A 45-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly disrupted a Malaysian Airlines flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, which was forced to turn around mid-flight and land back in Sydney International Airport on Monday.

“The man is expected to be charged later tonight,” according to a spokesman for the Australian Federal Police. No details of the charges or incident were given.

Police said all passengers were evacuated and there was “no impending threat to the community.”

“An emergency response plan was enacted, and an evacuation was initiated once it was deemed safe for passengers and crew,” police said.

According to several posts on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, a passenger believed to be on the plane said a man “started threatening staff and passengers.”

“Malaysia Airlines flight MH122 on 14 August 2023 returned to Sydney International Airport due to a disruptive passenger on board. In the interest of safety, the commander of the flight made a decision to return to Sydney,” the airline said.

“Currently there are no international flight cancellations,” the airport said.

As Europe buckles under the weight of ever-increasing tourism, and locals in city after city are squeezed out by short-term rental properties, one country has decided to impose legal restrictions on its housing market.

Portugal’s Mais Habitação (More Housing) law, which was approved in parliament on July 19, seeks to make the housing market more of an even playing field for residents – but its broad brushstrokes are threatening the future of hostels and guesthouses, as well as vacation rentals, say those in the industry.

The law states that properties classed as “alojamento local” – “local accommodation,” which includes guesthouses of under 10 rooms, as well as hostels and Airbnb-style properties – will now be subject to strict new rules.

New openings will effectively be blocked until 2030, and after that, operational licenses will have to be renewed every five years. They will also be subject to hefty new taxes that, some say, will see many family-owned businesses going bust, transforming the country’s growing tourist industry.

“It is necessary to find answers that can adapt to the needs felt at each moment by the population, with the ultimate objective of ensuring that everyone has access to decent housing,” they added.

“We have, as well as other European countries, challenges with the enormous urban pressure, tourism and real estate investment and the approval of a new set of more immediate response measures is intended to complement the existing [measures].”

The government spokesperson insisted that hostels and guesthouses will not be affected by the law, which seems intended to target short-term rentals. Yet nowhere in the law does it confirm they are excluded – and the law repeatedly refers to the measures affecting “estabelecimentos de hospedagem” (“accommodation establishments”), the legal terminology for hostels and guesthouses.

The new law’s resolutions could potentially have far-reaching effects on those running alojamento local (AL) properties – including Portugal’s world-renowned hostels.

It will put a moratorium on issuing new AL licenses until 2030, other than in “low density” municipalities and parishes, and excluding detached townhouses and villas. Municipalities will also be able to suspend licenses being issued if they declare a housing shortage.

After 2030, licenses will be renewed every five years, at the discretion of the local authorities. Condominiums will also be able to revoke AL licenses for properties within them by a majority vote.

AL properties outside of low-density areas will also see their current property taxes increase, and be subject to a new tax starting at 15%, known as CEAL.

And any new short-term rental will need unanimous approval by the neighbors in order to acquire a license. “The only [accommodation type] that escapes is hotels,” says Eduardo Miranda, president of ALEP, an association of AL property owners.

The law is now with the president of Portugal, who can either approve it, veto it or send it to the country’s Constitutional Court.

A ‘social emergency’

Portugal’s housing crisis has seen residents take to the streets in protest this year, with activists calling it a “social emergency.” The country is one of the poorest in Western Europe, with a minimum wage of 760 euros ($838) per month, and more than half of workers making less than 1,000 euros ($1,103) monthly, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, rents in Lisbon alone have increased by 65% since 2015, including a hike of 37% in 2022.

Over 6% of Lisbon properties and 7.4% of Porto properties are registered as AL, they said.

The new legislation threatens the future of all hostels in Portugal, says Miguel Santos, board member at the Associação Hostels de Portugal (AHdP) and owner of a Lisbon hostel.

“I have 18 employees – how can I manage a company knowing the license will expire in five years?” he says. “How can I renovate thinking that in five years I can lose it all?”

