What’s behind the rise of the fake tourist attraction?

Stefano Mazzola/Getty Images

This week in travel: why hotels struggle to address noise complaints, the fake tourist attractions luring in visitors, and South Korea’s capital cements its super-cool status.

It had a handful of glowing five-star TripAdvisor reviews, a series of sculpted columns and a photogenic lake, but this historic Greek amphitheater was missing one teensy detail: the truth.

In Northern Italy, Franco Malosso built a 54,000-square-foot “ancient” site and charged unsuspecting tourists $46 to visit it. But after more than a decade of acting as tour guide around the styrofoam-enhanced structure, he was arrested and charged with forgery, among other crimes.

One of the A-listers who supposedly spent time at the amphitheater was Juliet Capulet, the heroine of Shakespeare’s fictional play “Romeo and Juliet.”

Though she was, again, fictional, that hasn’t stopped the nearby city of Verona from cashing in on their famous un-real resident and erecting a balcony inspired by the one that appears in the play. Despite its admittedly fictitious origins, Juliet’s House is one of the most popular sites in Verona.

But not all travelers mind visiting purpose-built attractions. In China, some “fanggu” — faux historical villages — have become hot spots in their own right, as some visitors prefer the structures in the background of their social media pics. They’re also conveniently located next to major cities, making them easier to visit for travelers with limited time.

Human fabulists aren’t the only ones who sometimes lure tourists to less-than-authentic sites. Last year, travelers began flocking to natural hot springs on the island of Tasmania, Australia. However, there was one small wrinkle — said hot springs didn’t exist. They were an AI “hallucination” that made their way onto a travel website.

Courtesy Bawah Reserve

Hotel luxury isn’t just about rainforest showers and comfy beds.

Many travelers are willing to pay a premium to get some peace and quiet in our increasingly busy world. They’re heading to places like Indonesia’s Bawah Reserve , located on a private island in the middle of the South China Sea where your closest neighbor is more likely to be a sea turtle than another person.

But in big cities, the issue isn’t so simple. Noise is one of the biggest guest complaints at hotels, but it’s incredibly hard to eliminate. Hotels might have to contend with noises from nearby traffic or construction, but they might also have to deal with some guests who are louder than others. Still, with “ sleep tourism ” more popular than ever, some accommodations are getting creative.

While guests at hotels will interact with staff members like concierges and bellhops, they likely won’t ever meet the people behind the scenes. One documentary hopes to change that by highlighting a special community that helped shape American hospitality.

Courtesy Amar Shah and Rahul Rohatgi

Thousands of Indian immigrants from the state of Gujarat with the surname Patel made their living by opening up motels across the US — to the point where they and their descendants now control 60% of the industry. “The Patel Motel Story” shows how one group of immigrants found their American dream.

Where do you want to stay on your next trip? Whether it’s a hotel, an Airbnb or your friend’s couch, many travelers carefully consider the neighborhood they want to be based in.

This year, the Time Out publishing group has voted Seoul’s Jongno 3-Ga the world’s coolest neighborhood, highlighting its cute shops and cafes as well as its Instagram-ready scenery. CNN sent Seoul-based correspondent Gage Goulding to check it out in person.

Seoul's Jongno-3 ga has been given a major designation. CNN's Gage Goulding takes a look.

Beyond Seoul, Time Out shouted out other cool areas in cities like Bogotá, Glasgow, Mumbai and Los Angeles. Check out the full list .

Anthony Bourdain also traveled to South Korea in his CNN Original series, “Parts Unknown.” CNN subscribers can stream the episode here .

You’ve probably heard about Mongolia’s desert landscapes.

But have you heard of its throat singing culture?

An awards show. A move by the Fed. A superstar goes on tour.

What do you remember from the week that was ?

Europe’s ski season is grappling with climate change.

The slopes are turning to mush . (For subscribers only.)

Husband-and-wife lung slices? Lion’s head meatball?

Learn why some Chinese food names are “impossible to translate.”

