The Monocle Minute

It has become commonplace when visiting a new city to plan out the trip in advance using Google Maps – not only how to travel from the airport to downtown but also which shops to go to, which restaurants to try, which sights to see, and so on. Much of this is invaluable and the app can expand our horizons when we’re somewhere unfamiliar. Becoming dependent on it for all worldly information, however, severely narrows our understanding of a city and ultimately damages that place and its inhabitants.

Ever since the first modern holidaymakers set out into the world with their trunks and parasols, travellers have sought the novel and unfamiliar. Much of this was to be gleaned, as it still is sometimes, by the employment of a local guide or purchase of a well-researched book. But even though many travel books, which remained an obligatory accessory until the smartphone age, were exhaustive, the most cherished experiences were usually found elsewhere: the chance encounter that led to an unknown market, for example. Google Maps tourism precludes such moments of serendipity.

The most damaging delusion that the internet gives us is that of omniscience. When it comes to Google Maps, this is the belief that if a place isn’t readily findable on the app, it must not exist. That which can be found, meanwhile, is exposed to a rubric based on a crude rating system. The effect that this has on a city or neighbourhood – besides the fact that we first experience it while jackknifed over a small screen – is that its establishments court the Google reviewer over the customer, the tourist above the local. And we all ultimately lose out. For even if a bar or restaurant has been patronised 100,000 times, if you come to it by chance and not via a screen, it will always feel novel.

Alexis Self is Monocle’s foreign editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

The International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) is under way in Cannes and there’s a spring in the step of the thousands of industry insiders, CEOs and hotel GMs in attendance. A little winter sun helps but there’s optimism among the 2,350 hospitality brands in town. Despite the potential headwinds of 2025, they are certain that those with purpose and personality can meet the challenges of the moment. There are private-jet operators, cruise lines and airlines at the show. Air France is promoting its La Premiere service, which offers the smoothest departure for First Class travellers, while the MSC Group-owned Explora Journeys is showcasing how it is reinventing the cruise experience.

Last night, in a speech to a packed room of delegates, our editorial director and chairman, Tyler Brûlé, set out a recipe for brands seeking to up their game by going back to basics. Taking benchmarks from storied hospitality holdouts that have never cut back on service, he offered observations and smart ideas picked up on the road. These included the lasting value of a warm welcome and doing away with tablets at check-in and QR codes on menus. Today is a crucial day at the ILTM as deals are cut on the sidelines between major brands. By the time the event closes on Thursday, a picture of where the industry is heading in 2025 and beyond will have emerged. Tune in to Monocle Radio for dispatches throughout the day and check back here tomorrow for a full report.
iltm.com

After several years of sluggish recovery, the Chinese travel industry has been buoyed by the news that Beijing has finally reinstated its short-term visa waiver for Japanese visitors. These were halted in March 2020 – and while the list of exempt countries had slowly been expanding again, Japan had not been included until now.

The extra bureaucracy that this has caused has put off Japanese travellers, particularly when it comes to business trips: the number of flights to China is at half the level that it was in 2019. Airlines and travel companies in Japan are optimistic that visa-free travel, which will be extended from 15 to 30 days, will spur fresh arrivals and boost spending. The business relationship between the two countries faces other hurdles, however – not least the sluggish Chinese economy, which might hinder Japanese plans to increase investment in its neighbour.

Craig Robins is the CEO of property company Dacra Development, co-founder of Design Miami and developer of the Miami Design District. He is also one of the people responsible for bringing Art Basel to the city. As multiple art fairs and design showrooms open for Miami Art Week 2024 (on now until Sunday 8 December), Robins tells us about the city’s creative scene.

How did you transform the Miami Design District?
Miami went through a crisis in the 1980s. Many areas began to decline, including its Design District, which was a successful neighbourhood for furniture showrooms. After it had been virtually abandoned, many people thought that nothing positive could happen there again. The first thing that I did was tell furniture showrooms that their designs should be accessible from the street rather than in fortress-like malls. A lot of people agreed with that. Before long, the Design District was fully occupied and earning rent.

How do Art Basel Miami Beach and the Miami Design District contribute to the city’s creative scene?
They have turned the city into a global cultural destination. There is more interesting architecture here now. Developers are choosing to work with great architects who combine practicality with a commitment to giving back to the community.

What can we expect from Art Basel Miami Beach this year?
There will be wonderful art at this year’s edition. Jeffrey Deitch is coming back, Saatchi Yates has an exhibition and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, will have a major launch. There’ll be many collaborations on show, including Cartier’s takeover of the former De la Cruz Collection building, and the opening of Nami Nori’s Miami restaurant. It will be exciting all over the city, especially in the Design District.
miamidesigndistrict.com

To listen to the full episode, tune in to ‘Eureka’ on Monocle Radio.

We discuss two documentaries that take a sideways look at men we’re familiar with from their public profiles: one as a national leader and the other as an icon of Hollywood’s golden age. The Bibi Files, directed by Alexis Bloom, uses leaked interrogation footage of Benjamin Netanyahu to explore contemporary Israeli politics, while Kathryn Ferguson’s Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes takes a behind-the-scenes look at Humphrey Bogart. Listen to our podcast now.