Santos estimates that with the new CEAL tax, which is calculated on property size, a hostel of 2,000 square meters would end up paying around 60,000 euros (nearly $66,000) per year in extra taxes – which would be impossible for many small businesses.

A report produced by AHdP warns that the legislation has the “potential to devastate the entire sector.” There are currently 826 hostels registered as AL accommodation in Portugal, of which nearly 80% are individually owned. AHdP data also suggests that roughly half of Portuguese hotels have ceased operations since the pandemic.

The AhdP has warned in a statement that it could cause “destruction of business fabric, thousands of jobs and the closure of establishments in the hope that housing supply will be created – which will not happen.”

Santos says that hostels are crucial not only for budget travelers now, but for the higher spenders of the future.

“They’re more focused on young people and those are the ones who start traveling when their career is at the start,” he says.

By allowing condominiums to cancel AL licenses without a reason would put hostels “at the mercy of the condominium” and lead to “extortion,” an AhdP report on the new legislation claims.

The center of the hostel world

Portugal, and Lisbon in particular, has world-class hostels, according to Kash Bhattacharya, owner of Budget Traveller and author of “The Grand Hostels.”

“In 2009, I was hitting my 30s and thought I was done with hostels, but a friend said I had to go to Lisbon,” he says.

“There, all these abandoned warehouses were being renovated. Artists took over and kickstarted the hostel revolution. People’s perceptions of a hostel changed in Lisbon, with their curation, design and facilities – they became destinations. Every time you look at lists of the top hostels in the world, eight or nine will consistently be in Portugal.”

Bhattacharya says that what makes Portuguese hostels special is the fact that many of them are run by local families.

“There’s a sense of connection with the culture – you have hostels where the owners’ moms come in and cook dinner. There’s a sense of being welcomed that you don’t get anywhere else. After Portugal, everywhere is a disappointment.”

But he fears for the sector: “I don’t see how many of them will survive if this law becomes reality.”

‘A lot will close’

One hostel owner fearing for the future is Benedita Vasconcellos, who owns Lisbon’s Goodmorning Solo Traveller Hostel, voted Portugal’s best hostel in 2020.

“It’ll be difficult times for sure, and I definitely see a lot of hostels closing,” she says. “Some will survive, and I’m really hoping I can, but I’ll have to make changes, like cutting staff numbers and maybe increasing the room rates.”

Vasconcellos, 67, says she was planning to retire within the next five years, selling the business to fund her retirement. Under the new law, she won’t be able to pass her license – meaning there would be no business to sell. She rents the hostel premises, so doesn’t have property to sell, either.

“It’s huge, really huge,” she says. “I’d only get a state pension after 45 years of work. All the money I wanted to get from selling my business to help my retirement would never be possible.”

Uncertain futures

Guesthouses and B&Bs are also feeling the pinch. Filipa Aguiar opened the eight-room Bairro Alto Music Guesthouse in Lisbon in 2022 and says she is still paying for four years of renovations. She estimates that the new measures will see her facing five figures in extra taxes each year, with no guarantee that her license will be renewed in 2030.

“If we close beforehand, we won’t repay the bills… and with all the uncertainty and taxes, I don’t know if we’ll be able to invest in new amenities or refurbishments.

“Tourists need diverse accommodation. Not everyone wants to stay in a big hotel.”

A growing crisis

Of course, the rise of Airbnb has been blamed for housing shortages and rocketing rents across the planet. In European city centers the problem is especially acute. The governments in Portugal and Spain have both introduced measures to tackle the problem.

Low wages and high rents make Lisbon the world’s third-least viable city to live in, according to a study by insurance brokers CIA Landlords.

Portugal was already a “pioneer” in regulating short-term rentals (STRs), according to ALEP’s Eduardo Miranda. A 2008 law, updated a decade later, created Europe’s first STR online registration system, legalized license cancellation on proof of continuous disturbance, and gave local authorities power to restrict STRs when there is a surfeit. Only three cities have currently implemented restrictions: Lisbon, Porto and Ericeira.

