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(CNN) — One of Easter Island’s world-famous moai statues has been destroyed in an accident.A Chilean island resident was arrested on March 1 after his truck — a private vehicle, not a commercial one — crashed into one of the stone figures and badly damaged both it and the ahu, or platform, it was perched on.Local authorities believe that the accident was caused by brake failure that caused his truck to slide downhill.On the island, which is known as Hanga Roa by its native Rapa Nui people, the enormous stone heads called moai have long been a source of intrigue and wonder. “The damage is incalculable,” Camilo Rapu, president of Easter Island’s indigenous Rapa Nui community, told CNN in a statement.No one was in the truck when it crashed.Courtesy Camilo RapuThe island’s mayor, Pedro Pablo Petero Edmunds Paoa, is calling for stricter regulations that will prohibit vehicles from driving near the 1,000-odd moai on the UNESCO World Heritage-listed island.Edmunds Paoa tried to pass an anti-driving measure eight years ago, he told Chilean newspaper El Mercurio de Valparaíso, with no effect. He believes that this week’s accident could be the motivating factor to consider re-introducing the proposal.”The Moai are sacred structures of religious value for the Rapa Nui people,” Rapu said. “Furthermore, [the damage of the moai] is an offense to a culture that has lived many years struggling to recover its heritage and archaeology.”Moai were carved from solid basalt between the 13th and 16th centuries.Tourism ChileEaster Island, a Polynesian island that is a territory of Chile, has long struggled to balance its status as a bucket list travel destination with the local Rapa Nui people’s desire to protect their heritage. Overtourism has been a major concern as the island became easier to access from the mainland, bringing more travelers.In 2019, Jo Anne Van Tilburg, Director of the Easter Island Statue Project, told CNN Travel that bad tourist behavior, such as tacky photos of visitors pretending to “pick the noses” of the sacred moai, was causing a rift between travelers and locals.”There are 1,000 statues and there are 5,000 people,” Van Tilburg said. She urged visitors to the island to show respect for the Rapa Nui community and to engage local guides and services in order to make sure tourism revenue stayed on the island.Some measures to curb overtourism were implemented in 2018, including a changed visa policy that allowed foreigners and non-Rapa Nui Chileans to get visas for only 30 days instead of the previous 90.

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Despite concerns about the coronovirus, celebrations for the Hindu festival of Holi went ahead in a traditional riot of color in India and other parts of South Asia.

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(CNN) — While there’s no doubt that having your vacation interrupted by a fast-spreading virus that’s infected more than 108,000 globally and killed more than 3,800 is a major inconvenience, there are surely worse places to be confined than a luxury Maldives resort.Over the weekend, the Indian Ocean island nation was added to the ever-growing list of countries with confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus after two staff members at the Kuredu Island Resort & Spa, located on the northern reef of Lhaviyani Atoll, tested positive for the virus.As a precaution, the entire resort has been placed under quarantine, with all guests and staff restricted from leaving until further notice.”The temporary restrictive measures will continue until such time that the authorities release the island from its quarantine period,” reads a statement on the website for Kuredu Island Resort & Spa, where accommodation options include private pool villas, beach bungalows and hot tub beach villas.”At this time there will be no flight in or out of the island. The island is well stocked with the essentials and we are confident in the care that will be provided to all.”Lavish confinement All guests and staff at the Kuredu Island Resort & Spa are under temporary quarantine after two staff members tested postive for coronavirus.Courtesy Kuredu Island ResortThe decision was made after two staff members tested positive for the virus shortly after coming into contact with an Italian tourist who had tested positive for the virus after returning home.However, authorities have opted to lock down the entire resort as an extra provision, ensuring that all guests and employees “remain on the island and follow advice and guidance of the Maldives Health Protection Agency and the Ministry of Tourism.”Those who aren’t under self isolation will hopefully have plenty to keep them busy as the resort, a 35-minute seaplane ride from capital Male, offers activities such as scuba diving, windsurfing and kiteboarding, as well as a highly rated spa — although it’s not clear whether these will still be on offer.Since news broke of the confirmed cases at Kuredu Island Resort & Spa, there have been two cases at the Sandies Bathala Resort in A.A Atoll, which has also been placed under lock down, bringing the number of cases in the Maldives up to four.Authorities have also banned any passengers “originating from and transiting through Italy” from entering the Maldives, as well as any travelers who have visited the European country within the last two weeks. A separate Maldives resort, Summer Island was also placed under “temporary restrictive measures” after two individuals developed coronavirus symptoms while holidaying there.While the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, there have been confirmed cases in over 80 countries outside mainland China in recent weeks.