Stefano Mazzola/Getty Images

本周旅游热点：酒店为何难以解决噪音投诉、虚假旅游景点吸引游客、韩国首都巩固其超酷地位。

它有一些五星好评的 TripAdvisor 评论，一系列雕刻精美的柱子和一个上镜的湖泊，但这座历史悠久的希腊圆形剧场却缺少一个微小的细节：真相。

在意大利北部，弗朗哥·马洛索建造了一个占地54000平方英尺的“古代遗址”，并向毫不知情的游客收取46美元的参观费。但在为这座用泡沫塑料搭建的建筑担任了十多年的导游后，他被捕并被控伪造罪以及其他罪行。

据说曾在圆形剧场消磨时光的一线明星之一是莎士比亚戏剧《罗密欧与朱丽叶》中的女主角朱丽叶·凯普莱特。

尽管朱丽叶是虚构人物，但这并没有阻止附近的维罗纳城利用这位著名的虚构居民大赚一笔，他们建造了一个仿照剧中阳台设计的阳台。尽管朱丽叶故居的起源是虚构的，但它仍然是维罗纳最受欢迎的景点之一。

但并非所有游客都介意参观人工建造的景点。在中国，一些“方谷”（仿古村落）本身就成了热门景点，因为有些游客喜欢在社交媒体照片中以这些建筑为背景。而且，这些方谷通常位于大城市附近，交通便利，方便时间有限的游客前往。

并非只有人类编造故事的人才会用虚假信息引诱游客。去年，游客们开始涌向澳大利亚塔斯马尼亚岛的天然温泉。然而，其中却隐藏着一个秘密——这些所谓的温泉根本不存在。它们只是人工智能“制造”出来的幻觉，并被发布到了某个旅游网站上。

承蒙巴瓦保护区惠允

酒店的奢华不仅仅在于热带雨林淋浴和舒适的床铺。

在这个日益繁忙的世界里，许多旅行者愿意支付更高的价格，只为寻求片刻宁静。他们前往像印度尼西亚的巴瓦自然保护区这样的地方，该保护区位于南海中央的一个私人岛屿上，在那里，你最近的邻居更有可能是一只海龟，而不是其他人。

但在大城市，这个问题就没那么简单了。噪音是酒店客人最常抱怨的问题之一，但却很难彻底消除。酒店可能要应对附近交通或建筑工地的噪音，也可能要处理一些比其他客人更吵闹的噪音。不过，随着“睡眠旅游”越来越受欢迎，一些住宿场所正在想方设法解决这个问题。

酒店客人虽然会与礼宾员和行李员等工作人员互动，但他们可能永远不会见到幕后工作人员。一部纪录片希望通过展现一个对美国酒店业发展做出贡献的特殊群体来改变这种现状。

由阿马尔·沙阿和拉胡尔·罗哈吉提供

成千上万来自古吉拉特邦、姓帕特尔的印度移民靠在美国各地开设汽车旅馆谋生——以至于他们及其后代如今控制了该行业60%的份额。《帕特尔汽车旅馆的故事》讲述了这群移民如何实现他们的美国梦。

你下次旅行想住在哪里？无论是酒店、民宿还是朋友家的沙发，许多旅行者都会仔细考虑自己想住的街区。

今年，《Time Out》出版集团将首尔钟路三街评为全球最酷街区，并着重介绍了那里可爱的小店和咖啡馆，以及适合拍照打卡的迷人景色。CNN派驻首尔记者盖奇·古尔丁（Gage Goulding）前往实地探访。

首尔钟路三街被列为重点区域。CNN记者盖奇·古尔丁对此进行了报道。

除了首尔，Time Out 还推荐了波哥大、格拉斯哥、孟买和洛杉矶等城市的其他一些很棒的地区。查看完整列表。

安东尼·波登也曾在他的 CNN 原创系列节目“未知之旅”中前往韩国。CNN 用户可以在这里观看该集节目。

你可能听说过蒙古的沙漠景观。

但你听说过它的喉音演唱文化吗？

颁奖典礼。美联储的举措。巨星巡回演出。

你还记得上周发生了什么吗？

欧洲的滑雪季正受到气候变化的影响。

山坡上的积雪都化成泥浆了。（仅限订阅用户阅读。）

夫妻档肺片？狮子头肉丸？

了解为什么有些中国食物名称“无法翻译”。