With the new law, councils lose that right to self-regulation, says Miranda, who calls the measures “unjustified, [disproportionate] and discriminatory” and a “marketing maneuver that won’t solve the housing issues, but will destroy a big part of one of the most important industries in Portugal: tourism.”

Government documents attached to the law noted that it was submitted with “no studies, documents or opinions” about the data on which it is based, or its possible impact – a move which fails to comply with normal parliamentary procedure.

There are nearly 110,000 registered short-term rentals in Portugal, mostly on the coast, which account for 42% of guest nights in Portugal, according to ALEP data. Miranda says that the majority are privately owned, and are second homes – meaning that if the law forces them to stop renting to tourists, they won’t become housing stock, but will revert to being “empty 11 months of the year.”

“We’re not at all against housing packages – we’re against specific measures that are not based on any kind of data,” he says, adding that ALEP has proposed giving more powers to city halls, so that each administration can direct housing and rentals depending on the situation.

“A sector that contributes more than 40% of national tourism accommodation deserves to be treated differently,” the association wrote in a statement in July. “The success of national tourism and the country’s economy is being called into question.”

“The spirit of the measures in this matter is not to put an end to local accommodation, but rather to make it compatible and harmonize with housing needs, in order to, in the short term, increase the supply available for housing,” they said.

“if it’s true that Portugal’s tourism industry is crucial for our country, it is even more crucial to guarantee decent housing for everyone who lives in Portugal,” they continued.

“The government wants to close local accommodations to try and promote long-term rentals, and is convinced that by closing AL it will achieve that objective. That will not happen,” he said.

Other sectors of the industry have criticized the law. AHRESP, an association of hoteliers, has also issued a statement predicting the loss of “thousands of jobs” and warning that the tourist industry was running an “enormous risk.” The mayors of Lisbon and Porto have issued a joint statement accusing the government of trying to “exterminate” the industry and “confiscating responsibility from the municipalities.”

In an interview with news agency Lusa, Marina Gonçalves, the housing minister, said that Portugal is “decades behind” other countries in terms of constructing public housing.

She added “The more that come from this number [of AL properties that might close down with the new law], the better response we will have in the housing market.”

A favorite cliché among sports fans is to remind each other that “it’s not over yet,” despite how comfortably your team may be winning or how little time is left.

Fans of the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics now know this all too well after incredible ninth inning collapses against the Miami Marlins and the Washington Nationals, respectively, saw the teams fall to dramatic MLB defeats.

Per ESPN, before the Marlins and the Nationals completed their comebacks, teams were 3-759 when trailing by 4 runs or more in the 9th inning or later.

The Yankees were leading the Marlins 7-1 at one point during their matchup and going into the bottom of the ninth New York was leading 7-3.

The relief pitching of Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle proved not enough as the Marlins rallied back to seal an improbable 8-7 win, scoring five runs in the final inning of the game.

“These guys don’t stop believing,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker told reporters. “It’s just a thing in the clubhouse, a thing in the dugout. The guys that we acquired they believe in it. There’s no stop.”

It’s already been a tough year for Oakland A’s fans. With relocation talks and the worst record across Major League Baseball, it’s been hard for the A’s faithful to catch a break.

Leading 7-2 heading to the bottom of the ninth, the A’s must have been thinking a rare win was coming their way. However, the Nationals had other ideas and stormed back to take an 8-7 win with Jeter Downs’ walk-off the final blow.

“You have to let this one go,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said to reporters. “It’s frustrating, obviously, on every level.”

The Nationals, who sit bottom of the National League East, have also had a tough campaign but this would have helped morale among the franchise.

“This team has been relentless,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said postgame. “They play hard. They don’t give up. You talk about playing hard for 27 outs, and it shows. We’re never out it.”

Downs’ winning RBI was also his first for the Nationals and could not have come at a better time for the franchise.

“The way it all ended, that’s why we play this game,” Downs told reporters. “You don’t ever think about something happening like that, especially down five. It definitely still feels surreal at this point.”

Elsewhere across MLB games, Shohei Ohtani continued his electric form and scored homer No. 41 for the season.

