Mega cruise ship will have racetrack

Mega cruise ship will have racetrack

Cruise passengers looking for a real ocean drive will have to look further than South Beach.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Norwegian Joy, a ship the Doral, Fla.-based cruise line is building to sail in China, will be the first to feature a racetrack – from Ferrari, no less.

That’s in partnership with Scuderia Ferrari Watches in this case, which is joining forces with NCL to build its first branded race track.

The two-floor track will span two decks at the top of the ship and have space for up to 10 racers at a time on electric go-karts. Guests staying in Norwegian Joy’s higher-end rooms will get complimentary rides with their bookings.

The 3,850-passenger Joy will start sailing from Shanghai on June 27 and also homeport in Tianjin. Other stand-out features will include an open-air laser tag course, hovercraft bumper cars, multi-story water slides and an upscale shopping venue.

Qatar sees decline in flights to US

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

The CEO of one of the Middle East’s largest carriers said last week passenger numbers to the United States have dipped slightly over fears by some Muslim passengers that their visas may be rejected upon arrival, but expressed confidence in President Donald Trump as a “very good businessman.”

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker said uncertainty about travel to the United States is “affecting the business, but to a very small extent.”

Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline, slashed its flights to the United States by 20 percent recently.

Industry research

According to new research, most travelers are committed to sustainable living at home, but believe the travel industry could make it easier for them to travel sustainably by providing education about, and access to, sustainable travel products and services.

AIG Travel, a world-wide leader in travel insurance and assistance services, recently released findings from its 2017 Pulse Poll on sustainable travel, which garnered over 1,300 responses from travelers and followers of the brand.

Key among the findings:

More than 72 percent of respondents ranked their commitment to sustainable practices at home as “very strong” or “somewhat strong.”

Nearly 66 percent of respondents agreed that anyone can “engage in sustainability during their travels.”

78 percent reported that sustainable travel is “very important” or “somewhat important,” compared to 52 percent of respondents with that opinion in 2016.

Geography quiz

Q. Luanda is the capital of which African country?

A. Angola. Located on the country’s Atlantic coast, the city has a population in the metro area of more than 6 million.

Combined dispatches