the new Philippine tourism slogan “Pilipinas Kay Ganda,” which the government launched Monday in a bid to lure more foreign visitors to the country.

The village of Tafi Atome, buried deep in Ghana’s tropical Volta region, once fiercely protected its surrounding forest and the Mona monkeys that live within it as sacred...Today, community-based ecotourism is helping to return the village to its roots with a unique business model that blends environmental conservation with community development and cross-cultural exchange, dispelling the notion that conservation and development are mutually exclusive.

It’s been a big week for dog and pony shows, particularly in Yokohama and Seoul. As both cities wheeled out their best tricks for regional and global leaders – and international media – for the Apec and G20 summits, it was the Koreans who pulled out all the stops to show that Seoul is now a proper rival to Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore. Well, almost.