The only man in the league to better this tally is Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson. Olson also added another homer to his season count, notching No. 43 for the campaign.

Major League Baseball (MLB) is looking into social media posts involving Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, the team announced on Sunday.

The Rays said they became “aware” of circulating posts involving Franco during Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians and “are in close contact with Major League Baseball as it conducts its due diligence.”

The team did not give any additional information regarding the posts.

Franco did not play in the team’s 9-2 loss and after the game Rays manager Kevin Cash said he was “aware” of the speculation but it was a “scheduled day off” for the 22-year-old.

“I’m aware of the speculation, and I’m not going to comment any further on that but the day off was because a day off,” Cash said.

Franco, who was named an American League All-Star this season, is hitting .281 with 17 homers, 58 RBIs and helped lead the Rays to a 71-49 record this season. The Rays are currently three games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East division.

Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract extension in 2021 with the Rays, according to Spotrac.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to help Al-Nassr secure the first Arab Club Champions Cup title in the club’s history.

Al-Nassr had to come from a goal behind against fellow Saudi club Al-Hilal to lift the trophy, eventually winning 2-1 after a tense period of extra time.

In an eventful final, Al-Hilal opened the scoring through Michael early in the second half before Al-Nassr was reduced to 10 men with 20 minutes remaining following Abdulelah Al-Amri’s red card.

Ronaldo’s first goal drew the sides level after 74 minutes, but things got even more complicated for Al-Nassr after Nawaf Boushal was shown a red card to leave his side with just nine men.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Ronaldo headed home a rebound to score his second and the winning goal nine minutes into extra time.

The Arab Club Champions Cup features the biggest clubs from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Iraq, and Ronaldo finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals in six games.

However, the Portuguese forward is now an injury doubt for Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League (SPL) opener against Al-Ettifaq on Monday after being stretchered off with an injury with five minutes remaning.

Ronaldo signed a two-and-a-half year contract reported to be worth more than 200 million euros ($220.16 million) with Al Nassr in December after leaving Manchester United.

The 38-year-old said in June that any new signings for Saudi clubs would be “very welcome” to join him in the league.

Since then, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and Roberto Firmino have been among the star names to move to the SPL, while Sadio Mané and Marcelo Brozović have joined Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.

And so there were four.

After weeks of grueling Women’s World Cup action, only Spain, Sweden, Australia and England remain in the competition with an opportunity to get their hands on the coveted trophy they’ve all been fighting for.

Japan’s exit to Sweden in the quarterfinals means this year’s tournament will see a first-time world champion crowned and their names written into the annals of time.

With just two games standing between them and World Cup glory, let’s have a look at everything you need to know about the four semifinalists.

Spain

La Roja’s run to its first ever Women’s World Cup semifinal hasn’t been a straightforward one and the road has been filled with highs and lows.

The issues began even prior to the tournament’s start, when 15 players declared themselves unavailable for selection in September last year, citing their emotional and physical health and an unappreciation of them, primarily focused on the practices of head coach Jorge Vilda.

The Spanish federation (RFEF) chose to stand behind Vilda and six players – including two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas – eventually reversed their decisions, but it left in its wake a fractured group of players; albeit a talented one.

Despite the noise surrounding preparations for the World Cup, the Spanish players showed no signs of being bogged down in their opening two group games, blowing past both Costa Rica and Zambia, scoring eight and conceding none.

However, in its final game in the group stage, a warning was sent to La Roja as it was stunned 4-0 by Japan in one of the performances of the tournament, sending shockwaves throughout the competition.

When it appeared that its Women’s World Cup hopes might be teetering on the edge, Spain – with Putellas coming off the bench while coming back from a dreaded ACL injury – has found its feet again, comfortably beating Switzerland in the round-of-16 and advancing to its first ever semifinal thanks to a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands, with teenager Salma Paralluelo scoring the decisive goal in extra time.

Sweden

Sweden has shown remarkable determination to reach its second straight Women’s World Cup semifinal – and its fifth overall.

The Blågult needed a last-minute goal to put away South Africa in its opening game and a penalty shootout to upset the US in the round-of-16.

