the forced diversion of his flight has appeared in a video statement — confessing that he provoked mass protests. it appears to have been made under duress. eu leaders have now banned belarusian airlines from its airspace and are drawing up targeted sanctions. the us secretary of state, antony blinken is on his way to the middle east for talks following the fighting between israel and palestinian militants. state department officials say his priority will be to build on the ceasefire. the us is preparing to mark the first anniversary of the murder of george floyd — which prompted global demonstrations against police brutality. relatives and supporters of mr floyd have held a rally that started outside the county building where former officer, derek chauvin was convicted. now on bbc news: mike corey is in kenya's maasai mara reserve,

finding out how an increase in domestic safari tourism there has resulted from the pandemic. coming up this week on the travel show — going wild in kenya — some of the locals going out on safari for the very first time. we are more excited. and now we can afford the rates, that's why we're here. walking romania from the comfort of your own home. let's go visit the night all together then. as the world slowly reopens, our global guru simon is back with advice on when and how to book. my passport hasn't seen any action all year and i am desperate to escape! and we meet the builders who uncovered a fascinating glimpse into spain's islamic past when they renovated a restaurant in seville.

hello and welcome to kenya's maasai mara, one of the the best game reserves in the entire world, and for good reason. local tourism authorities say nowhere in africa has wildlife this abundant. in 2020, when international tourism largely stopped, a lot of the high—end resorts had to come up with new ways to keep their rooms and theirjeeps full. there aren't many nature reserves on earth quite as well known as kenya's maasai mara.

this is the final destination everyjuly and august for all of the creatures involved in the great migration from the serengeti plains over the border in tanzania. there is around 1.5 million wildebeests alone, with large numbers of zebra and antelope species joining the journey. can we go closer to the elephant? you want many elephants? uh, we want many, yeah. that would be good. this is wild, guys! one, two, three, four, five... 11. ..11 lions. this is wild! chuckles. they are just looking at us like, "what are you? what are you doing here?" it is only 7:30! chuckles. is it yourfirst time on safari? yes. ah, 0k. how do you feel, being on yourfirst safari?

excited, yeah. we are more excited and we are hoping to see this again. so why did you come now and not before? just because of the high rates. and now we can afford the rates, that's why we're here. last year saw a huge push to attract more kenyans to go on safari in their own country. normally, this is an expensive trip but prices have been dropped by half at some resorts. other luxury hotels have been offering tantalising package deals. and this is one of those places. in pre—covid times, a stay here would put you back a little bit but during the pandemic, there were some special deals offered to local tourists, and they've been a bit hit. which is kind of good news for the holidaymakers here, right? well, there is no doubt that they are really loving the experience which, for many, has been theirfirst time. and how valuable has domestic tourism been for you during this time? very.

i think we wouldn't be here without them. we don't necessarily have to discount the rate, but once we took this package, then you'll get these extra as a valued addition, 0k? we will give you such a place, which charge a premium to have your meal. and tell you once you book your birthday celebration, your honeymoon, your anniversary, we'll get to set a private dinner out here for you at no extra charge. we'll get to you a birthday cake, a bottle of wine, you know? so we do not really have to look at changing the rates, we are looking at getting more value for what you're paying for. but some people are beginning to ask questions about the future. 0k, one pineapple mint for you. asa nte sa na. i spilled it a little bit! no worries! what happens when borders reopen and the wealthy foreigners start returning? harriet is a kenyan travel writer and she sees trouble ahead. if the prices go high again, i think these hotels will not

have learned their lessons. i think the covid experience should have taught them a lesson in that they would have made fair prices. we don't need to use them when we are down and then dump them when the things are good. there will be some who will have learned from the lessons, probably some who will have diversified and tuned into the kenyan market and what they like. because there's no sense of you offering what you are offering for international market when our taste buds are different. let's take food. some of the small, simple things, you know, that makes me know that you really understand me and you have learnt about my culture and you appreciate me. even their social media pages, you know? it will make a difference having a kenyan or black people in there. but of course, some resorts have been popular with domestic tourists for years. this place, just on the edge of the reserve, is owned

and run by kenyans, and there's lots of locals that stay here. it's a tented camp, without some of the frills of the more luxury resorts, with a price tag that's much more accessible for many of us. a night here will set you back about us$100, and that's around £70. jackson. yes. hey! it's beautiful here. welcome, sir, and have a seat. so how have things been since the pandemic started here? business has been very difficult, mike, during the pandemic time because given that the country was on total lockdown, that meant the tourist sector, we got no business, we were operating on nil. is is — are you seeing more kenyans exploring their own country? oh, yes, kenyans have changed their attitude towards travelling and they are already increasing their travel to maasai mara, and other parts of the country. this is called a sausage tree.