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Chiang Rai, Thailand (CNN) — Elephants don’t sleep much. They eat loudly. They pass gas loudly, too. These are just some of the insights you’ll walk away with after spending the night in one of the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort’s fabulous new “Jungle Bubbles” in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Guests can sit back and watch as these female elephants play with the strategically placed “toys” that hang from large trees, their powerful trunks occasionally ripping off huge chunks of bark and branches, sending loud cracks through the evening air. But really, they mainly just want to eat. Thankfully, a hefty supply of sugar cane is placed within eyesight of the bubbles, meaning the elephants are almost always just a few steps away. Once-in-a-lifetime experienceThe bubbles are booked as an “experience” in addition to your reserved resort room, for 17,700 baht (US$563) per night per couple. This means you can just pack an overnight bag and leave the rest of your belongings in your suite. Guests are picked up from the lobby just before sunset, then driven down a dirt road in an open-air jeep before taking a short walk through the resort’s rice paddy to get to the bubbles. Shortly after arrival, staff deliver an evening picnic basket, filled with pre-selected sandwiches and other cold dishes, allowing you to eat alongside the animals. There’s a strict “no hands” policy when it comes to the elephants though — bubble guests are not allowed to touch or feed them. So how comfortable are the bubbles? Each air-conditioned, pressurized 22-square-meter space is a mini slice of luxury, furnished with a comfortable king-sized bed. There’s a small washroom with a toilet and shower, along with a couple of chairs and a small table near the bed. No TVs here — the elephants are the star of this show. Sensitive sleepers will find It particularly surreal. As night passed during a recent visit, the moon made its way over the bubble, offering various levels of illumination. (Eye masks are provided as it can be surprisingly bright.) Given these ladies don’t nod off much — elephants in captivity sleep only 4-6 hours a day — you’ll hear all sorts of delightful sounds throughout the night and might find yourself crawling out of bed for a late-night peek. The bed features wrap-around curtains, offering privacy for those who worry they won’t wake up before the caretakers arrive with the elephants’ breakfast. Trial and error An aerial view of the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort. AnantaraThe idea for the “Jungle Bubbles” came from General Manager Gaudéric Harang, who has been with the resort for about a year and a half. He says they were born of a desire to push the boundaries and offer a unique guest experience in line with modern luxury expectations. In addition to safety concerns — “making sure our bubbles would be elephant proof” — he says they had to meet very high standards. “As a top notch resort, we had to ensure the experience would be very luxurious and to the level of what is expected by our guests,” he explains. Once the bubbles were set up, Harang was the first to trial them. “Being in the north of Thailand, we are lucky to have a climate that’s more varied than in the rest of the country,” he says. “Though short, we go through a winter season that is very cold. When the bubbles were finally ready [in December] it was 6 degrees Celsius in the morning and…well I froze! “There was no heater. Also, being located in the jungle there is a lot of humidity so the bubbles were very wet at night due to all the condensation. So, I woke up at 3 a.m., soaked and cold.” As a result, the bubbles are now equipped with an air conditioner, space heater and dehumidifier to ensure a comfortable climate for all seasons. “When I finally saw the bubbles in place I was so happy it all worked out, but I think I was only really impressed when I slept in it the second time [after the climate issues were sorted],” he recalls, telling CNN Travel it was truly a “wow” moment. “When you finally live it, you see it’s really a fantastic experience. We couldn’t have planned it better.” The right elephants for the jobPicking the right elephants for the Jungle Bubbles experience was another logistical issue that needed to be sorted, says John Roberts, Anantara’s Director of Elephants. Besides size considerations — how many elephants could comfortably live on the available plot of land? — they also had to decide which of the camp’s elephants would enjoy being together in the enclosure. Turns out, even elephants can get into tiffs with their friends — just like humans but with an additional 3.5 tonnes of weight to throw around. The three elephants in the Jungle Bubbles enclosure all arrived at the resort between 2006-2010, so Roberts and his team already had ample time to get familiar with their temperaments. “We watched them for a long time,” says Roberts. “We know that they like being together — actually [two of them] are pretty much inseparable at this stage and if you try and separate them they get pretty stressed.” Offering a better life to captive elephantsThe resort, located in Chiang Saen, overlooks Myanmar and Laos. Etienne de VilliersAnantara’s nonprofit Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF), founded in 2006 and overseen by Roberts, cares for about two dozen elephants. Most of the animals have led hard lives — some spent their days walking the streets of Bangkok with their owners, making money begging from tourists. Others came from tourist trekking camps. The way the program works is the foundation invites mahouts (elephant trainers/owners) and their families to move to Chiang Rai with their elephants and live in the foundation’s camp. The foundation offers them a wage, which includes the cost of care for their elephants. This amounts to about $18,000 per elephant per year. Roberts acknowledges that in a perfect world all elephants would be roaming free in the wild but the situation is incredibly complex. “Unfortunately, you can’t release elephants in Thailand,” he says, rattling off a long list of complications including fears of disease transmission, potential conflict in a fragile wild herd and an inability for domesticated elephants to fend for themselves given they’ve spent most if not all of their lives in captivity. And then there are Thailand’s laws, which would also need to be changed. Thailand’s domesticated elephants are all registered under the Draft Animals Act, so “if you put a captive elephant in a national park you’re officially illegally grazing your livestock and that’s the law as it is,” says Roberts. As an alternative, the GTAEF aims to improve the welfare of captive elephants through various programs not just at its resort but throughout the region — including mahout training — while also taking part in conservation and wild elephant programs. Anantara’s Golden Triangle Elephant Foundation cares for about two dozen elephants. Pongpat PatumsuwonAt the resort’s elephant camp, this means figuring out the elephants’ personalities though science and observation and matching them with activities that suit them — an essential part of their well-being. For instance, elephants that are comfortable around strangers take part in the peaceful “Walking with Giants” experience.”In the wild their entire lives are based around walking long distances and finding food,” says Roberts. “They have big brains, you have to keep them stimulated doing different things. You could just put them out there in a field, but they’ll stand in one spot all day.” Inside the resortAnantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort’s stunning lobby. Courtesy Anantara The Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort is located on the edge of Thailand’s northern border in the town of Chiang Saen, just over an hour from Chiang Rai city. There are two restaurants — Thai eatery Sala Mae Nam and Baan Dhalia, which serves Italian — while the poolside Elephant Bar and Opium Terrace is an essential stop for pre-dinner drinks. The spacious rooms, featuring traditional Thai decor, come with long balconies that overlook both Laos and Myanmar. Coffee in hand, it’s the perfect place to begin the day, watching the sun rise through the mist.Resort activities include day trips to Laos and Myanmar, river boat journeys, spa treatments and in-house classes like cooking and Muay Thai. But our favorite has to be the new Royal Enfield Classic 500 sidecar experience, a fun ride through the nearby countryside and villages guided by hotel staff. Even getting to the resort is an adventure. After a flight to Chiang Rai followed by an hour-long drive, guests can opt for a 15-minute ride up the Mekong River in a small Thai speed boat to the resort’s private dock, passing the shores of Laos and Myanmar along the way.