And it produced arguably its best performance of the tournament so far against a formidable Japan side in the quarterfinals, managing to hold on for a 2-1 victory despite a late Japanese comeback attempt.

Nothing quite epitomizes the Swedish doggedness like two of their standout performers: goalkeeper Zećira Mušović and defender Amanda Ilestedt.

Mušović has become pivotal to the Blågult’s run to the semifinals, particularly against the US when she produced a heroic performance, making 11 saves. Since records began in 2011, that was the most saves in a single game at the Women’s World Cup for a goalkeeper who kept a clean sheet, according to Sky Sports.

The 27-year-old was born to Serbian parents who had escaped the war in their home country. She preferred table tennis to soccer in her youth, according to FIFA, but quickly felt at home in the latter when she switched from being an outfielder to a goalkeeper aged 12.

And her almost mythical presence in between the posts continued against Japan, only finally conceding late on in the match.

Ilestedt is enjoying quite the tournament personally too. The 30-year-old center-back scored Sweden’s opening goal against Japan, her fourth of the tournament, putting her just one behind the Nadeshiko’s Hinata Miyazawa in the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot award for the top goalscorer.

In recent years, Sweden has fallen at the final hurdle when it comes to claiming a major international trophy – notably losing in the final at the 2003 Women’s World Cup and in the gold medal match at the two most recent Olympic Games – but has another opportunity to banish those demons once and for all.

Australia

It’s been a tournament to remember for the tournament co-host, both on and off the pitch.

Plenty was expected of the Matildas playing on home soil, led by one of the world’s best players in Sam Kerr and in front of a home crowd.

But things began in ominous fashion when Kerr was ruled out of Australia’s first two group games with a calf injury. And the team’s performances on the pitch didn’t leave fans with much hope either, struggling to a 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in its opener and being stunned by Nigeria in its second.

However, like any good tournament team and with the return of Kerr to the bench, Australia has gradually grown into the tournament.

A 5-0 thumping of Olympic champion Canada saw it reach the knockout phase before it ground out a hard-fought victory over Denmark in the last-16 to reach the team’s first ever Women’s World Cup quarterfinals.

Arguably its performance of the tournament came in the quarterfinals though, with Australia more than holding its own against France before eventually prevailing in a dramatic penalty shootout to continue the country’s historic run.

The team’s success has captured the imagination of many Australians too, with FIFA reporting that 7.2 million people tuned in to watch the team beat France on penalties – 10% more than its previous match – and that it had an average viewership of 3.69 million, the No. 1 Australian TV sports broadcast of the last decade.

FIFA also reported that 472,000 people streamed the game against France on 7Plus, the most viewed event ever in Australia.

Australia prime minister Anthony Albanese has shown his support for the team, publicly backing calls for a national holiday should the Matildas win the Women’s World Cup.

“I’ve said that the state and territory leaders should consider it and I know that it’s received a pretty warm reception in most quarters,” Albanese said in a radio interview with state broadcaster ABC when asked if calls for a public holiday were justified.

“This is something much more than just a sporting event. This is an inspiration to young girls in particular, but also young boys.”

Now, with Kerr’s fitness issues seemingly fading in the rearview mirror and the support of a nation behind it, Australia is on the brink of World Cup glory.

England

England entered the tournament as one of the favorites, so a run to the semifinals isn’t that surprising.

The European champion is jampacked with star-studded talent, and it is this quality – as well as its world-class manager, Sarina Wiegman – which has been the key driving force behind its recent success in Australia and New Zealand.

Narrow victories opened its campaign, with Lauren James a particular standout amongst some underwhelming early performances.

A 6-1 thumping of China reestablished England’s credentials as contenders, only for its last-16 and quarterfinals performances – a penalty shootout victory over Nigeria having been thoroughly outplayed and a comeback victory over Colombia – to perhaps display some of the cracks in the Lionesses’ armor.

It will miss James for its semifinal against Australia though, the Chelsea star serving the second of her two-game suspension after she was sent off for stepping on the back of Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie during the round-of-16 game at Brisbane Stadium.