a sausage tree? because it is for the sausages. these grow on here? yes, yes. like up there. wow! yeah! no wonder it is called the sausage tree! mmm. do you ever think about what happens next, when international tourism does come back and these resorts lift their prices again? will the kenyans be pushed out? it will not be fair to the kenyan market. they will need to consistently maintain that package that they are giving them during the hard times. they also have options of looking for the hotels that have been consistent, like us, who are maintaining a rate for them, a good package for them. evening in the maasai mara. it's beautiful, a time of day when us canadians are interested in only one thing. i can't help it. i see a fire, i want to tend to it. it's in my blood. canadians love campfires. look at this, let me show

you some of my photos. you might recall issac and jackline from earlier, who kindly let me join them on their game drive. it was their first time ever seeing kenya's wildlife. many people have been coming to mara but we have been seeing the migration through the televisions. and one day i told my husband that we should plan to come to maasai mara. but my husband was like, "oh, the problem is the rates. they might be too high for us, so we cannot afford." so that's when after the covid—19, when it came, ourfriends came to siana springs and they told us that the rates are affordable, so we decided to come and see the mara. and how do you feel about the future here, knowing that tourism is opening back up again? yes.

the future might be bright when the hoteliers themselves consider the local tourists. they do care more about the local tourists. they are treating us just the same like the international tourists, and we feel more different. if they treat me like a white person, i'mjust 0k. i feel nice. for most of us, it will still be a few more months before we're comfortably able to book those flights and head away for the holidays. in the meantime, though, we are trying to show you the best digital travel experiences you can have on the web.

well, how about being transported back to 16th century england to see king henry viii favourite warship the mary rose up close? a free virtual tour allows visitors to see the wooden wreck and learn more about this iconic vessel. for something more interactive, try heading to romania for a virtual walking tour with a difference. the pre—recorded tours allow you to choose different things along their route as they go. what do you want to do? so far, you can explore the mediaeval brasov... for this reason, of course, locals thought it was a miracle. ..walk the streets of a sighisoara... ..like a secret union. ..or explore ancient corvin castle. let's go visit the knights all together then. started back in 2014 are gaining popularity more recently, the google street art audio tours allow you to jump

on a guided tour, hit the streets and hear the stories behind the art from around the world. with work from across the globe, this takes you to places you otherwise might not get to, even after travel restrictions are lifted. but as restrictions start to ease, many of us are starting to be able to get away from the virtual world and back out into the real world, so why not get back in tune with nature during the summer solstice at uk's stonehenge? a nearby summer solstice festival is expected to take place live this year with a festival of celebrations beginning june 18 to 21st. still to come on the travel show: simon is back to help us get out on the road again, hopefully sometime soon. and we chip away at the story behind an ancient bathhouse

hidden in a spanish bar. so don't go away. with travel on the horizon, people are starting to think about what is possible again. but before you book the trip you have been dreaming of, take a moment to consider what happens if something gets between you and your plans. fortunately, simon calder is here to untangle all the complexity surrounding a trip this year. if you're a loyal viewer of the travel show, you might be thinking, "hang on! about a year, ago i'm sure he was saying, �*0h, it will all be over byjuly, we'll have a normal summer'." well, yes, i was hopelessly

overoptimistic. and the confidence we used to have as travellers has been seriously dented. for the coming months, maybe years, there will be an awful lot of uncertainty associated with travelling abroad. but as some parts of the world at least start to emerge, even the most avowed adventurer has to accept that the journey abroad these days is almost a constantly changing obstacle course. until the start of the coronavirus pandemic, nobody red the small print. now pretty much everybody does, and you will see what the big holiday companies have said, ok, we want to be as flexible as possible, in order to get your booking. and so quite typically they will let you change your destination. they will allow you to postpone your trip, sometimes up to a few weeks, maybe even a few days

before departure. you won't be able to get a cash refund if the trip is still going ahead, but you will have the peace of mind that you will be able to enjoy the holiday at some stage in the future. accommodation providers are increasingly flexible, and so i am booking stuff where i know that i only pay at check—in. they probably still want a credit card number to prove that you are serious, but please remember to cancel as early as you possibly can if you're not going to be taking it up, so they can give it to someone else. i'd love to say there is bargains galore out there, but while there are some really cheap deals popping up here and there, i suspect that the overall trend for the year is going to be that whatever you paid in 2019, expect to pay a quarter, third, it half as much as the airlines and holiday companies desperately

