HBO’s ‘White Lotus’ brings tourism buzz to Season 3 location

“Unforgettable experiences are in the making,” teases an Instagram post liked by more than 80,000 people. “We are eager to welcome new guests to our resort in Thailand.” Obscuring the view of the resort: the words “White Lotus Resort & Spa.” The post was HBO’s way of letting fans know that shooting had begun on the third season of its hit hospitality-and-bad-behavior series, “The White Lotus.” Entertainment productions can be big business for locations, but “The White Lotus” has taken the trend to another level, spurring tourism with a show about tourism, by publicly partnering with tourism. That can turn a region into an “it” destination, drawing international visitors to White Lotus stand-ins (the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Season 1; the San Domenico Palace, Taormina in Season 2), not to mention the surrounding sights.

New York Times

Delta Air Lines has raised most of its checked bag fees by $5 — not a surprise, after similar recent hikes by American, United and JetBlue. Delta’s new fees are $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second on flights within the U.S. and to and from Canada, the Caribbean and Central America. Here’s what’s not changing: Your carry-on item and personal item are still free; SkyMiles American Express cardholders (Gold, Platinum and Reserve) still receive their first checked bag free; and checked bags on flights to Mexico will remain $30 for the first and $55 for the second.

Simon Peter Groebner

One less cruise line will ply the Mississippi River this summer, bringing fewer ships and passengers to Minnesota ports such as Red Wing and Winona. American Queen Voyages abruptly announced last month that it was shutting down, citing an inability to rebound from the pandemic. The cruise line’s flagship American Queen, a 436-passenger paddlewheeler, is billed as the largest river steamship ever built, and could turn up with a new owner along with its sister ships American Countess and American Duchess. Two major cruise lines remain on the Great River: the rapidly expanding American Cruise Lines, and Viking River Cruises with its luxury 386-passenger Viking Mississippi.

S.P.G.

Minnesotans now have a quicker route to the buzzing Faroe Islands, the remote, autonomous Danish archipelago in the North Atlantic. That’s thanks to Nordic stalwart Icelandair, which will begin flying Dash-8 propeller planes from Reykjavik to Vagar Airport in the Faroes, five or six days a week from April 30 to Oct. 26. Previously, getting to the “Land of 10,000 Waterfalls” from the U.S. involved a lengthy journey via mainland Europe; now, the Iceland layover will be as short as two hours. The spring/summer round trip from Minneapolis-St. Paul was on sale for $699 until March 8. As always, you could use Icelandair’s website to book a “free” extended stopover in Iceland on the way home.

S.P.G.