But with a spine consisting of Mary Earps, Millie Bright, Kiera Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Alessia Russo – not to mention Chloe Kelly and Bethany England off the bench – this England team remains a threat no matter the opposition.

So who is the favorite to win the Women’s World Cup?

The lack of previous Women’s World Cup winning experience has made the semifinals and final even more exciting if that’s even possible.

All four teams have differing strengths and weaknesses, with no clear favorite standing out unlike in years past with the previously all-conquering US team.

With just four games left in the tournament – including the third-place match between the losers of the semifinals – Sweden has become the favorite to claim its first title, according to sports data company Gracenote.

Based on approximately one million simulations of the entire tournament, Sweden has a 32% chance of victory, while Australia and England both have 24% chance and Spain with 21%, says Gracenote.

Sweden is the highest-ranked team left in the tournament – third in the world – but if it was to face England in the final, the Blågult might have bad memories, as its last encounter at a major tournament was a 4-1 loss to the Lionesses in the semifinals of the 2022 Women’s Euros.

In any case, we’re set to have an incredible finale to what’s been a World Cup for the ages.

Tried meatless Mondays? How about black fly Fridays or scorpion Sundays?

New York City-based chef Joseph Yoon started cooking insects four years ago for an art project. He now wants to change our perceptions of creepy crawlies so that we can have “delicious,” “nutrient-dense,” and “sustainable” insect diets.

“I absolutely love insects,” says Yoon, who is the executive director of Brooklyn Bugs, an organization that promotes edible insects. “The fact that they are so diverse, the fact that there are so many species of insects, the fact that we rely so heavily on insects for our own ecosystem and biodiversity is absolutely fascinating.”

There are more than 2,100 types of edible insects in the world, and they come in varying flavors, such as nutty, citrusy, cheesy and coconutty, says Yoon. “What I’m trying to do is present people with this wonderful cornucopia of flavors, textures and ideas of how to cook with edible insects.”

A sustainable protein source

Insects are regularly consumed by an estimated 2 billion people, according to a 2013 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). However, the report says that feelings of disgust are associated with eating insects in most Western countries.

Feeding the world is an increasingly difficult challenge. Land is scarce and oceans are overfished, yet current food production will need to almost double to accommodate the 9 billion people that are expected to populate the Earth by 2050, according to the FAO report.

And food production is taking its toll on the environment. Recent studies show that the livestock industry generates between 14 and 17% of manmade greenhouse gas emissions.

Crickets need six times less feed than cattle, four times less than sheep, and half the feed needed by pigs and broiler chickens to produce the same amount of protein, according to the FAO. Protein-rich insect diets could provide a sustainable solution if Western attitudes towards them can change from “ew” to “yum.”

To help reduce the environmental impact of our culinary habits, Yoon wants “to normalize edible insects around the world, particularly right here where I live in America.”

Crickets, mac and cheese

But even for those who are willing to try, it’s not always obvious how best to incorporate insects into their diet.

“When people ask me how they should integrate crickets or insects into their food, one of the favorite ways I like to do it is simply in my favorite foods,” Yoon says. “You don’t have to think about making a new dish with a new ingredient but if you like to make fried rice like I do, I love making fried rice with crickets. I love adding crickets to my mac and cheese. You can add the cricket powder to the cheese sauce.”

He follows in the footsteps of other insect innovators trying to change Western attitudes.

Among the early adopters, in 2012 American entrepreneur Patrick Crowley introduced an insect-protein product to the United States, the Chapul Cricket energy bar, which was fortified with cricket flour. An edible insect farm, Next Millennium Farms, opened in Canada in 2014.

In 2019, about 9 million people in Europe consumed insects and their derived products, according to the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed. It forecasts that figure will be 390 million consumers by 2030.

“When you think about insects – quite possibly one of the smallest organisms that we can think of … can one bug make a difference? Can one human make a difference?” Yoon says. “One of the really big driving factors of my work is that, yes, each one of us has a responsibility. Incorporating edible insects into your diet once a week can make a big difference.”

