And other travel news you may have missed.
This week in travel, we have uncovered several stories that might have flown under your radar. Among them: Taylor Swift fans are flocking to Germany; a heist at the Louvre sent shockwaves around the world; and a cargo jet crashed in Hong Kong, killing two airport employees.
Dive into these and more as we examine the latest in travel news.
NO.1
SWIFTIES ARE DESCENDING ON GERMANY TO SEE OPHELIA PAINTING
There is a museum in Germany that’s topping the charts with Taylor Swift fans. Museum Wiesbaden houses a painting by Friedrich Heyser of the Shakespearean protagonist Ophelia. The artist released her new album with a song reimagining the character, “The Fate of Ophelia.” In the first 10 seconds of the music video, Swift—as the painting—comes to life.
The museum announced a special tour of the exhibit for Swifties next month after realizing the resemblance, and the post went viral. Now fans are coming to admire the painting, and the museum is enjoying the attention, museum director Andreas Henning said. “We are surprised and delighted that Taylor Swift used this painting from the museum as inspiration for her video. This is, of course, a great opportunity to attract people to the museum who don’t know us yet.”
The tour is sold out, and the museum may add more for Swifties.
Related: Taylor Swift Lyric Sends Interest in Italian Town Soaring
NO.2
THIEVES STEAL PRICELESS JEWELS FROM LOUVRE
The Louvre Museum in Paris closed Sunday after a heist shocked the city yesterday morning. Shortly after the museum opened to visitors, a group of four robbers entered the Galerie d’Apollon from a balcony using a mechanical lift on a vehicle. They cut through glass panels to get inside and then stole items from display cases. The thieves escaped with eight pieces of jewelry that once belonged to French royalty; two, including a crown, were found near the museum.
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People were evacuated from the museum, and no one was injured in the theft. Authorities are still investigating, while the museum remains closed to visitors. This robbery has raised questions about the security of one of the world’s most famous museums.
Related: Paris Is Demolishing the Eiffel Tower, According to Wild Online Rumor
NO.3
MALLORCA BANS NEW TOURIST RENTALS AND PARTY BOATS
The Spanish island of Mallorca is taking more steps to manage tourist numbers. Its capital, Palma, has banned all new tourist rentals throughout the area. New hostels will also be restricted, and licenses will not be replaced if they are canceled, Mayor Jaime Martínez Llabrés said. Additionally, the mayor has banned party boats that have long been popular with tourists for their music and alcohol but unpopular with locals for their noise levels.
NO.4
FLIGHT DIVERTS AFTER WINDSHIELD CRACKS
Last week, pilots diverted a United flight from Denver to Los Angeles after they noticed a crack in a layer of the windshield. There were 134 passengers and six crew members on the flight, which landed safely in Salt Lake City. The airline arranged for another plane to bring passengers to their destination.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident, it said on X (formerly Twitter). “NTSB gathering radar, weather, flight recorder data. Windscreen being sent to NTSB laboratories for examination.”
NO.5
EMIRATES PLANE CARGO PLANE CRASH KILLS TWO
At Hong Kong International Airport, an Emirates cargo plane hit a patrol vehicle after veering off the runway and plunged into the sea early Monday morning. It also pushed the patrol vehicle, which had two airport security staff, into the sea; both employees died. The four crew members on board survived the crash.
Photos from the crash show the plane, split in two, submerged in the water with an emergency slide deployed. Reports confirmed the vehicle was operating at a safe distance from the runway, and it is not yet known why the plane veered toward the sea. The plane also did not send a distress signal while landing.
Divers were able to locate the bodies of the vehicle’s driver and passenger from the sea; they were seven meters underwater and not breathing. The investigative team is trying to find the black boxes from the sea for cockpit recording and flight data.