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At 1,100 feet, Edge is now the highest observation deck in the Western Hemisphere, finally opening to the public this week.

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(CNN) — We live to travel. It’s our passion, our hobby, our vocation and our job. So the increasing restrictions on movement that are being put in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus hit us right in our hearts. But while many of us may be canceling some of our immediate plans to jump on an airplane, this won’t stop us thinking, talking, writing and dreaming about travel in the tough days and weeks to come. It may seem incongruous, even wrong, to be publishing stories and videos aimed at inspiring travel at a time when entire countries or regions are under lock down and thousands, if not millions, of people are coming to terms with the impact of the virus. It won’t stop us though. And CNN Travel intends to continue to encourage people to consider their next adventure, looking ahead to the days — hopefully in the near future — when the situation is under control and we can once again head over the horizon. Or, indeed, to head to the places close to home that, now denied the influx of visitors from abroad, are wide open for local appreciation.So many people, places and businesses rely on tourism to survive. Coronavirus has already had a profound impact on the industry that CNN Travel has long supported and considers itself an integral part of.Beyond the crisisNow you may not weep for the big airlines that don’t give you enough room to recline your seat, or the hotel chains that don’t offer free drinking water other than from the bathroom sink, but take a moment to consider the flight crew, the door staff, the barbacks, custodians and bussers — all of the tourism-related workers whose livelihoods are now at risk.Those at the lower income end of the industry will be hit particularly hard. Their incomes will go, and they and their families will suffer.This makes it all the more imperative to look to the future beyond this crisis. Once the affected areas are cleared, they will desperately need us to come back.We all need something to look forward to. It’s essential to create personal experiences that give life meaning. Without it, we’re just not living. We should be out in the world, celebrating its glorious natural beauty, swimming in the oceans, skiing down mountains, visiting friends and family, eating at restaurants, booking tours, visiting museums. So, for the time being, whether in spirit or in person, we intend to keep calm and travel on.

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