try to recoup some money. if the price of the trip you are looking at looks astronomical, i urge you to practice masterful inactivity. that simply means doing nothing, because if there are large profits being made, well, you can be sure that other travel companies are watching, they may well put in extra capacity, and that will force prices down. don't forget to build in the cost of testing. coming back to the uk, for example, i have to have a test before i leave and another one on arrival. and for a family, that can really start to add up. increasingly, countries are saying, "right, either we are only allowing visitors in if they've had both jabs, or if you can prove you have been immunised, we will allow

you a much easier admission, perhaps avoiding testing or needing to quarantine." which raises the question, how do you prove it? here in england, for example, where i am lucky enough to have been vaccinated, i have a fairly flimsy piece of card prove it. and the government is giving us a smartphone app which will hopefully allow us to cross borders. there isn't any international agreement yet, so whatever you are going it's really important to find out what sort of proof will be acceptable. early on in the covid crisis, cruise ships were hotspots for the virus, and as cruising finally gets going again at scale, a lot of cruise lines are saying if you've not been fully vaccinated, you're not getting on board. and for people who cannot or choose not to be vaccinated, i'm afraid you could find international travel for the next few months really tricky. thanks, simon.

and to finish this week, we're off to spain where the renovation of a bar in seville has revealed an ornate hidden treasure.

the recently discovered bathhouse joined several others surrounding the 12th century islamic mosque which was later re—established as royal alcazar palace.

well, that's everything for this week. but coming up next time: we look back at some of the strangest places we've spent the night here on the travel show. from a chilly night champing in the uk... it's quite cold, it's got notably quite cold. i think there is a jolly good reason champing is only done during the summer. because these old churches don't have nice central heating. but it is oddly peaceful, actually. it is cold and peaceful. ..and the time i didn't get much sleep in a bunker in sarajevo, which tries to recreate some of the terror of living through the balkan conflict in the 1990s. it has been a night of pseudo—rest where i am not

really quite asleep, not really quite awake. and remember you can watch all our adventures on the bbc iplayer and we are on most social media sites as well. instagram, facebook, you name it, we're probably there. from me and the travel show team here in maasai mara, keep planning your adventures and we will see you back on the road very, very soon. hello. we know may has been wet, and now with less than a week to go, the met office says provisionalfigures indicate that wales, despite all of the sunshine to end monday, has had its wettest may on record — those records going back to 1862.

wales will have a drier tuesday, but depending on where you are, there will be further heavy showers to dodge because low pressure, although it's moving into the north sea, is still close enough to produce some of those showers. now, there are weather changes on the horizon and we'll look at those in just a moment. this is how we're starting off tuesday morning. a lot of cloud across scotland, northern england, through north wales, the midlands and on towards east anglia, where you could be encountering some patchy rain to begin with. elsewhere, a few sunny spells. the cloudy zone will brighten up, but this is where we're going to see some of those heavy and possibly thundery showers, with the risk of hail during the day. quieter weather through much of wales, the midlands, into southeast england, bar the odd shower, and largely dry in northern ireland. but cornwall and devon clouding over with outbreaks of rain moving in. it'll be fairly breezy out there and temperatures for the most part in the range of 12 to 16 celsius. tuesday evening brings some of the heaviest showers in towards the midlands and east anglia before the day is done. the rain clears away the far

southwest of england, further outbreaks of rain pushing in towards southeast scotland and northeast england. and wednesday starts where you're clear on a chillier note, some spots down into low single figures. and on wednesday, there will be a few sunny spells around, but much of the east of the uk will be cloudy, and you could well see some outbreaks of rain turning increasingly light and patchy as the day goes on. but through parts of scotland and again northern england, through the afternoon, there could be heavy and thundery showers getting going. where you get the sunshine, though, it is going to be a little warmer. still quite chilly as thursday begins under largely clear skies. now, there will be a weather system trying to approach from the west. some uncertainty about how far it's going to get in during daylight hours, but it could well bring some cloud and rain into at least parts of northern ireland. but where you stay dry, with sunny spells, it'll be a touch warmer still. that weather front to the west willjust die a death and we're left with building high pressure going into the weekend, and that is going to bring rather more settled weather than we've had of late. not completely dry. there may be a weather system approaching from the west later on bank holiday monday. but for most of us, it is looking this

weekend drier and warmer.

this is bbc news, i'm ben boulos. our top stories... a belarusian journalist arrested in minsk following the forced diversion of his flight appears in a video — apparently under duress. european leaders ban belarusian airlines from eu airspace and draw up targeted sanctions against officials. in gaza, we meet one community grieving the loss of their children in the recent clashes with israel. the us prepares to mark the first anniversary of the murder of african american george floyd — which prompted global demonstrations against police brutality. and the italian winner of this year's eurovision song contest passes a drugs test — halting rumours he took cocaine at the event.