Major wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have killed dozens of people and caused heavy damage, particularly in the historic town of Lahaina.

The state has asked all visitors to leave Maui and those planning to travel to affected areas in the coming weeks to reschedule their trips – a harsh blow to a destination whose economy relies heavily on tourism.

The following Q&A with University of South Carolina research professor Rich Harrill, an expert on hospitality and tourism, looks at what’s happened in Hawaii and how other tourism destinations have bounced back from natural disasters.

How tourism-dependent is Hawaii compared to other popular destinations?

Compared with other destinations, Hawaii is very reliant on tourism – it comprises about 25% of the state’s economy. According to the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, visitor spending was projected to be $20.8 billion in 2023 and $23.4 billion in 2026.

Tourism plays an even greater role on Maui. Maui County has the state’s highest reliance on tourism, with 51% of its jobs falling into sectors directly associated with tourism. That means household incomes and purchasing power there are strongly influenced by the tourism economy.

What are the main steps that tourist-related businesses on Maui will have to take in the coming days and weeks?

The first step any business owner should take is to ensure that their business opens in line with all state protocols and laws related to the safety, health and welfare of residents and visitors.

In the short term, the top priorities are helping visitors get flights home, handling cancellations and assessing damage to facilities and property.

Then, in the weeks that follow, businesses will clean up and make repairs. They will have various aid sources, including the county, state and federal governments, nonprofits and private insurers.

As we saw during the Covid-19 shutdowns, downtime can give business owners an opportunity to reflect on their product or service and how they market it. Some business owners decided to close up shop and retire. Others redoubled their efforts to accommodate the post-pandemic rebound in visitor demand.

Maui is asking visitors to leave and to delay planned trips – will a lot of tourism-related jobs be lost?

Individual businesses and corporations may offer some types of worker protection. But historically, many jobs in the tourist sector get cut in the short term when a crisis shuts down business. Then, as conditions improve, companies gradually hire employees back.

How do local governments decide when to start inviting visitors back?

This is a process that’s led by groups known in the travel industry as destination marketing and management organizations. They often have names like tourist boards or convention and visitors bureaus, and they help promote and market local attractions.

Working with their local destination marketing organization, local governments should make decisions carefully about inviting visitors back.

First and foremost, they need to consider the health, safety and welfare of everyone who’s involved – residents, visitors and hospitality providers.

All of those groups should be involved in the decision, and it needs to be communicated through carefully crafted marketing messages to reach globally diverse audiences.

Once the needs of the community and its residents have been met, a new marketing campaign takes place that typically presents a revitalized destination that is open and ready for visitors.

This message may emphasize new and improved aspects of the destination, or simply show that its beloved and iconic qualities are still there to enjoy. That includes making sure that transportation is available to reach the destination and that there’s quality lodging and dining readily available for all price points.

In your experience, does interest in top destinations like Hawaii usually bounce back to pre-disaster levels?

Globally, tourism revenues are projected to grow by almost 5% yearly through 2027. Unlike other forms of economic development, travel and tourism have shown resilience through many different types of crises.

Even destinations that have been massively damaged can regain their markets, although rebuilding may be a multi-year process. New Orleans was a major destination within a decade after it was flooded by Hurricane Katrina. The same was true for the Hawaiian island of Kauai after Hurricane Iniki ravaged it in 1992.

Tourism is an experience that is unique to the human condition. It sustains our hopes and dreams, and offers relaxation and tranquility, or excitement and adventure, through good times and bad.

University of South Carolina research professor Rich Harrill, an expert on hospitality and tourism, explains how such events affect places such as Maui in the short and long term.

Suppose you’ve suddenly learned that you have guests coming over for dinner in 15 minutes. What would you make? If you’re celebrity chef Bobby Flay, there’s no need to panic or turn to take-out menus. What he loves to do more than anything else in the world is cook.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Bobby Flay: I’m always ready. I stock my pantry very, very well, because you just never know when somebody’s going to pop in. And when you come to my house, I’m feeding you no matter what.

I would make a pasta dish for sure. Let’s say that you have absolutely nothing except a couple of ingredients in your pantry. If you cook some pasta, you save the pasta water. You add the pasta water with a little bit of butter, some Parmesan cheese, a little fresh garlic and some black pepper. Cacio e pepe. Perfect.

Flay: My go-to dish with basic pantry ingredients is probably risotto. You take some onions and garlic, you sweat it (cook them in a little oil or butter to soften them, without taking on any color). You add the rice, you add some broth. And if you don’t have broth, you can just use water and then you can flavor it with whatever else you have in the pantry. It could be canned tomatoes. You can make like a delicious tomato risotto or saffron risotto, or it could be (made) with dried mushrooms.

Flay: One of the most difficult things as a parent is being able to cook for kids and adults at the same time. I’m pretty strict about this. I don’t like to make more than one meal for my family. So, if there are kids around, they’re eating what the adults are eating. I think that’s a good thing to do so that kids get used to the idea that there’s one meal in the house. They’re not going to like everything, and that’s OK. It’s trial and error. Kids’ palates change constantly.

Flay: I’ve been using a lot of avocados lately. They’re creamy. They have a really nice sort of soothing texture. I make all kinds of different, you know, avocado relishes and guacamole. I use avocado to spread on toast. I use it for sandwiches. I use it for salads. You can find avocado in my cooking all the time. I just made a dish this morning where I used avocado and corn, made a relish out of it, put it on a crispy flour tortilla, and then put a sea scallop on top.

Flay: You need a couple different kinds of oils — extra-virgin olive oil to … finish dishes. You need an oil to cook with. I like to use avocado oil. It’s a nice light oil, and it has a high smoking point. Definitely have a bunch of different vinegars — red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar. I like to have different kinds of mustards in my pantry as well. Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, maybe a honey mustard to make a sandwich.

Of course, I like to have chiles, whether they’re red chiles from Mexico or Calabrian chiles from Italy. I’m using split peppers these days that are like a French chile pepper because I’m opening a French brasserie soon in Las Vegas. I’ve been experimenting with those a lot.

Flay: Greek yogurt. If you have some berries or other fruits that are kind of on their way out, heat them in a pan with a little pinch of sugar. Let them cook down, let them cool off. And then you have this beautiful, cooked fresh fruit jam. I like to stir that into some fresh Greek yogurt.

Flay: I love nachos. I want that like rich and thick nacho cheese sauce, crispy tortillas, lots of avocados, beautiful grilled chicken, some black beans and lots of fresh cilantro. You get that crispiness from the tortillas. I love a nacho with a margarita on the side.

Flay: Probably because I give them the stage to do it. And I’ve been competing for a really long time. When people come up to me on the street, they always say to me, like, “You know, I can beat you.” And the first thing I say to them is, “OK. What’s the dish?” And they never have the answer. So, if you’re going to challenge me, just be ready.

A cloud of volcanic ash spewing from Europe’s most active volcano has prompted the closure of one of Sicily’s largest airports, leading to flights being delayed, canceled and diverted.

Sicily’s Catania international airport, known as Catania–Fontanarossa Airport, is to remain closed until 8 p.m. local time on Monday following the eruption of nearby Mount Etna, the airport press office said in a statement.

“All arrivals and departures are therefore prohibited,” the statement said, adding that “passengers are kindly requested to present themselves at the airport only after consulting their airline.”

The volcanic activity, which began late Sunday, evolved into a “lava fountain,” producing a volcanic cloud dispersed in a southerly direction, according to the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology’s Etna observatory.

This is “producing a fallout of ash in the southern sector of the volcano and beyond,” it said.

Several flights scheduled to arrive in Catania, including those from destinations such as Malta, France, Austria, and other Italian regions, have been canceled, delayed, or diverted, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24.

The closure comes just days after the airport resumed operations, having been disrupted by a major fire in its terminal building in mid-July.

As well as being the most active, Mount Etna is Europe’s highest volcano, at about 3,350 meters (almost 11,000 feet) tall.